Director: Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay: Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryūzō Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Country: Japan
Running Time: 110 minutes
Year: 1957
Thick with atmosphere and filmmaking bravado, Throne of Blood remains one of the most satisfying cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare. Despite a modest runtime of under two hours, it feels layered and epic, in the truest sense of the word. From the start, a skillfully engineered story builds a delicious air of portentous doom.
I do enjoy cinema’s interpretations of Shakespeare and the tragedy of Macbeth is wonderful; a puzzle-box narrative with Lady Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) as the deceitful key. A lesson for anyone seeking power. A sense that time is a physical thing that can be held in check, manipulated by witches, ghosts and liars. Mifune is told his fate at the very beginning and he shall even be convinced to commit murder. The fun is in watching the trap closing around him.
This might be one of Akira Kurosawa’s famed Samurai films. It is also, resolutely so, a horror film. The staging feels very Scottish; misty grasslands and foreboding woods, rather than the dusty border town in Yojimbo. The spirits Washizu encounters are satisfyingly fantastical in scenes that are a tour de force. It has a brute-force intensity that doesn’t let up with execution more like a bulldozer throughout. The layers of intrigue are dragged along for the ride.
A wide-eyed and theatrical Mifune as Washizu is magnificent. He has room to play in a role largely reactive to events, control of which he has utterly lost. In the final acts he skillfully essays a swift descent into madness. Meanwhile, his wife the insidious Lady Asaji frequently steals the show and she does so with such impassive, cold control. So still within the frame, even when she moves the only sound is her shuffling robes (as pointed out by Sir Ian McKellen in a warm introduction to the film).
Building towards one of Kurosawa’s most famous finales, Throne of Blood has a terrific
pace, precision-tooled direction and, though perhaps lacking the literal blood of the title, it’s fantastic fun.
VIDEO
Another pearl of a transfer from the BFI. In keeping with the mood, it’s a dark, inky and extravagant image. The rich contrast, especially for interior scenes, has a fabulous balance of gleaming metal, detailed faces and a healthy grain, despite the shadow. Outdoors, typical of Kurosawa, there is a range of weather, light and a lot of mist seemingly imported from the Scottish landscape. Although the widest shots lose a little sharpness, the effect is never less than astonishing. More so than ever before, UHD brings to life an almost bokeh effect from the misty scenes.
EXTRA FEATURES
Consistent with their other Kurosawa releases, the BFI continue to include the substantial archive material from previous releases. From slightly newer stuff, there’s a wonderful introduction from Sir Ian McKellen (though still 2016). And another from the late Mamoun Hassan in 2012, whose insight might give you a new way to consider the film..
- Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Introduction by Sir Ian McKellen (2016, 2 mins)
- Introduction to Throne of Blood by Mamoun Hassan (2012, 7 mins): the late writer, director, and producer introduces a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s film at the BFI Southbank
- Audio commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck
- Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Throne of Blood (2002, 23 mins): this documentary about the making of Throne of Blood features interviews with Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, Noh performer Mitsuhiro Honda (from the Konparu School), and actress Isuzu Yamada
- Macbeth (1945, 16 mins): two scenes from Shakespeare’s famous Scottish tragedy, with Wilfrid Lawson and Cathleen Nesbitt as a fine murderous duo
- Original trailer
- **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with writing on the film by Alex Barrett, an essay on Kurosawa’s adaptations of Shakespeare by Ben Nicholson, Kurosawa on Throne of Blood (1964) and an original review
