Akira Kurosawa directed the Japanese film, Rashômon, in 1950. The film has been used in many languages for any situation where the truth of a certain event becomes difficult to confirm because of different versions of what has happened, according to multiple witnesses. Also, Rashomon has had influence in psychology and has been responsible for many cinematographic techniques in the film industry.
In psychology, Kurosawa's film has lent its name to an effect called the Rashomon effect. The Rashomon effect is the "effect of the subjectivity or perception on recollection, by which observers of an event are able to produce substantially different but equally plausible account of it" ("Rashômon Effect").
Also, Rashômon has been very influential in the cinematography aspect of film. The film's cinematographer was Kazuo Miyagawa. Miyagawa contributed and supported many ideas to establish Kurosawa's film as a masterpiece. The movie pioneered such cinematographic techniques as shooting directly into the sun, while using mirrors to reflect sunlight onto the actors' faces. This technique not only gave the movie an interesting quality but also made it look like the sunlight traveled through the branches of the trees while hitting the actors. Another technique employed was the tinting of the rain with black ink in order for the camera lenses to capture the visible water from the rain. Also, a very influential technique was the use of the camera playing an important role in the story and its symbolism. Yet, an additional technique consisted of single close-ups to emphasize a triangle of emotion between characters. This technique is called "silent-film technique"since silent films use close-ups of the actors' faces to show extreme emotion and expression. Even though Rashômon was not a silent film, this technique was used because of Kurosawa's admiration for silent films. Finally, another technique used was contrasting shots.
In conclusion, the Japanese film Rashômon, directed by Kurosawa, had great impact not only on different cultures but also on techniques employed in the film industry.