Roshomon

Roshomon was a Japanese film that was originally received by American movie executives with less than desirable acclaim. The film was released in Japan in 1950 and in the United States in 1951. The film is an exemplary illustration of the pursuit of justice. The focus of the film centers on the murder of a husband and the violation of his wife's honor during the 11th century. During the trial to determine the facts, conflicting versions of the incident are told by the "Bandit", the wife and the dead husband via a medium and a witness who does not reveal all he knows about the incident. The film utilizes various camera angles and the recall of events to bring the story to life.
I plan to utilize the film in my one of my history classes. I believe it will be useful as we discuss historical events from varying perspectives and investigate points of view. In fact, after the release of the film in America a new idiom was created; the Roshomon Effect is a term utilized whenever conflicting stories arise about the same event.
The film is also useful to explore ideas such as the downfall of societies, loss of faith, issues of trust and hope for the future; the movie ends with a cease in the torrential rain that fell during the unfolding of events with a newborn baby being carried away into the sunlight.
I believe that the simplicity of the movie's production will lend itself to students' comprehension and appropriation. Simultaneously the complexity of the societal themes will allow for plenty of opportunity for students to engage in cognitive development as well as higher level thinking skills.
edited by tkuanda on 6/28/2015