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Rashōmon
is a 1950 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shinobu Hashimoto. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, and Takashi Shimura, it follows various people who describe how a samurai was murdered in a forest. The plot and characters are based upon Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's short story " In a Grove", with the title and framing story taken from Akutagawa's " Rashōmon". Every element is largely identical, from the murdered samurai speaking through a Shinto psychic to the bandit in the forest, the monk, the assault of the wife, and the dishonest retelling of the events in which everyone shows their ideal self by lying. Production began in 1948 at Kurosawa's regular production firm Toho but was canceled as it was viewed as a financial risk. Two years later, Sōjirō Motoki pitched ''Rashomon'' to Daiei Film upon the completion of Kurosawa's ''Scandal''. Daiei initially turned it down but eventually agreed to produce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rashōmon (short Story)
is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa based on tales from the '' Konjaku Monogatarishū''. The story was first published in 1915 in '' Teikoku Bungaku''. Akira Kurosawa's film ''Rashomon'' (1950) is in fact based primarily on another of Akutagawa's short stories, " In a Grove"; only the film's title and some of the material for the frame scenes, such as the theft of a kimono and the discussion of the moral ambiguity of thieving to survive, are borrowed from "Rashōmon". Plot summary The story recounts the encounter between a servant and an old woman in the dilapidated Rashōmon, the southern gate of the then-ruined city of Kyoto, where unclaimed corpses were sometimes dumped. The current name of the gate in the story, but not the plot, comes from the Noh play '' Rashōmon'' (c. 1420). The man, a lowly servant recently fired, is contemplating whether to starve to death or to become a thief to survive in the barren times. He goes upstairs, after noticing some firelight there ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajōmon
, also called , was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō (Nara) and Heian-kyō (Kyoto), in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far north-end of Suzaku Avenue, one would reach the Suzakumon Gate, the main entrance to the palace zone. , the southern end of Suzaku Avenue and the possible remainder of the equivalent gate in Fujiwara-kyō ( Kashihara) are yet to be discovered. Name The gate's name in modern Japanese is ''Rajōmon''. ''Rajō'' (羅城) refers to city walls and ''mon'' (門) means "gate," so ''Rajōmon'' signifies the main city gate. Originally, this gate was known as ''Raseimon'' or ''Raiseimon'', using alternate readings for the kanji in the name. The name ''Rashōmon'', using the kanji 羅生門 (which can also be read ''Raseimon''), was popularized by a noh play Rashōmon (c.1420) written by Kanze Nobumitsu (1435–1516). The modern name, ''Rajōmon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
, art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He took his own life at the age of 35 through an overdose of barbital. Early life Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was born in Irifune, Kyōbashi, Tokyo City (present-day Akashi, Chūō, Tokyo), the eldest son of businessman Toshizō Niihara and his wife Fuku. His family owned a milk production business. His mother experienced mental illness shortly after his birth, so he was adopted and raised by his maternal uncle, Michiaki Akutagawa, from whom he received the Akutagawa family name. He was interested in classical Chinese literature from an early age, as well as in the works of Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki. He entered the First High School in 1910 and developed relationships with classmates such as Kan Kikuchi, Kume Masao, Yūzō Yamamoto, and , all of whom would la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In A Grove
, also translated as ''In a Bamboo Grove'', is a Japanese short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa first published in 1922. It was ranked as one of the "10 best Asian novels of all time" by ''The Telegraph'' in 2014. ''In a Grove'' has been adapted several times, most notably by Akira Kurosawa for his award-winning 1950 film ''Rashōmon''. The story centers on the violent death of young samurai Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose body has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. The preceding events unfurl in a series of testimonies, first by passers-by, an auxiliary policeman and a relative, then by the three main protagonists – the samurai, his wife Masago, and bandit Tajōmaru – but the truth remains hidden due to the contradictory recounts given. Plot The story opens with testimonies given to a police commissioner. The first account is by a woodcutter who has found a man's body in the bamboo groves near the road to Yamashina. The man's chest had been pierced by a sword, and the blo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Lion
The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a second Golden Lion award was introduced, an honorary prize for people who have made an important contribution to cinema. The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of Saint Mark (which was one of the best known symbols of the ancient Republic of Venice). In 1954, the prize was permanently named the Golden Lion. History The first Golden Lion was awarded in 1949. Previously, the equivalent prize was the Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia (Grand International Prize of Venice), awarded in 1947 and 1948. No Golden Lions were awarded between 1969 and 1979. According to the Biennale's official website, the hiatus was a result of the 1968 Lion being given to the radically experimental '' Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: Ratlos' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minoru Chiaki
