Masterpieceprecedes’Rashomon’.OneofthegreatestfilmsofalltimeisKurosawa’s’Rashomon’,whichfeaturesanunusualnarrativestructure:thesameeventsareshowninflashbackfourtimes,eachtimefromtheviewpointofadifferentcharacter.Thesubtledifferencesineachflashbackcompeltheviewerstodecideforthemselvesthetruthofwhatactuallyhappened.’Rashomon’(1950)provedtobesoinnovativethatseverallaterfilmshaveusedthesameidea.Icanthinkofatleastthreedifferentsitcoms,eachofwhichhasdoneanepisoderippingoffthe’Rashomon’premise.The1934Mexicanfilm’TwoMonks’usespreciselythissamenarrativegimmick,16yearsbeforeitwasusedin’Rashomon’.Unfortunately,because’TwoMonks’usesonlytwoconflictingflashbacks(ratherthanfour,asin’Rashomon’),theaudienceareputinan"either/or"situationratherthanapick’n’mix.Still,it’sintriguingtoseethatoneofthemostfamousnarrativeinnovationsintheentirehistoryoffilmwasusedinanobscureMexicanmoviemorethanadecadebeforeitwasemployedinthefilmthatbroughtittogreatnessandprominence.JuanandJavieraretwoyoungmen,rivalsforthecharmsofprettyAnita.Shedies,incircumstanceswhichareintentionallykeptobscure,andtherivalsgotheirseparateways.Javierbecomesamonk,andputshispainfulmemoriesbehindhim...until,onedayinthepriory,heencountersamonkwhoturnsouttobeJuan.Straightaway,JavierissoangeredthatheattacksJuan,givinghimanear-fatalblow.Thekindlyoldpriorconfesseseachofthetwomenseparately.Eachconfessionisshowninflashback,withfirstonemanandthentheothertellingthestoryofthetragictrianglefromhisownself-servingviewpoint.Nowwelearn--fromtwoconflictingviewpoints--whathappenedtoAnita.Theartdirectionthroughoutthisfilmisastonishing,andthereistheclevertouchofhavingeachoftherivalsdressedinwhiteinhisownflashback,butgarbedinblackintheotherman’sflashback:asplendidwayofhelpingtheaudiencetorememberthatthisnarrativeissubjective.’TwoMonks’deservestobemuch,muchbetterknown,andIeagerlyratethisfilm10outof10.
