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Throne of Blood
Throne of Blood
8.7
/10
4,870 Ratings

THRONE OF BLOOD

蜘蛛巣城 | Kumonosu-jō

Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Japan, 1957
Action, Drama, History

Synopsis

Returning to their lord’s castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the prophecy comes true, Washizu’s scheming wife presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit’s prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place.

Synopsis

Returning to their lord’s castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the prophecy comes true, Washizu’s scheming wife presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit’s prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place.

Our take

One of the finest Shakespeare on-screen adaptations, this ghostly epic from Akira Kurosawa defeats categorisation. Tackling some of the original key motifs such as loyalty, betrayal, and superstition, Throne of Blood boldly reshapes Macbeth within the context of medieval Japan.