Owen’s Oldies: ‘Throne of Blood’

By Owen Glancy Arts & Features Editor Of all the prolific, influential, and acclaimed artists throughout history, few can claim the level of prestige that William Shakespeare has. His name is so ubiquitous that even introducing him feels redundant, and his stories are so popular that many know them despite having never read a single page of text from them. “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet,” “King Lear,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” are just some examples of Shakespeare’s works. Unsurprisingly, works so popular in the world of literature would be massive influences on the masters of cinema, with Japanese director Akira Kurosawa being no exception. As the premier director out of Japan in the 1950s, Kurosawa made his name internationally with his samurai films, in particular “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai.” However later in the decade he followed these up with another samurai classic, “Throne of Blood.” Based on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the film takes characters and plot points and adapts them to the setting of feudal Japan, a decision that would would mark the beginning of Kurosawa’s adaptations of Shakespeare, with his later films “Kagemusha” and “Ran” also taken from the playwright. Needless to say, a film created by one of the greatest masters of cinema ever to live, adapted from one of the best works by arguably the greatest playwright ever to live, is going to be a masterpiece. “Throne of Blood” is the best of Kurosawa and Shakespeare rolled into one project. Kurosawa’s signature lighting and weather effects combine perfectly with his kinetic style of cinematography to tell this story of fate and betrayal in a way that emphasizes the immense scale of Shakespeare’s work. This was one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan at the time, with a budget of $350,000 (around $4 million today). Every single cent of this film is felt on screen, with sweeping wide shots of grand castles and large armies, a scale that, while not nationally unprecedented, was larger than ever for Kurosawa. The grand scope afforded by the high budget allowed Kurosawa to truly deliver on the grandiose nature of “Macbeth,” making for one of the best adaptations of the work to date. It’s not just the production design that makes this film great, however, as the performances found within are some of the best seen in Kurosawa’s works. Toshiro Mifune, Kurosawa’s regular leading man, plays Washizu and he delivers what might be a career-best performance. Washizu’s slow descent into madness is the best part of the film, thanks entirely to Mifune. His proud demeanor and ambitions of power at the beginning of the film are given just as much effort as his manic laughing fits and wild eyes of the later portion of the film. Isuzu Yamada also gives a stellar performance as Lady Washizu, one that often stands toe-to-toe with Mifune. Her calm rationale and cunning manipulations of her husband to hasten the prophecy and secure greater power give her a level of agency not often seen in the female roles in samurai films of the time period. “Throne of Blood” is a film that acts as not just another installment in Kurosawa’s filmography, but as the quintessential Kurosawa movie that also serves as one of, if not the greatest, adaptations of Shakespeare into the medium of film. It exists in the same space as “The Lion King” as a work that goes beyond both the artists who created it and became something more. While many look toward the innovative storytelling of “Rashomon” or the fun, pulpy action of “Yojimbo” to be their introduction to Kurosawa, “Throne of Blood” is my personal pick for the perfect introduction to everything that makes Kurosawa and Japanese cinema as a whole so special. “Throne of Blood” can be streamed on HBOmax and the Criterion Channel.