Before you forget about the film entirely, answer TWO of these questions for Monday's class (though you can turn in these questions at ANY TIME on Monday).
Q1: Why might this story be more effective in an old black and white film than in a modern-day, color production? What does the lack of color and other stylistic effects lend to the unique nature of the story being told here?
Q2: There are five versions of the story of "what happened" in this film: the Witness' first version (which he told the court), his second version (which he told his companions), Tajomaru (the thief)'s story, the wife's story, and the dead husband's story. Though several things remain the same in each story, what is the biggest detail that seems to change from story to story? Why might this be significant?
Q3: Why does the wife come off so badly in every version of the story except her own? Does this suggest she is lying, or as one of them says, "women use their tears to fool everyone"? Related to this, why does the husband blame her in most versions of the story, including his own?
Q4: One of the 'frame story' characters, the one who is robbing the baby of its blanket, tells his comrades that "unless you're selfish, you can't survive." Though the other two men refuse to believe this, is that the true message of the film? Is that what the story of the murder is trying to teach us?
Q5: The movie was made in 1950, and Akutagawa was writing in the very early 20th century about characters and events hundreds of years earlier. However, they are both basically writing about the times of chivalry and King Arthur in Japan--the days that the Japanese even today celebrate as heroic and honorable. What might the film be saying about such times, and about the idealized visions of men and women?
No comments:
Post a Comment