Custom «Kurosawa and Akutagawa Films» Essay Paper Sample

One element from the Kurosawa film that does not appear in Akutagawa is the component of narrative structure. There is no coherent structure in Kurosawa film. The narrations in Kurosawa are presented as if the individual characters present them. The film shows the testimonies at the police and three confessions by the parties concerned Wendell M, 2001 pp 23. The film does not create a coherent structure out of the testimonies, which are simply juxtaposed to each other as autonomous fragments. The film opens with shots of the Roshoman under which the woodcutter and the priest are taking shelter from the pouring rain.

The film has voice, which is not found in the narrative structure of the Akutagawa. At the start of the film, the woodcutter is heard saying, "I can't understand it at all". This remark is repeated several times throughout the film. Therefore, one of the narrative components that is found in the Kurosawa film and it is lacking in the Akutagawa is voice. The other instance where voice is used for narration is where the Roshoman swears to kill the husband. We are told that she spoke excitedly in an ominous tone. The screams found in the film are also other examples of narrative voice that does not exist in the Akutagawa.

Though Akutagawa only narrates about the events that happened, Kurosawa film uses specific actors encumbered with nationality and accent. The film relies on the cinematization of events. For example in the case where Samurai's wife is raped, the film shows the events as they were while Akutagawa gives a narration of the events, Wendell M, 2001 pp 43. Therefore, Akutagawa and Kurosawa film differ in the presentation of various events. Moreover, many of the things mentioned in the novel do not come out as clear as they do in the film. The description of various scenes is made vivid in the film than the way it is in the novel. At the opening scene in the film, we are shows of the shots of the Roshoman that are presented clearly than the way they are in the novel. More so, the woodcutter expresses perplexity in the film, which is not seen in the novel. The film also differs in narration with the Akutagawa when we are shown incidences like the running of Samurai's wife in the forest.

According to Porter H, 2008 pp 45, the film uses specific actors encumbered with nationality and accent. The film has relied on cinematization of events unlike the novel. The narration in Kurosawa shifts from a single-track medium in the Akutagawa to a multi-track medium that plays not only words but also with theatrical performance, sound effects and moving photographic elements. The film presents uncanny amalgam of photo genie, body movements, acting style and grain of voice that is not present in the novel. Moreover, the events in the film are quite condensed unlike those in the novel. The other narrative component, which is available in Kurosawa but lacking in Akutagawa, is the availability of visuals of photographs and painting that are not evident in the Akutagawa.

The locations of the events mentioned in the novel are also different with those mentioned in the film. The film refers to specific historical locations that have not been mentioned in the novel. This also brings a difference in the narration of the novel Akutagawa and that of the Kurosawa film. The film changes minor details of the novel to make the story more realistic, Porter H, 2008 pp 45. For example, in "Yabu no naka", the bandit is thrown by the horse that he has stolen from samurai and his wife. As Nakamuro Mitsuo points out, it is extremely unlikely that bandit who must be a good rider falls off the horse, which a gentle woman rides without problems. In order to make this story more realistic, the film slightly modifies the situation to mean that the water that the bandit took might have been poisoned. The film has been made reliable through modification of some particular events in the novel. This reliability also creates a difference between the narration of the novel and that of the film.

Kurosawa and Akutagawa also differ in the narration disaster. The author narrates the novel at a distance away from the audience while the narration of the film is done closer to the audience. Focalization is another narrative component that brings difference between the film Kurosawa and the novel Akutagawa, Wendell M, 2001 pp 87. The film centers its main interest in the events that make the story more real. The film uses the events that are more practical and that make the audience to understand the whole story. Free indirect style of narration is also another difference in the narrative components of Kurosawa film and Akutagawa. The film embarks of a free and indirect style of narration that is done through the actors.

Unlike Akutagawa, Kurosawa film uses narration on stage and on screen. The actors in the film are the ones who narrate the whole story that is show in the film. Akutagawa on the other end uses the author to narrate the episode to the audience. This creates a difference between the two.