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Synopsis

One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of Shakespeare into film, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood reimagines Macbeth in feudal Japan. Starring Kurosawa’s longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the film tells of a valiant warrior’s savage rise to power and his ignominious fall. With Throne of Blood, Kurosawa fuses one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh theater to make a Macbeth that is all his own—a classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom. —The Criterion Collection

Director

Original

Akira Kurosawa

The son of an army officer, Kurosawa studied art before gravitating to film as a means of supporting himself. He served seven years as an assistant to director Kajiro Yamamoto before he began his own directorial career with Sanshiro Sugata (1943), a film about the 19th century struggle for supremacy between adherents of judo and jujitsu that so impressed the military government, he was prevailed upon to make a sequel (Sanshiro Sugata Part Two). Following the end of World War II, Kurosawa’s career gathered speed with a series of films that cut across all genres, from crime thrillers to period dramas. Among the latter, his Rashomon (1951) became the first postwar Japanese film to find wide favor with Western audiences. It was Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai (1954), however, that made the largest impact of any of his movies outside of Japan. Although heavily cut for its original release, this three-hour-plus medieval action drama, shot with painstaking… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 32 wall posts.
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TFCHooligan69

24Mar13

I saw this for the first time last night. A mind-blowing experience in a theatrical setting. The cinematography alone is quite astonishing. The performances superb and perfectly cast. All this topped off with an unforgettable conclusion. Yet further proof of Kurosawa's mastery of his cinematic craft.

Omer Syed likes this

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joey Noodles

16Mar13

4 Kurosawas seen, all rated 5 stars, must be a good sign, eh? This is wondrous filmmaking of the highest order, just brilliant, the cinematography is so atmospheric.

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Karlo Nuyda

25Sep12

Shakespeare in a Japanese context...mind-bending. Just mind-bending.

Omer Syed and 2 others like this

Gabriel Argüello, jeffreyreeser

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Lorna Singh

12Aug12

Another visually stunning Kurosawa Masterpiece.He adds his own genius to create a memorable atmosphere.Isuzu Yamada in only a few scenes makes a chilling Lady Macbeth.

Omer Syed likes this

Related Films

Fans

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Movie Posters of the Week: 5 Japanese Divas

By Adrian Curry on April 1, 2011

Starting today, and for most of April, Film Forum in New York will be honoring five of Japan’s greatest actresses in a portmanteau retrospective

read article

Lists

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Reviews

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Untitled

By Christo​pher Smith on May 12, 2009

Akira Kurosawa’s transplanting of ‘Macbeth’ into feudal Japan is unfortunately an incredibly uneven film. It’s a visual masterwork, with extraordinary imagery that’s some of the best Kurosawa – and…  read review

Untitled

By Adam Suraf on December 11, 2008

Riding back from a decisive victory, master samurai Toshiro Mifune and Minoru Chiaki encounter a demon ghost in the middle of the Spider Castle forest, who prophesizes treason and death in the coming…  read review

Forum

Displaying 4 discussion topics.

Throne of Blood Subtitle Options

1 post by 1 person about 1 year ago

any one else going to AK/100?

6 posts by 3 people almost 3 years ago

Kumonosu-jo

2 posts by 2 people almost 4 years ago

THRONE OF BLOOD

14 posts by 8 people about 4 years ago

DVD

Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.