was a Japanese actor who appeared in eleven of Akira Kurosawa's films, including ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''The Hidden Fortress''. He was also one of Kon Ichikawa's favorite actors. He attended, but did not graduate from, Chuo University. Later in his career, he appeared as a secondary actor in many Toei films. In 1986, he won the Best Actor at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his performance in '' Gray Sunset'' (1985). He died of cardiac and pulmonary failure at age 82. His son Katsuhiko Sasaki is also an actor. Filmography Film *'' Stray Dog'' (1949) – Girlie Show director *'' Rashōmon'' (1950) – Priest *''Nanairo no hana'' (1950) – Tahei Izumi *''Koi no Oranda-zaka'' (1951) – Suekichi *''The Idiot'' (1951) – Mutsuo Kayama, the secretary *''Araki Mataemon: Kettô kagiya no tsuji'' (1952) *''Mōjū tsukai no shōjo'' (1952) *''Bijo to touzoku'' (1952) – Takeichi no Takamaru *''Kyô wa kaisha no gekkyûbi'' (1952) – Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuo Miyagawa
was a Japanese cinematographer. Career Born in Kyoto, Miyagawa was taken with sumi-e Chinese ink painting from the age of eleven and began to sell his work as an illustrator while a teenager. He became interested in the cinema during the 1920s, particularly admiring the German Expressionist silents. He joined the Nikkatsu film company in 1926 after graduating from Kyoto Commercial School. He began as a laboratory technician before becoming an assistant cameraman. Miyagawa cited the cinematography of Eiji Tsuburaya, and Kenzo Sakai as an influence on his career. Miyagawa is best known for his tracking shots, particularly those in '' Rashomon'' (1950), the first of his collaborations with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Other films with Kurosawa include '' Yojimbo'' (1961) and initial preparations for ''Kagemusha'' (1980). He also worked on multiple films directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, including '' Ugetsu'' (1953). Still, only on a single Yasujirō Ozu production, '' Floating Weeds'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a Filmmaking technique of Akira Kurosawa, bold, dynamic style strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it. He was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Cinema of Japan, Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film ''Sanshiro Sugata'' (1943). After the war, the critically acclaimed ''Drunken Angel'' (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then-little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sōjirō Motoki
was a Japanese filmmaker who served primarily as a film producer, but also as a writer and director (film), director. He was most famous for producing several films for Akira Kurosawa, including ''Seven Samurai'', ''Ikiru'' and ''Throne of Blood''. He also produced films for other directors, including Mikio Naruse, for whom he produced ''Spring Awakens'' and ''Battle of Roses'', and Kazuo Mori, for whom he produced ''Vendetta for a Samurai''. As a writer, he provided the story for Kei Kumai's 1968 film ''The Sands of Kurobe'', starring Kurosawa favorite Toshiro Mifune. Besides the films he is credited with producing, Motoki also had an influence on other Kurosawa films. For example, he was involved in the production of ''Rashomon''. Motoki sent the letter to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto inviting him to help expand the script of ''Rashomon''. During the late 1940s, Motoki joined with directors Kurosawa, Senkichi Taniguchi and Kajiro Yamamoto (eventually joined by Naruse a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miko
A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as Shamanism, shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform tasks ranging from sacred cleansing to performing the sacred dance. Appearance The Miko clothing, traditional attire of a is a pair of red (divided, pleated trousers), a white (a predecessor of the kimono), and some white or red hair ribbons. In Shinto, the color white symbolizes purity. The garment put over the during dances is called a . Traditional tools include the , the (offertory -tree branches), and the . also use bells, drums, candles, , and bowls of rice in ceremonies. Definition The Japanese words and ("female shaman" and "shrine maiden" respectively)Kokugo Dai Jiten Dictionary, Revised edition, Shogakukan, 1988. are usually written as a compound of the kanji ("shaman"), and ("woman"). was arch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Toho is best known for producing and distributing many of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya's ''kaiju'' and ''tokusatsu'' films as well as the films of Akira Kurosawa and the anime of Studio Ghibli, Shin-Ei Animation, TMS Entertainment, CoMix Wave Films, and OLM, Inc. The company has released the majority of the highest-grossing Japanese films, and through its subsidiaries, is the largest film importer in Japan. The Doraemon film series, distributed by Toho since 1980, is the highest-grossing film series and anime film series in Japan. It is also one of the highest-grossing non-English language film series. Toho Company Limited logo with full name in native language Toho's most famous creation is Godzilla, featured in 33 of the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Principal Photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the actors, director, cinematographer(s) or sound engineer(s) and their respective assistants ( assistant director, camera assistant, boom operator), the unit production manager plays a decisive role in principal photography. They are responsible for the daily implementation of the shoot, managing the daily call sheet, the location barriers, transportation, and catering. Additional typical roles during filming include the script supervisor to record changes to the script and the still photographer to produce images for advertising and documentation. Several reports are prepared each day to track the progress of a film production, including the daily production report, the daily progress report, and the sound report. Process Prepa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
