简介：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.…