Back To Index Throne of Blood
 Barnes & Noble In Throne of Blood, director Akira Kurosawa combines 15th-century samurai history with elements of Noh theater for a brilliant retelling of Shakespeares Macbeth. The peerless Toshiro Mifune stars as Washizu, a decorated samurai who, along with his warrior friend Miki (Akira Kubo), encounters an evil spirit prophesying a change in the royal order -- specifically, Washizu will rule, followed by Mikis son. Despite his efforts to alter fate, Washizu is cajoled by his manipulative wife (Isuzu Yamada, in the Lady Macbeth role) into taking over the kingdom by force, a bloody act unleashing a brutal chain of events that eventually tears apart the kingdom. Like Kurosawas Ran, his King Lear film made nearly three decades later, Throne of Blood uses the bare essentials of Shakespeares drama to enact a grand history lesson on feudal Japan, replete with period costumes, intense melodrama, swarms of flying arrows, and, in this case, lush black-and-white cinematography. Aside from the always-charismatic presence of Mifune, what makes the film special is Kurosawas integration of techniques based in Japans traditional Noh theater. The bare sets, expressive soundtrack, and stylized performances enhance the story to a new level above that of play-on-film; the battle scenes are even expressionist in nature. The experience is best described not as a mere Shakespeare adaptation but as a sublime transposition. Tony Nigro Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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