Montage-Jonathan Zmek

For cinema, the subject of montage is something that is easily understood by the common moviegoer. In most cases it is simply a series of short shots typically ten to twenty seconds, which conveys to the viewer a sense of accomplishment within a short period of time. This is done in a very simple way when we for example have a scene of a boxer training for a fight, like as in Rocky. We see him working out in the gym, then lifting weights, then running, then working out again, then lifting weights, then the iconic scene of him raising his hands reaching the top of the stairs. I’m not sure if this is the exact order since I haven’t seen it in some time, but this is the basic idea. This is the most obvious, simple, and widely used way of showing a passage of time in which the beginner becomes a pro within a couple of minutes.
I like the idea that Einstein proposes that cinematography is montage. I never gave it much thought, but a film as a whole essentially is a montage. The film in whatever length it is, (unless it falls into the dogme 95 category, in which case I don’t believe it could be described as montage,) is just a series of short, scenes strung together to form an overall narrative lasting typically around one and a half to two hours.
Another thing I never really thought of was the idea that Rashomon could be considered a montage. It’s true that you have the four different accounts, which play into each other from each characters point of view, but when you think of it as a montage, I suppose it makes sense. There is a progression of the story when we view each person’s perspective, but after each one we each have try to make sense of it all in our own way.
I myself have seen it several times, and to me the most credible story would be that of Takashi Shimura, the woodcutter. He really has nothing to gain from the situation. He just happened by this scene as it was happening. Whereas the woman was raped and her husband murdered, the man had his life taken and his wife violated, Toshiro Mifune, the bandit committed two crimes and was trying to defend himself.