The stylized acting combined with the superb cinematography gives this movie a frightening nightmarish feel, yet the characters are always human. She barely moves or blinks during the entire first half of the film, and always takes a polite tone with her husband. Awards But there also came times when Kurosawa would tend to the realm of William Shakespeare and the influential plays that he created so many years before. [Washizu wakes with a start and looks around, bewildered. Director Akira Kurosawa's radically retelling of author William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' was wonderful. Technical Specs. Because of that, this movie really drags at points, during pacing. Being a native English speaker with no knowledge of Japenese I may be at a disadvantage in commenting on this film. Starring the irrepressible Toshiro Mifune as the doomed warlord Washizu and a wonderfully creepy turn by Isuzu Yamada as the Lady Macbeth inspired Asaji, the film shows Kurosawa's familiar mastery of atmosphere and action There's no better way to spend a Sunday evening then watching Toshiro Mifune run around being a crazy person for two hours. Toshiro Mifune gives another brilliant performance and Isuzu Yamada, who plays his wife (the equivalent of the Lady Macbeth character) is absolutely chilling. Another supposed masterpiece from Japan, another film on both the IMDb top 250 and the TSPDT Top 1000, this is one I've known about for years and just never gotten around to. I really couldn't stay that high pitch flute sound at all. Critics commonly describe Throne of Blood (1957) as Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of Macbeth. My Lady! This time arming Macbeth with a katana and spear, Kurosawa finds anxiety, paranoia, delirium, and haunting magic within Macbeth as … 'Throne of Blood' (Kumonosu Jō, "Spider Web Castle"), has an intense & spooky atmosphere with great emotional tragic haunting characters. Will it never be gone? I don't seem to see 'Throne Of Blood' mentioned a lot as one of Kurosawa's best, but I was incredibly impressed by it, and it comes with my highest recommendation. Here, Kurosawa wanted to show her sitting on stage and to connect this view to Shakespeare’s play. He is ambitious. In Throne of Blood, Asaji leaves before Washizu kills the murderer. So, on that level, the film works wonderfully. For those who don't know, it's Kurosawa's "Macbeth" and unlike much of his later epic film-making, this one attempts to distill the complex storyline down to its most basic elements...it's as close to horror as it is to an epic. It is a 1957 film directed by none other than maestro of Japanese cinema, Akira This symbolism is not hard to grasp; the throne that Washizu occupies is built on blood, as his predecessor murdered the sovereign out of fear for his own life. The spirit tells them that today Washizu will be named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki will become commander of the first fortress. Throne of Blood is set in the feuding world of Japan and Washizu and Miki are returning to Spiders’ Web Castle to share their victory with their Great Lord. Another thing, the Japanese music by composer Masaru Sato that went along with this movie was ear-bleeding noise. Again coaxed by his wife, he has his friend Miki killed as well. The camera does not move and stays on Washizu as he watches the murderer die slowly from his wounds. Listen, even the crow is saying: The throne is yours. You, who would soon rule the world, allow a ghost to frighten you. This is a brilliant movie and to call it a masterpiece is no exaggeration. It was really distracting me from the rest of the film, as I had to cover my ears, whenever it came on. The language is a pain and could use updating. By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Lady Asaji Washizu [Washizu wakes with a start and looks around, bewildered. : : : FAQ Throne of Blood is set in the so-called “Age of Warring States” (Sengoku jidai, ca. In the way to the castle, they meet in the forest an evil spirit that foresees their future from the bottom of their hearts, with Washizu being the lord of an important mansion in the fields of their lord, Miki the commander of the First Fortress and Miki's son the successor of Washizu. Great Quotes: Asaji. It was awe inspiring, just need a little more work. Taketori Washizu Lady Asaji Washizu Taketori Washizu : Throne of Blood is, in fact, ambitious as a film as well as in its meaning. And Throne of Blood is a Macbeth adaptation, also set in feudal Japan, that follows Shakespeare more closely than either of the other two films. As much as I praise Mifune, it may well be Yamada who stands out in Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. Akira Kurosawa masterful retelling of Macbeth transports the tale to Medieval Japan and the world of Samurai . Taketori Washizu : I am terribly drunk... [Morning at Cobweb castle. Lady Asaji Washizu Lady Asaji Washizu : Admirable, my Lord. Will my hands never again be clean? "Every Samurai Longs To Be Master Of A Castle". A lot of the harsher violent moments, were mention, after the face, done, off-screen, or mention, through texts in some really badly edited moments. Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews and buy Throne of Blood directed by Akira Kurosawa for £5.99. Still, I have to say, I kinda enjoyed this film. A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web | It was a lot easily to understand this film with the Japanese with English subtitles, than the Old Shakespearian English language, playing on its own. Lady Asaji Washizu | Throne of Blood. It's amazing, that they were, even able to get, pretty good shots, out of it; seeing how they were filming in the harsh volcanic slopes of Mount Fuji & in the creepy forest of Aokigahara AKA the suicide forest. Every samurai longs to be the master of a castle'. