Here we have two drastically different films. Rashomon, a low-budget, unconventional Japanese film that went against trends of the time, using a unique story telling technique with four characters retelling different interpretations of one murder with a series of flashbacks. On the other hand, we have a New Hollywood era conventional film, Bonnie and Clyde with ten times the budget and another unique concept of making villains the heroes of the story.

Society and Politics
Rashomon’s director, Akira Kurosawa was an auteur in rethinking Japanese film. He had directed a few films before Rashomon that examined social issues but received little attention in Japan until Rashomon. Rashomon was a complex film attempting to address an issue in society. Kurosawa explains “This script portrays such human beings–the kind who cannot survive without lies to make them feel they are better people than they really are” (The Criterion Collection). The idea is illustrated through four stories from four characters recounting what they saw when a man was murdered, each similar but each claiming a different murderer. Despite the intricate and to some, confusing storyline, the film received awards in the western world, putting Kurosawa and Japan on the map as a filmmaking power, helping to redeem Japan’s image from that of an imperialist power that had waged a bloody and frightful war just a few years earlier.

Art of Framing
What made Rashomon critically acclaimed was a combination of unique artistic stylings and storytelling. Kurosawa began a movement in Japanese film that featured a creation of mood and tone by way of framing a scene. For example, Kurosawa would display wide shots to disconnect the audience from a character. In contrast, to emphasize a character’s emotions, the shot would start far from the camera and zoom in, or have characters move closer, to catch the details of the feelings and reactions. This video further illustrates the artistry of Kurosawa’s framing.

Now we fast forward 17 years to the release of Bonnie and Clyde. This movie changed the future of Hollywood cinema with it daring move to make bank robbers seem like they are the good guys.

Business
During the 50s and 60s, movie revenues were on the decline. In 1943 people spent 25% of their recreation money in movie theatres. From the “Movies and Rural America” article, “by 1960 that dropped to 5.2 percent, and in 1970 it dropped to 2.9 percent. People found it more rewarding to stay home and watch television or go do something else” (Living History Farm). In order to overcome this movie depression, films had to have something different. When presented with the script for the movie, director Arthur Penn said in the interview below “I don’t want to do a movie about a couple bums” but then goes on to realize that around the time of the real Bonnie and Clyde, there was an insanity to the loop that caused the Great Depression that made the idea of taking action and going out to rob banks make some sense. He knew that audiences in 1967 would understand that concept of breaking free such as resisting the draft and the war. Thus, with a star like Warren Beatty, Penn directed a movie that cost $2.5 million to film but became a sensation like he predicted making $70 million!

Both of these films went on to influence film for years and even to this day are acclaimed as some of the best films created. Even if it’s an artistically filmed movie or a game changing storyline, few movies can quite match the trendsetting capabilities that these unique films were able to transpire.