#190: KUROSAWA, Akira: Throne Of Blood (1957)

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KUROSAWA, Akira (Japan)
Throne Of Blood [1957]
Spine #190
DVD/Blu-ray


A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood, directed by Akira Kurosawa, sets Shakespeare's definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. As a hardened warrior who rises savagely to power, Toshiro Mifune gives a remarkable, animalistic performance, as does Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife. Throne of Blood fuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh theater to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.

109 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Japanese
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2014
Director/Writers


Based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Kurosawa was 47 when he directed Throne of Blood.

Eclipse Series 7: One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
#413: Drunken Angel (1948)
Eclipse Series 7: Scandal (1950)
Eclipse Series 7: The Idiot (1951)
#221: Ikiru (1952)
#2: Seven Samurai (1954)
Eclipse Series 7: I Live In Fear (1955)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

DVD/Blu-ray: Twenty-four page booklet featuring an essay by Stephen Prince and Notes on Subtitling Japanese Films by Linda Hoaglund and Donald Richie.

Commentary

By Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck.

Two alternate subtitle translations

By Japanese film translator Hoaglund and Richie.

Original theatrical trailer

Blu-ray:
Documentary

On the making of the film, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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