In a Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Compared to Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa
By Emily Bramlett

In the short story In a Grove and the 1950’s movie Rashomon, we can see the clear differences between the freedom of being a writer, and the freedom of being a director. In many book to movie adaptations, we can lose many different details and meanings that the author had wanted to display. In this analytical paper I will explore both the similarities and differences in theme and content between In a Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and the movie Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa. Between the short story and the book, we see that most of the story remains unchanged. For example, the testimonies between the Woodcutter, Tajomaru, Takehiro, and Masago are barely changed and use many quotes directly from the story itself. Minor differences that occur between the story and the movie would be any kind of fighting sequence between Takehiro and Tajomaru. Each fight is drawn out to show, and explore, the tension between the two men. The sword fight and deul lasts roughly five minutes to show the dramatization of the fight and feeling compelled by all characters involved. We can see how tired each man gets and how torn Masago is. In a story we do not get to see that type of drama, we can only take another character’s word for what they were feeling and experiencing.
The changes between the two adaptation are prevalent as well. In the story we have a testimony by Masago’s mother. In the film, we do not have a testimony from the mother. This could have been because the director did not want Masago to seem innocent. Another reason could be is because the mother only gave background information about her daugher and Takehiro. In a movie, we do not need to know ages of characters because we can see them and how old they may be. The old woman’s testimony of her daughter’s and Takehiro’s age is irrelevant to the story in a whole. The mother’s story is easily interpreted in the movie through basic knowledge or through the other character’s testimonies.
As I had mentioned previously, movie directors can have more freedom to work with a story than a writer may be able to convey. We see this in the beginning and ending of Rashomon. The beginning of the film shows the Buddhist Priest, the Wood cutter, and another Bandit. This is how the director introduces the murder and allows the viewer to ease into the courtroom and hear everyone’s testimonies. In the book, however, the writer can automatically take us right into the courtroom without the need to ease us into the situation. The ending is also much different than that of the short story. In the end of the film, we find that the Wood cutter lied about his testimony to avoid any further trouble. This is no where in the story itself and is only implemented to share the meaning and crux of the entire story.
In the short story it seems that the characters are only concerned for themselves. We see this, when Tajomaru presents his testimony. He only boasts of his conquests and about the battle between Takehiro and himself, saying that the judge should take note that Takehiro was able to produce twenty-three strokes. Most men could only produce around twenty. In the movie, the characters seem more selfish and only want what will make them wealthier or will make their lives easier. This is clarified in the ending with the bandit exposing that the wood cutter stole Masago’s dagger, after the man exposed what he had really seen in the woods. The wood cutter only stole the dagger so he could sell it to have money to care for his children.
In a movie, the director is able to have independent freedom with camera angles and lighting. Throughout Rashomon, we do not see a change in lighting. The entire story is set during the day, or in a courtroom with adequate lighting. We see many different types of camera angles however. Through most of the movie we see the shots filmed using a medium angle focus. This means that we can see the characters as if we were were standing eye to eye with them. An example of this is when the Wood cutter is walking through the woods, at the opening of the movie, and we seem to follow him from behind. As a viewer, we do not really see the man’s legs, but we do see him from the torso up as he slowly approaches Takehiro’s dead body. While Masago and Tajomaru are together in Tajomaru’s testimony we see that Kurosawa uses a shallow focus to place an emphasis on the two characters talking. We can tell that Takehiro is in the background, but the director is trying to take the focus off of him and back to the drama between Masago and Tajomaru. It is easier for a director to utilize film angle in their final products so they do not need to add unnecessary dialogue. In a book or novel, however, we need that added dialogue so we can gain a better understanding of the characters surroundings, feelings, and background information.
Music is another great tool to show how a director can foreshadow, or predict, what will happen to each character without going into a vast amount of detail. Kurosawa loved to implement music throughout his film quite heavily. Whenever Masago and Takehiro was seen walking through the woods with their horse, there was a type of wandering music with a strong beat to emphasize their footsteps. When there was a fighting sequence there was a very powerful sounding music in the background. Kurosawa also liked using silence. When there was a break in action or a breakdown within a character there would be no music played. You could easily hear the sobs of Masago, for instance, as she wept out of frustration after Takehiro and Tajomaru finished there battle. Another use of sound was when the three men were at the temple. You could hear the sound of rain pitter on the ground and the crash of thunder. In this case, I feel that the director was trying to use symbolism to show how unfortunate the death of Takehiro was and how powerful each person’s discovery of the crime was to each character. In Rashomon, the use of music and sound helped move the movie along and made the film more interesting for the viewer.
The movie, more so than the book, used plenty of symbolism throughout the film. The one scene that really stands out is when the bandit, the priest, and the wood cutter all hear the cry of a baby. The sound of a newborn’s fear is the sound of innocence. The entire meaning of the movie is that with every selfish need there is an innocent reason. When the wood cutter begs the priest to let him take care of the baby it shows that he is innocent, compared to being selfish for stealing Masago’s dagger. It shows that he is not a bad man for stealing the dagger for money, but that he needed the money to care for his children. It shows that he does have a heart.
The differences between the film and the short story are not great. Most of the differences were implemented so the director could share the story without chalking it full of unnecessary dialogue or action. With the placed changes however, it helped make the theme of the story more prevalent. The story is about how each man does, and says, things in order to make the work less for them and make them seem more proud that they really are. In the movie, the theme is, each man does things that may seem selfish or may make themselves seem better. In reality, they do the things they do, like steal a dagger for money for their children, for innocent reasons.