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DramaHistory

Throne of Blood

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Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Release Date : 1957-01-15

Language :Japanese

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : TOHO

Production Country : Japan

Alternative Titles : Throne of Blood

Cast

Toshirō Mifune

Character Name : Taketori Washizu

Original Name : 三船敏郎

Gender : Male

Isuzu Yamada

Character Name : Lady Asaji Washizu

Original Name : 山田五十鈴

Gender : Female

Takashi Shimura

Character Name : Noriyasu Odagura

Original Name : 志村喬

Gender : Male

Akira Kubo

Character Name : Yoshiteru Miki

Original Name : 久保明

Gender : Male

Hiroshi Tachikawa

Character Name : Kunimaru Tsuzuki

Original Name : 太刀川寛

Gender : Male

Minoru Chiaki

Character Name : Yoshiaki Miki

Original Name : 千秋実

Gender : Male

Takamaru Sasaki

Character Name : Kuniharu Tsuzuki

Original Name : 佐々木孝丸

Gender : Male

Gen Shimizu

Character Name :

Original Name : 清水元

Gender : Male

Kokuten Kōdō

Character Name : Military Commander

Original Name : 高堂国典

Gender : Male

Kichijirō Ueda

Character Name : Washizu's workman

Original Name : 上田吉二郎

Gender : Male

Eiko Miyoshi

Character Name : Old Woman at castle

Original Name : 三好栄子

Gender : Female

Chieko Naniwa

Character Name : Old Ghost Woman

Original Name : 浪花千栄子

Gender : Female

Nakajirō Tomita

Character Name : Military Commander #2

Original Name : 富田仲次郎

Gender : Male

Yū Fujiki

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 藤木悠

Gender : Male

Sachio Sakai

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 堺左千夫

Gender : Male

Shin Ōtomo

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 大友伸

Gender : Male

Yoshio Tsuchiya

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 土屋嘉男

Gender : Male

Yoshio Inaba

Character Name : Military Commander #3

Original Name : 稲葉義男

Gender : Male

Takeo Oikawa

Character Name : Miki party member

Original Name : 笈川武夫

Gender : Male

Akira Tani

Character Name : Washizu soldier

Original Name : 谷晃

Gender : Male

Ikio Sawamura

Character Name : Washizu soldier

Original Name : 沢村いき雄

Gender : Male

Yutaka Sada

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 佐田豊

Gender : Male

Seijirô Onda

Character Name : Miki party member #2

Original Name : 恩田清二郎

Gender : Male

Shinpei Takagi

Character Name : Commander

Original Name : 高木新平

Gender : Male

Masao Masuda

Character Name : Commander

Original Name : Masao Masuda

Gender : Male

Mitsuo Asano

Character Name :

Original Name : Mitsuo Asano

Gender : Male

Shōbun Inoue

Character Name : Servant

Original Name : 井上昭文

Gender : Male

Asao Koike

Character Name :

Original Name : 小池朝雄

Gender : Male

Takeshi Katō

Character Name : Guard killed by Washizu

Original Name : 加藤武

Gender : Male

Hitoshi Takagi

Character Name : Tsuzuki guard

Original Name : 高木均

Gender : Male

Michiya Higuchi

Character Name : Tsuki guard

Original Name : Michiya Higuchi

Gender : Male

Senkichi Ōmura

Character Name : Washizu samurai

Original Name : 大村千吉

Gender : Male

Gorô Sakurai

Character Name : Servant

Original Name : Gorô Sakurai

Gender : Male

Shirō Tsuchiya

Character Name : Commander

Original Name : 土屋詩朗

Gender : Male

Takeo Matsushita

Character Name : Commander

Original Name : Takeo Matsushita

Gender : Male

Jun Ōtomo

Character Name : Commander

Original Name : 大友純

Gender : Male

Kamayuki Tsubono

Character Name : Servant

Original Name : 坪野鎌之

Gender : Male

Fuminori Ōhashi

Character Name : Samurai

Original Name : 大橋史典

Gender : Male

Isao Kimura

Character Name : Phantom samurai

Original Name : 木村功

Gender : Male

Seiji Miyaguchi

Character Name : Phantom samurai

Original Name : 宮口精二

Gender : Male

Nobuo Nakamura

Character Name : Phantom samurai

Original Name : 中村伸郎

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CRCulver

@CRCulver

2021-06-23

One of a number of films that Akira Kurosawa made in the 1950s and which have become classics, Throne of Blood is the director's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in feudal Japan but showing that lust for power is a perennial feature of human society. Washizu (the Macbeth character, Toshiro Mifune) is a soldier serving the lord of Spiders-Web Castle. While riding through a forest with his comrade and childhood friend Miki (the Banquo character, Minoru Chiaki), they come upon a forest spirit that foretells an elevation in rank for the two, and eventually Washizu's reign over Spiders-Web Castle. While Washizu denies that he has any desire to seize the throne, the forest spirit could see into his heart, as can his wife Asaji (the Lady Macbeth character, Isuzu Yamada) who spurs him on to murder any potential rivals. Thus Mifune moves inextricably towards his own elevation, but also his own fall. Although the film is an adaptation of Shakespeare, the way the actors move before the camera owes much to the Japanese theatre called Noh. So much of the film is carried by the powerful facial expressions of the main actors: the over-the-top snarls and gasps of Mifune; the sad mien of Chiaki, as if his character is already aware of his fate; and the chilling calm of Yamada, a coldblooded killer even if she doesn’t personally murder anyone but has others do it. Kurosawa's set design is elaborate, one really feels back in Edo Japan. Furthermore, by shooting the film in a bleak part of Japan with abundant fog, the landscape powerfully mirrors the predicament in which the characters find themselves. This is one of those films that any Westerners with a solid liberal arts education (by which I mean at least some general knowledge of Macbeth) should see and will probably enjoy. Because it is based on a universal theme that just happened to be so well packaged by Shakespeare, the plot is straightforward and engaging in spite of the exotic setting. But because viewers can so easily follow that plot, the feudal Japan dressing with its distinct mores will prove a fascinating touch, and Kurosawa has depicted this world in rich detail. I don't know if postwar scarcity was still a thing in 1956 when Kurosawa shot Throne of Blood, but it seems like no expense was spared here.

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-04-20

I think that this is a superb tragi-adventure story that stands out well amongst the numerous loose adaptations of Shakespeare that have been made over the years. Kurosawa takes the Scottish play and gives it the "Noh" treatment that delivers an enigmatic and tautly directed rendition of a story of betrayal, power and insanity. Toshirô Mifune is magnificent as "Washizu" who after getting lost with his colleague (Minoru Chiaki) in the doleful "Spider's Web" forest is given a cryptic prophecy that one day he too is destined to rule the great "Spider's Web castle"... Initially reluctant to embark on this path, he soon becomes blinded by this ambition on the misguided advice of his wife (Isuzu Yamada) and so he sets out on a despotic path than can only end in disaster for everyone. The cast work the story well, ably aided by the eeriness of the sets and a sharp pace. It works far better, in my opinion, in monochrome - no colourful distractions from the moody cinematography of the forest nor of the castle architecture and the mobilisation of grand armies - especially in the scenes set in winter; and the general grittiness of the scenarios are easily akin to those of 11th Century Scotland. Once the delirium of the final scenes is upon us, the performances become plausible and in the end , I almost felt sorry for "Washizu". Great stuff.