The Meaning And Definition Of The Auteur Theory In Kurosawa’s Films: Rashomon

In this essay, I will first explore the meaning and definition of the auteur theory. Furthermore, I will apply the auteur theory to the late Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, consequently finding evidence of his authorship in two of his most famous films, Rashomon (Dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1950) and Seven Samurai (Dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1954). Because Kurosawa is a director who has so many stylistic elements and techniques to his name as well as thematic themes in his films, I will apply the auteur theory to him in a more general manner, while trying to be more specific when searching for evidence in the films selected. In short, I would argue that Akira Kurosawa is an auteur because he controls almost every aspect of the filmmaking process, and his films all have similar themes and cinematic styles which is seen throughout his filmography.

The concept of an auteur comes from the French word “author” and originated in France in the late 1940’s, little before the outbreak of the French New Wave. At first, one would think that it seemed only natural that the screenwriter was to be considered as the auteur of the film, since he or she authored and created the screenplay of the film. However, The French New Wave theorists believed that the written script of a film was nothing more than a blueprint to the director. Marilyn Fabe explains: “Since the director is responsible for the images, he oversees the set designs, cinematography, editing, and performances of the actors, and also, in many cases, reworks the screenplay. Thus, according to the New Wave critics, it is the director whose artistic vision is inscribed onto the film” (Fabe, 2014, pp. 174-175).

In other words, one could say that the definition of the auteur theory is that a film is the result of the director’s artistic and creative vision, and it will have a recognisable style and/or thematic themes that will give the audience a hint on who the director is. Yet the auteur theory does not come without problems. Many critics criticised it from the very beginning and argued that a film should be viewed as not only the director’s vision, but as a collaborative process. As Fabe clarifies: “Auteur theorists, it was argued, had simply revived the nineteenth-century Romantic tradition of viewing the artist as a creative genius who stood apart from society and enriched the world with his unique, often liberating vision” (Fabe, 2014, p. 176). In Susan Haywards book Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, she describes the “total auteur” (Hayward, 2000, p.33), which is a director who also writes the screenplays for the films they direct. I would argue that the French New Wave theorist’s definition of an auteur is inadequate. The concept of a total auteur is in my opinion a much more careful and clear-cut definition of the auteur theory. In fact, I consider the screenwriter of a film to be equally important for the final product as the director is, and therefore they should also be regarded as auteurs.

One of the most significant and obvious themes appearing throughout Akira Kurosawa’s filmography are stories about the Japanese hero, the samurai. More specifically, many of his films can be specified as period pieces set during the Edo period in Japan, also known as jidai-geki. J.L Anderson demonstrates that “Jidai-geki plots usually centres on swordsmen of fictional, legendary or actual historical origin” (Anderson, 1973, p.1). Important to notice, Kurosawa was highly influenced by American Westerns, (Costanzo, 2013, pp. 50-51) and one could make the assumption that his samurai characters was in part inspired by the American gunslinger.

As cited, many of Kurosawa’s films deals with medieval Japan, and this was very personal to him. Catherine Russell addresses this: “His films have become emblematic of the Japanese past, which seems far removed from the technological present. Indeed, this is perhaps the dominant perception of Kurosawa, the master of the samurai genre, a last link to a vanishing story” (Russell, 2002, p.5). The recurring samurai themes in Kurosawa’s films, are much due to his samurai ancestry, thus, one can certainly understand why he was so interested in the samurai and the history of Japan. Furthermore, one could also come to the conclusion that this adds to Kurosawa’s credibility as an auteur. Not only does he tell stories that have similar themes throughout his filmography, but he tells stories that are connected to his ancestry and that are utterly personal to him. His films, in many ways reflects his own background and identity and that, in my opinion, is another splendid example of what an auteur could be.

In addition, Kurosawa co-wrote most of the scripts of the films he directed, and he was highly involved in other aspects of the cinematic process as well. For example, he himself acted as the editor of his films, with his production team regarding him as “the greatest editor in the world”. Kurosawa’s editing technique is often treated as fast, lively and rhythmic, with usually multiple shots and angles of every scene. If one is unsure of which components specifically classifies a director as an auteur, this undoubtedly adds to Kurosawa’s authorship, and he fits Susan Haywards description of the total auteur as well. Kurosawa’s films begin with his own vision in the writing process, and they end with his decisions in the cutting room. He controls exactly what the audience will see on screen.

Kurosawa’s Rashomon is set in medieval Japan and tells the story of the murder of a samurai, told from four different perspectives. This film is in many ways synonymous with Kurosawa’s authorship, which I will try to explain in detail.

