Reading response paper analysis and interpretation

Temporal Duration in "Rashomon" and "The Graduate"

The Japanese film "Rashomon" (1950) directed by Akira Kurosawa makes one of the most innovative uses of point-of-view of any film in cinematic history. A series of witnesses retell their experiences of same event, the murder of a prominent samurai and the rape of his wife, from their own unique, subjective perspective. No single perspective is validated as superior to the others; the only truth that exists is that there is no truth, only versions of the truth. Contrary to usual 'who-done-its,' the murderer is never revealed, in fact three of the characters each claim to be the murderer but the film makes all of their claims seem equally valid.

The film begins in the present, and then has a series of flashbacks, not of different points in time, but of the same point in time, the same sequence of event. A priest, a woodcutter, the accused bandit and the wife of the dead man all recount what they remember, and even the ghost of the dead samurai is channeled through a medium and he tells what he recalls. None of these various methods, however, arrive at any one 'truth,' even though none of the participants in the affair seem to be lying, or are shown to be lying over the course of the narrative. It is their perception that is askew with those of the other characters, not their own personal belief in their veracity. The film evolves in linear time as the fact-finding mission of the characters transpires, but it constantly goes back to reexamine yet again why people remember things differently.

Rashomon" makes innovative use of temporal duration, or the time sequence over which events evolve, in its stylistic innovations as well as perspective. A film can proceed in real time, for example, as does "Rashomon" in parts, but it can also make frequent and innovative use of flashback. A film can also evolve linearly but skip gaps in time, like Mike Nichols' 1967 film "The Graduate," where Dustin Hoffman's character is seen lying in the pool his scuba gear. This dramatic image characterizes the whole of Benjamin's first summer home after his graduation from college. The action encompasses Benjamin's unhappiness and uncertainty of being 'in limbo' without using many scenes that take up real cinematic time in conventional narrative form and add unnecessary length to the film. The image under the water also illustrates character and characteristic action: 'drifting' rather than doing. When Benjamin has an affair with Mrs. Robinson, an older, married woman, the film shows a montage of activities of the two of them together, rather than a linear sequence of events. The fact that the sexual relationship is occurring is what is significant to the narrative, more so than what the two characters do together. This is in contrast to "Rashomon" where what occurred, and in what order, is significant, as it gives clues as to what the character's motivation and participation in the events recounted may have been.

The Graduate" makes particularly innovative use of temporal duration in the famous final sequence, where Benjamin interrupts Katherine's wedding. In terms of scenic pacing, although both actions occur at the same time, the wedding seems to be evolving in a slow and stately fashion, quietly taking place, while Benjamin runs down the street, frantically trying to prevent the love of his life from making a terrible mistake. One sequence feels very fast and excited, like Benjamin's nervous energy and movement, the other is slow and plodding, what Katherine's life will be if she marries the conventional man selected by her parents. Transposing both sequences that occur during the same period of time creates more of a sense of excitement, because it shows that every moment counts in Benjamin's mad dash, or he might be too late and Katherine might be trapped in a life of slow, airless convention.