In the adaptation of the short story In a Grove into the film Rashomon (1950), Akira Kurosawa uses visual details to illustrate his point of view. Therefore, he changes and adds various details, such as the sequence of certain events, ways to present characters, etc. He also uses different visual effects while shooting the movie. Despite these changes in adaptation, my opinion of the story did not change. It only seems that the director contributed his vision to the original idea, making it more interesting to watch. In this way, Kurosawa was actively striving to re-create the aesthetic of silent filmmaking in Rashomon. As a result, cinematography and editing are extremely important in creating the needed effect. Several portions are created as silent sequences of the pure film, with the action carried by images and ambient sound.
The film is accompanied by heavy rains, and the Rundown temple gate of Rashomon was also retained from the original story. Nevertheless, instead of a servant, a Buddhist priest and a woodcutter sit at the front gate’s steps. They both had a doubtful expressions on their faces. Then, a man comes in and joins them, and they discuss a recent scandalous crime under the cover of the damaged gate. A man’s character does not exist in the original story. Even though the man is a character created out of canon, the figure is used as a tool to introduce the primary story In a Grove. Hence, it did not affect the plot in a serious way and did not change my opinion of the story.
Moreover, Kurosawa changed the testimony process and the subjects that were found by witnesses. For instance, when the woodcutter testified about the crime, he assured that he found an amulet case and two hats: a woman’s and a man’s. It confronts the original story since it presented a rope and a comb only. I suppose that the director did such a change to create a stronger intrigue by showing more subjects. This visual detail did not affect my opinion about the story as well. In contrast, it worked well and intrigued me as a watcher.