Notes for Throne Of Blood

Film: Throne Of Blood

Year Of Release: 1957

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Notes from viewing number 1 (06.10.2021)

Rating: 10/10

- An eerie atmosphere surrounds this adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, an atmosphere that amazingly compliments its themes of madness, green and paranoia. A great fog seems to surround every set piece, and there seems to be no source of life in sight. Masterful choices from Kurosawa, as one would expect.

- Macbeth's three witches are replaced with a spirit, but that spirit is simply one of the creepiest things in cinema history. The look of the spirit is incredibly eerie, making it one of the most memorable moments in Kurosawa's whole filmography.

- Toshiro Mifune gives another amazing performance as Kurosawa's Macbeth, as is expected from one of the greatest actors of all time. His performance is brutal, and his descent into madness is harrowing.

- Isuzu Yamada plays Kurosawa's Lady Macbeth, and is somehow never outshined by Mifune, and actually manages to outshine him in some scenes. Her descent into madness is just as harrowing as Mifune's.

- The arrow climax is brutal and harrowing, a stunning moment for both Mifune and Kurosawa, and the perfect climax for this grim tale.

- This and Kurosawa's other Shakespeare adaptation Ran (Based on King Lear) are both drenched in cynicism. While Ran is in my opinion the most cynical film ever made, it still manages to find beauty. In Throne Of Blood, there is no beauty, only a harrowing tale of greed and madness.

Update (07.10.2021)

Rating: 9/10

- The notes from yesterday still stand, but I really do think that some character development could have made the climax as satisfying as it is in Shakespeare's original play. Just a little missed opportunity that would have made this a masterpiece. For now, it's a near masterpiece.