S.W.O.R.D. To Screen Kurosawa’s Rashomon

On Saturday Nov. 16th, 2013 at 2 PM, the South West Ohio Recreation and Defense School (S.W.O.R.D) will present the acclaimed film Rashomon by acclaimed film maker Akira Kurosawa.  This 1950 movie introduced the world to Japanese Cinema and won film awards around the globe.

Rashomon concerns various viewpoints of what happened when a samurai is killed and his wife gets raped by a bandit during Japan’s feudal period.  The story is told from the viewpoint of the bandit (played by the great Toshiro Mifune),  a woodcutter, a priest, a constable, the wife and even from the point of view of the dead samurai husband as his spirit speaks through a medium.

Through out the entertaining story, Kurosawa explores the idea of subjective truth.

Rashomon made international stars of out Toshiro Mifune (known as the John Wayne of Japan), Takashi Shimura (known as the Lawrence Olivier of Japan) and Kurosawa, himself.

There will also be a discussion by Film Historian Richard Martin about the history behind the film. Admission to the event is $10 and popcorn and soda are provided. Other refreshments are available for purchase.

2013 marks the 70^th anniversary of the first film solely directed by Akira Kurosawa, arguably the greatest film director ever according to many film critics’ lists.

Each month another film by Akira Kurosawa will be shown at S.W.O.R.D.  This screening, and all other films, will also present a lecture by film historian Rick Martin.

Akira Kurosawa was the first Japanese film director to have his movies win major international awards outside of Japan following World War II.  His movies broke new grounds in terms of visuals and storytelling and helped bridge the cultural divide between East and West.  Many of his movies have been remade as westerns such as The Magnificent 7 and even science fiction such as Star Wars which was an outer space retelling of 1958’s The Hidden Fortress.  In 1989, Kurosawa won a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award and the Director’s Guild of America.  In 1999, posthumously, he won the Asian of the Century Award from CNN.

This continuing event will mark the first time in the Dayton area that all of Kurosawa’s films will be screened in order for the public.  Each monthly screening will be on the third Saturday of each month at 2 PM.   Upcoming screenings will include The 7 Samurai, Ikiru, Yojimbo, Do Desu Ka Den, Kagemusha and RAN.

For more information, please call S.W.O.R.D. at 937-223-5569 or look up S.W.O.R.D. on Facebook.