One thing that is crucial in Kurosawa’s films, and that most definitely is a part of his authorship is which perspective the story is being told from in each shot. As the first story in Rashomon is being told from the bandit’s perspective, Kurosawa heavily adopt close-ups on the bandit, as he cunningly attacks the samurai. However, when he starts glaring at the samurai’s wife from far away, Kurosawa changes the shot composition to over-the-shoulder and POV shots. The editing here is of course intentional, and Kurosawa does this to tell the audience that the story is now being told from the bandit’s perspective. When the bandit and the samurai engage in their swordfight, Kurosawa’s editing grow increasingly rapid, with shots from many different angles and perspectives of the characters. I would suggest that Kurosawa does this in order to tell the audience that the story is now being told from an observer’s perspective, and not just the bandits perspective. I would also suggest that Kurosawa increases the pace of the editing, in compliance with the pace of the action in the film. For example, this can be seen in Rashomon in the fight sequences, when the pace of the action and the pace of the editing is rapid, compared to when we are seeing, for example, the woodcutter and the priest beneath the gate. When they are just sitting there speaking to each other, the action is slow and therefore, Kurosawa’s editing is as well, and each shot lasts much longer, to capture the mood and atmosphere of the scene.

Seven Samurai is, like Rashomon, a period film and tells the story of seven samurai who are hired by farmers to protect their village from bandits. This film contains many similar techniques to Rashomon, for example Kurosawa’s editing style and cinematography.

As an example, in Seven Samurai, when one of the samurai sounds the alarm that the bandits have arrived, the other six samurai race to the centre of the village. As they are sprinting from left to right, Kurosawa tracks the characters and cuts together six shots of the six samurai. All of these shots are under a second in length. Once again, as the pace of the action amps up, so does Kurosawa’s editing and in this particular instance, I believe he does this to portray the characters as an entity. It is interesting to think that since they are running fast, Kurosawa takes advantage of this and makes these cuts to match the rhythm of the editing, with the rhythm of the action on screen.

The last battle sequence in Seven Samurai is another one of these examples, and it is very clear that this entire sequence must have been shot with multiple cameras from different angles. The samurai and the farmers are battling against the remaining bandits in heavy rain (another one of Kurosawa’s trademarks). The shots used vary from close-ups, to tracking shots of the bandits on horses, as well as perspective and still shots. The pace of the editing might not be as fast as in the earlier example, but the editing is undoubtedly faster than in many other scenes of the film. Kurosawa edits the sequence in this way because he wants the audience to see as much as possible of the action from different angles, but without the editing being annoyingly too quick. The audience can still see everything that happens in each shot, but because of Kurosawa’s editing, more shots can be seen and thus, more of the story can be seen.

The court proceedings scenes in Rashomon are also perfect examples on how Kurosawa edits and shoots the film to illustrate perspective. All of these scenes are directed towards the characters who are telling their stories to the judge, and the perspective is always seen from the judge’s viewpoint. I would guess that Kurosawa does this to place the audience member as the judge, so that we all can form our own understanding and perception of the truth.

In conclusion, Akira Kurosawa is a filmmaker whose various cinematic styles and thematic concerns are too many to include in just one essay. Akira Kurosawa, indeed, is an auteur because his films begin with his own vision in the writing process and ends with his masterful abilities in the cutting room. He writes the scripts, he directs the films, and he decides exactly what the audience will see on screen in the cutting room while also implementing his own style when it comes to cinematography and other elements of the cinematic process as well. In addition, and perhaps even more importantly, Kurosawa continuously tells stories that reflect his own ancestry, namely stories about the samurai, and the history of Japan. Lastly, I would like to close with a quote that well encapsulate Kurosawa as an auteur. “A director widely hailed for the boldness of his design, the continuity of his stylistic and technical signatures and the consistency of his auteurial vision” (Brown, 2016, p.496).

Reference list

1. Anderson, J.L 1973 “Japanese Swordfighters and American Gunslingers”, Cinema Journal, 11:2, University of Texas Press, pp. 1-21.
2. Brown, E 2016, “Retrospective Auteur Reviews: Akira Kurosawa”, Shakespeare Bulletin, Vol.34(3), Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 496-499.
3. Costanzo, WV 2013, Men with swords: The Samurai tradition, World cinema through global genres, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, England, pp. 50-55
4. Fabe, M 2014, “Auteur theory and the French New Wave: Francois Truffaut’s the 400 Blows”, in Closely Watched Films: an introduction to the art of narrative film technique, University of California Press, Oakland, California pp. 173-191
5. Hayward, S 2000, “Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts” 2 edn, Routledge, New York
6. Russell, C 2002 “Men with Swords and Men with Suits: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa”, Cinema Journal 28:1, University of Texas Press, pp. 4-11

Filmography

1. Rashomon (Director: Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
2. Seven Samurai (Director: Akira Kurosawa, 1954)