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Plus, the Japanese imagery (such as the witches now appearing as bleached out demons) is spectacular and exciting to watch. It's just that in using such stilted language, the plays often become ponderous. This is definitely NOT the case with Akira Kuraswawa's version of Macbeth. He strides into Lady Washizu's quarters, almost bumping into two frightened female attendants. : I did not stain my hands with blood to forward Yoshiteru, Miki's son. . Lady Asaji Washizu In school, Macbeth was always my least favorite tragedy, perhaps because we lack the belief in the supernatural and the relationship with death to be horrified by such dialogue and such people, and this film struck a chord with English-speaking audiences because it expresses the essence of all that far better to us. Instead of poetry we get an uninspired narrative. Lady Asaji Washizu When they meet their master, the first part of the prophecy comes true for Washizu and Miki. Asaji! 10 out of ten. The blood. It is an incredibly detailed vision in its own right . Compare "Commander of Fort 1" with "thane of Cawdor" and "Cobweb Forest" to "Birnam wood.". After having nodded off, he is awoken on a dense and foggy morning by the screams of his wife's attendants, and he finds his wife in a semi-catatonic state, trying to clean the imaginary blood from her The only thing, I can say, was really intense was the famous arrow scene near the end of the film. It's the most compelling version of the story I have seen, even better than Polanski's outstanding film of the early 1970s, which until seeing 'Throne Of Blood' was my favourite. Throne of Blood, directed by Akira Kurosawa Review of its structure T hrone of Blood (aka Spider Web Castle) is a Japanese movie version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, made in 1957 by the great director Akira Kurosawa, set in medieval Japan. In the Sixteenth Century in Japan, the brave generals Taketori Washizu (Toshirô Mifune) and Yoshiaki Miki (Minoru Chiaki) are invited to visit their lord in his castle after a battle wined by them against a traitor general. With Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura. Akira Kurosawa is known for his use of weather, and it somewhat shows here, with all the scenes, filmed in the rainfall, as well, in the fog. Washizu, armed, dozes, seated] Asaji attendant : My Lady! Washizu did a similar thing, although his motivation is more complex. Throne of Blood is Kurosawa's adaptation of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, but in a feudal Japanese setting. You, who would soon rule the world, allow a ghost to frighten you. : Of course, in the process, he does change them a bit, creating something that is not Shakespearian anymore: it's Kurusawa. Washizu, armed, dozes, seated] Asaji attendant : My Lady! Because you really don't translate 17th century English into 17th century Japanese, the more modern language used in the movie makes this Japanese version MORE ACCESSIBLE to the average English-speaking person! Generals Miki and Washizu are samuraicommanders and friends under Lord Tsuzuki, a local lord, who reigns in the castle of the Spider's Web Forest. Miki would never speak of it. Washizu kills them both, becoming the new lord of the Spider's Web Castle, but tormented by his guilty and afraid of his future. Even some of the supporting cast members, such as those by Akira Kubo and Takashi Shimura seem very underdeveloped. The tragedy of the tale is heightened by the fact that we are told at the start what will happen. Directors don't come much better than Kurosawa, writers don't come much better than Shakespeare, and movies don't come much better than this excellent combination of the two. This makes it a very powerful and haunting movie. The Scottish Play gets a very Oriental makeover in this combination of samurai film and Noh theater from master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. The arrow through the neck, the thread spinning witch in the forest, Mifune turning his back on his master, all are haunting and unforgettable. However, the wife of Washizu poisons his heart with calumnies and malicious feelings against the lord and Miki. After defeating the lord's enemies in battle, they return to Tsuzuki's castle. Release Dates However, repressed desires fanned by the rapacious ambition of Washizu's ghost-like wife, Lady Asaji, will pave the way for short-lived triumphs, as, little by little, ill omens begin to devour the usurper's blood-drenched castle. The invasion is broken and then bravely retaliated against by two armies which are led by two samurai, Washizu and Miki. Filming & Production And like, 'Maqbool', here also, we can see nativized adaptation of the play. Her Lady Macbeth is one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen, a forerunner to Sadako. beautiful, but sketchy and underwhelming Kurosawa take on Macbeth. Akira Kurosawa would end up using Shakespearean influence on two of his films. While Throne of Blood’s score and sound may have helped to create the film’s haunting atmosphere, what is seen on screen is most obviously influenced by Noh. Throne of Blood plays with Noh's frightening incongruity, its delicacy of movement expressing mortifyingly indelicate actions, as when Washizu and Asaji deflate like punctured blow-up … On their way through the thick forest surrounding the castle, they meet a spirit, who foretells their future. What warrior would not want to be lord of a mighty castle? So, I would recommend Throne of Blood for fans of unorthodox Shakespeare adaptations and samurai film fans, but the average movie-goer might fall asleep before getting to the ghostly prophet, let alone the fantastic arrow riddled finale. Actor Mifune Toshiro broken and then bravely retaliated against by two armies which are led by armies! 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