Throne of Blood (1957) – Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada
Certificate: 12

By Sarah Morgan

It’s the Scottish play, but maybe not as you know it. I, however, was ready for this unusual approach.

Back in the early 1990s, while studying Macbeth as part of my GCSE English literature, I saw a Samurai-inspired version of Shakespeare’s tragedy at the Doncaster Dome. If that sounds like an odd experience, it certainly was.

What I didn’t realise then was that it was far from being the first take on the story to have a Japanese theme – iconic director Akira Kurosawa got there far earlier, in 1957, in fact.

“Muscular”

He changed the names and placed his adaptation in feudal Japan, with his frequent leading man, Toshirô Mifune, as Washizu, a noble warrior who is informed by a mysterious spirit that he will eventually take control of his leader Tsuzuki’s Cobweb Castle.

Washizu’s ambitious wife, Lady Asaji, pushes him to ensure the prophecy comes true by murdering Tsuzuki, an event that, yes, does lead to the couple’s ascendancy, but also seals their disturbing fate.

Mifune regularly gave muscular performances in Kurosawa’s projects, and that’s exactly what he does here too. His wide-eyed stomping around may be a little overblown for some tastes, but for me, it somehow suits the outlandish supernatural aspects of the tale.

Isuzu Yamada is impressive as Lady Asaji; she’s a sinister presence and the sound of her rustling skirts is surprisingly disturbing. Another Kurosawa regular, Takashi Shimura, also appears as Odagura, the film’s version of Macduff, who leads the fight against Washizu.

“Utterly convincing”

Throne of Blood as a whole looks fantastic, not just because of its 4K restoration, but due to the incredible production design by Yoshiro Muraki, and the setting itself – there can be few more stunning backdrops than Mount Fuji’s volcanic slopes. The special effects, particularly in the climax as the forest begins moving towards the castle, are utterly convincing too.

If there is one problem, it’s down to Kurosawa himself. The story is all tension and high drama, there are no quieter moments to allow viewers to take a breath before building up again, so the action is relentless and somewhat tiring as a result. Despite that, it’s stunning work, and may appeal more to English literature students than a more traditional approach.

Special features include a 2002 documentary about Kurosawa and the making of the movie, an audio commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jack and an introduction by a man who is no stranger to the Bard – Ian McKellen.

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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