Throne of Blood

Throne of Blood (1957) – A powerful general listens to his ambitious wife as he contemplates betrayal, murder and power. 

Director: Akira Kurosawa                                                    Starring Toshiro Mifune

Why You Will Like It: Kurosawa does Shakespeare.

This is Kurosawa’s take on Shakespeare’s “MacBeth”.  Set in the highlands of Japan, Mifune plays the role of General Washizu (MacBeth).  He meets a spirit in the forest who tells him that he can rise to the highest levels of power.  His wife pushes, shames and belittles him when he wants to put loyalty and duty ahead of the great power on offer.  The result is death and destruction.

Some Shakespeare fans and academics won’t acknowledge this as a Shakespeare movie.  Kurosawa keeps the story and concepts but not the Bard’s words.  That’s an unforgivable offense in those quarters.  Others say that this is one of the finest adaptations of the work every put on the screen.  It was a huge success in Japan when it was released.  The director brings in elements of Noh theater to the production.  Noh is a traditional Japanese dramatic form that emphasizes storytelling rather than a more typical Western “representational” acting style.  This is particularly clear in Lady Washizu.  The actress, Isuzu Yamada, wears a Noh mask, as do the spirits in the forest.

Kurosawa is not just a great Japanese filmmaker.  He is one of the greatest in the history of film.  His work here shows many of his signature storytelling elements (rain, as an example), plus a deft hand in blending Japanese elements to the story while respecting the source material.

There are two challenges here.  There are subtitles, which some people find difficult or annoying.  Because there are long sections of the movie with minimal dialogue, this was less of a problem than it sometimes is.  The other issue is that unlike modern American films, Kurosawa takes his time to establish mood and setting.  This can make the movie feel slow at times (although the run time is only 110 minutes).  This isn’t the kind of movie you can watch with your brain unengaged.  But if you give it the attention it deserves you will be well rewarded.

Rating:  *** 1/2  Worth A Look