Problem: Build a movie plot around this: how did the samurai die? He is speared by the bandit.

A: Sheltering from a rainstorm in the ruins of the Rashomon gatehouse, a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) and a priest (Minoru Chiaki) sit dejected. A commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) joins them, and wants to hear the "strange story" they have just heard at a murder enquiry in the courthouse garden. The story has horrified the priest. Even though "year after year, it's been nothing but disasters," he has "never heard a story as horrible as this." The woodcutter is utterly confounded, and hopes the commoner can help him understand it.The woodcutter begins the narration, telling the commoner that three days earlier he had gone "into the mountains to get wood."The woodcutter is walking through the woods, carrying his axe. Sunlight filters through the foliage, dappling everything with a mix of sun and sharp shadows. He sees a woman's hat caught on a bush. Further along, he picks up a samurai's hat and some cut up rope. He sees something small amongst the leaves on the ground, and goes towards it, but does not notice the corpse right in front of him until he trips over it. He screams and, dropping everything (including his axe), runs away. He says, "I ran as fast as I could to tell the police. Then, three days later--today--I was called to testify."The woodcutter is seated in the sunlit courthouse garden, addressing the court, unseen and unheard behind the camera. He testifies that he is the one who found the body. Asked if he saw "a sword or something," he protests emphatically that he found "nothing at all" but the hats, rope, and "a shiny amulet case." And here he lets slip two additional details: the rope was "near the body" and the amulet case had "a red lining."The priest is seated in the courthouse garden. He testifies that he saw the man three days earlier, travelling on the road with a woman on a horse, and armed with a sword and bow and arrows. [There is a brief shot of the samurai passing on the road, turning to smile at his wife.] The priest comments on the fragility of life and offers condolences to someone off...

Problem: Build a movie plot around this: When does the story take place? London

A: King Rudolf IV (Sellers) dies in a balloon accident upon the celebration of his seventieth birthday. In order to secure the throne, General Sapt and his nephew Fritz travel to London, where the King's son, Rudolf V (Sellers), resides and lives through the day in London's pleasure establishments; but the King's demented half-brother Michael (Kemp), thinking that he is the better claimant, sends an assassin after them. Hansom cab driver Sydney (or Sidney) Frewin (Sellers), the new King's half-brother from an affair with a British actress, rescues Rudolf from an assassination attempt. Once his resemblance to the King is noticed, Frewin is hired by the general ostensibly as the King's coachman, but actually to play the role of decoy. The ruse is quickly uncovered, however, when during an attack by Michael's men the royal guardsmen address Frewin as their new king, and the two look-alikes get acquainted.In an unattended moment, Rudolf is captured and brought to Michael's castle of Zenda. Out of necessity, Frewin has to keep masquerading as the King for the coronation ceremony. Princess Flavia, Rudolf's fiancee (Frederick), is perceptive enough to see through the ruse, and after Frewin and the general have confided in her, she quickly becomes Frewin's trusted ally and love interest. Complicating the scheme on Frewin's side is the jealous Count Montparnasse whose wife (Sommer) has become infatuated with Rudolf, and on Michael's side by his mistress, Antoinette, who is wildly jealous about the prospect of Michael marrying Flavia and in turn is the love interest of the slightly unbalanced Rupert von Henzau, Michael's second-in-command.After several assassination attempts, Michael attempts to lure Frewin into a trap. While the trap fails, Frewin, acting as Henzau's coach driver, is recognized and captured upon arrival in Zenda. Frewin and Rudolf escape with Antoinette's and Henzau's help, just as Sapt and his men arrive at the castle. Henzau rides away, telling Sapt to tell the King that he (Henzau) will report next...

Problem: Build a movie plot around this: what is destroyed? A train and a major bridge.

A: Opening sceneA ship is at sea, the crew relaxes on deck as night begins to fall. Near the ship a flash of light baths the ship. Instantly the ship explodes and begins to sink.Next morning Hideto Ogato (Akira Takarada) receives a phone call. Being a salvage expert the coast guard wants him to report immediately as a result of the sinking.A situation room is set up to investigate the sinking of the Eiko Maru. Its last position is known but the cause of the sinking is still a mystery, though an explosion is suspected. A rescue vessel "Bingo Maru" approaches the location of the sinking. Again a flash of light erupts out of the water and the Bingo Maru suffers the same fate as the Eiko Maru.The Coast Guard assures frantic families of the crews of the two ships, that everything is being done including more ships and helicopters committed to the search. Finally there are results as three survivors are found in the water. At the same time reports of the sinking of a fishing boat brings the total of lost ships to three.On Odo island, the port of the missing fishing boat, inhabitants are scanning the sea looking for signs of the boat. A raft is seen with Masaji Sieji (Ren Yamamoto) who lives on the island on board. The islanders pull the raft in Masajis says "A monster did it" And passes out close to death.Days later other fishing boats return to the island, complaining their nets are all empty. One of the elders claims it is Godzilla eating the fish. Other members of the village laugh at his quaint ways. The same day a helicopter lands on the island carrying a group of press and military - they interview Masajis who again claims it was a monster. The elder gets their attention and tells the legend of Godzilla. He then explains the history of sacrifices the island used to make to keep Godzilla happy. Now all that is left is the religious ceremony.During the night a typhoon hits the island. The islanders take shelter but along with the normal noise of such storms they can hear something huge moving around. The next...

Problem: Build a movie plot around this: who is the leader of the respectable Iron Flag clan assassinated by? the mysterious Spearman

A:
The master of the respectable and honored Iron Flag Clan (a clan that uses spears with flags as weapons) is murdered by the mysterious Spearman, an assassin hired by the elder brother of the clan Chow Feng (Iron Tiger). Brother Lo (Iron Panther) takes the heat when the authorities arrive to make an arrest and agrees to go away for a while. Chow Feng offers to send him money, however money never arrives, only killers constantly trying to take Brother Lo's life. The Spearman arrives again, only this time to save Brother Lo from being murdered. Spearman admits to Lo that he killed his Chief but he was tricked into doing so by Chow Feng so that Chow Feng could take over not only the Iron Flag Clan but their rivals the Eagles. Lo and his brother Iron Monkey team up with the Spearman to go after Chow Feng and take revenge for their murdered chief.