“Throne Of Blood defeats categorisation. It remains a landmark of visual strength, permeated by a particularly Japanese sensibility, and is possibly the finest Shakespearean adaptation ever committed to the screen.”
Quiz Winners' Choice / Shinobu Hashimoto (1918-2018) tribute screening / Part of Accidental Shakespeare Season (Chimes at Midnight, Throne of Blood, Prospero's Books: Bish, Bash, Bosh.)
A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood, 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.
Throne of Blood was co-written with Kurosawa's long-standing writing partner, Shinobu Hashimoto, who died last month, aged 100.
