Doors open at 5:30pm with pre-show content and an introduction by special guest host, Steve Ridgely, Faculty Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison and a scholar of Japanese studies. 

 

The film will start at 6pm followed by an opportunity to stick around for social time and a loosely guided discussion of the film by Professor Ridgely.

 

 

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon (1950) is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife.

 

Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998) was one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history, renowned for combining powerful humanistic themes with innovative visual storytelling. Over a career spanning five decades he directed 30 films, pioneering techniques including dynamic camera movement, bold use of weather and landscape, and sophisticated editing to heighten emotional impact. Kurosawa played a crucial role in introducing Japanese cinema to global audiences and reshaping international perceptions of non-Western film. 

His narratives, often exploring moral ambiguity, leadership, and individual responsibility, drew from both Japanese history and Western literature, creating a distinctive cross-cultural style. Kurosawa’s influence is evident in the work of directors such as George Lucas, Sergio Leone, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese, whose films echo his storytelling structures, visual compositions, and epic approach to action and character-driven drama.

Click here for other showtimes of Rashomon at Rivoli Theatre