Robert Altman on Rashomon (1950): “Rashomon is the most interesting of Kurosawa’s films for me. That and Throne of Blood. Those two stand out the most. Throne of Blood was more accessible because most non-Japanese audiences at least knew the basic story of Macbeth. Rashomon was more creative, because when one sees a film, you see the characters on screen. It’s not like reading, where you imagine certain things. You see very specific things. You see a tree, you see a sword. So one takes that as t

Rashomon (1950) Dir: Akira Kurosawa | DP: Kazuo Miyagawa The rule was simple: never point the camera at the sun. Miyagawa broke it. Forest scenes shot with direct sunlight through the canopy. Dappled light on faces. Moving shadows as branches sway. In 1950, this was considered technically impossible. Miyagawa proved it wasn't. But Kurosawa had another idea: use light as truth. Each witness tells the same story differently. Each version has different light. The bandit's version is harsh and brigh