Throne of Blood - Criterion Collection (1961)

 Heavy is the head that wears the crown
Shakespeare reimagined with samurai steel. Kurosawa takes a stab at Macbeth, and the translation is bloody brilliant. All the universal themes are still intact--ambition, selfishness, guilt, fear, despair...and of course betrayal.
Here's a brief summary--a ghostly spirit predicts that a couple of brave warriors will rise into power. This prophecy becomes reality, but with this power comes great responsibility. Everything soon goes spiraling out of control.
The acting is tremendous--Toshiro Mifune absolutely shines as the neurotic ruler. Kurosawa once again presents some bleak and striking images that will engulf you in the period.
Really the only weakness of Throne of Blood is its inevitable comparisons to Kurosawa's other masterpieces. It's nearly impossible for any film to match the visual splendour of Ran or Kagemusha. Plus this film seems overshadowed by the gritty realism of Seven Samurai or Yojimbo. Akira set the bar so high, it's difficult to match his other work. 4.5 stars. January 15, 2008

 Shakespeare From The Land Of The Rising Sun
This is a good movie to watch, but not the best. The sound effects will drive yuo up a wall, but other than that the movie serves as an interesting take on Macbeth. Good movie, get it!!!! December 8, 2007

 Throne of Blood
A brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan, Kurosawa's gripping 1957 tragedy is a less frenetic, more haunting outing than previous films like "Seven Samurai." Yet it's still visually potent, containing unforgettable images of austere beauty within a persistently tense and eerie atmosphere. Yamada's character, modeled on Lady Macbeth, is sensationally chilling, while the outsize Mifune's breath-catching demise in a hail of piercing arrows is something every film lover should see more than once. For a provocative East-meets-West experience, mount "Throne of Blood." June 27, 2007

 Outstanding Film: A Kurosawa Classic!
"Throne of Blood" also known as (SPIDER WEBS CASTLE) is Kurosawa's attempt at Macbeth, only with a Japanese twist. This film is great and boasts a very strong and excellent supporting cast, including the legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as the warrior Taketori Washizu in the lead. This is one of my favorite Kurosawa films. However it is the role of Lady Washizu (Isuzu Yamada) as the wife of Taketori which I found to be the most interesting character in the film.

In this Kurosawa version of Macbeth, we find the story taking place in medieval Japan with the samurai as the main characters. Both (Toshiro Mifune) and (Minoru Chiaki) [a great and legendary actor himself] are rewarded for putting down a rebellion. For this they are rewarded by their overlord. However, they were previously warned in the forest by an old women that Mifune would rule, but his reign will be short-lived. This film is more of a Japanese film than a Shakespeare adaptation [which is good]. The film is definetly one of the greatest of Kurosawa's films and I recommend it highly. Everything about the film is great. [Stars: 5+] December 6, 2006

 True Classical Shakespearian Japan Style
I liked it better then "Ran". Deep visual and dramatic expression. Leaves you thinking about it for days. July 15, 2006

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