To commemorate the latest episode of The Film Syllabus discussing Kagemusha we’re flashing back to the days of GoodTrash old when the gang last looked at a samurai movie. A long time ago on a The GoodTrash Genrecast far far away, we launched a spinoff known as GoodTrash Du Cinema where the original team of Dustin, Dalton, and Arthur brought analysis to the films that DO belong in a film studies course. During the spinoff’s limited run, the founders were joined by special gust Nick Sanford to look at one of Kurosawa’s most acclaimed films, Rashomon.
Like its spiritual successor The Film Syllabus, GoodTrash Du Cinema insists that Rashomon is undeniably a must see. The conversation is centered on analysis and whether or not the film should be considered art. The synopsis is delivered by the voice of NPR and the gang has little to say in terms of actual review. Instead, Arthur jumps straight into analysis by talking about the film’s use of unreliable narrators to establish the importance of character over plot. Dalton uses his analysis as a launchpad to discuss the emphasis on the lower economic status of each of the unreliable narrators as a way to talk about social class. Nick sidesteps his analysis and insists that adding aliens is the only way to make the film a true American classic before walking off the show entirely. Dustin rounds out the discussion by describing the film’s story as “the quicksand of the human ego”.
To close the show, the gang gives their verdict by deciding whether or not Rashomon lives up to the hype and deserves to be called art.
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Rashomon Time Stamps
0:35 – Introductions
3:05 – Synopsis by the voice of NPR
4:10 – Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Reactions
10:40 – Analysis
27:40- Verdicts / Else Recommendations
Caleb Masters is a lifelong film and pop culture enthusiast with more than 10 years of experience in writing, podcasting, and content creation. When he’s not running The Cinematropolis or hosting The Cinematic Schematic podcast, Masters hosts The Cast Beyond the Wall, a House of the Dragon podcast, and serves as an active member of the Oklahoma Film Critic’s Circle where he currently serves as Vice President. He also loves video games. Follow him @CMastersTalk on Letterboxd, Instagram, or X.
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