THRONE OF BLOOD (1957), dir. Akira Kurosawa

I’m actually not very familiar with the films of Akira Kurosawa, but I enjoyed “Throne of Blood,” which is basically “Macbeth” transplanted to feudal Japan. The plot revolves around two great warriors who are told their fortunes by a forest spirit: one of them, Washizu, is destined to become lord of “Spider Web Castle,” a mighty fortress (and the Japanese name of the movie). This is also the destiny of the other man’s son.

Anyone who knows “Macbeth” can figure out the trajectory of “Throne of Blood,” even if there’s very little of Shakespeare’s dialogue. Expect ambition, betrayal, paranoia, more betrayal, madness, revenge, and a Lady Macbeth-type character who eggs her husband on to commit terrible deeds, but isn’t afraid to get her own hands dirty, too. A Macduff equivalent is nowhere to be found, but the forest spirit does tell the main character he won’t die until the “very trees rise up against him.”

Like I said, I’m not especially familiar with the director, and this is the first Kurosawa film from the 50’s I’ve seen. But judged on its own merits, I can say the best features of “Throne of Blood” are its eerie atmosphere and performances by a strong cast. Supposedly, Kurosawa was influenced by Japanese Noh Theatre: there is a chorus, as well as scenes of disquieting silence, broken by brief outbursts of drum and flute.

As in Noh, you also have the magical spirit wearing a mask and expressing its emotions through the positioning of the head as opposed to moving the face. It may sound low-tech, but believe me when I say: it has the total opposite effect as hokey-ness.

Finally, there were a number of scenes, particularly inside Spider Web Castle, in which I felt as if I were watching theatre instead of a film, scenes in which all the action seemingly took place within a limited area directly in front of the camera. There were also moments in which actor Toshiro Mifune, portraying the doomed Washizu, reveals his terror by flinging himself backwards against the nearest wall. These felt particularly stagy.

Of course, this is not to say anyone in the cast gives a bad performance, especially not Mifune or Isuzu Yamada, who made for an especially cold and calculating Lady Washizu. In fact, after the most spectacular sequence in “Throne of Blood” – Lord Washizu being shot at by his own archers – I would pay good money to see the actor portray deer-in-the-headlights-style blind fear in a movie anytime.

Kurosawa and Mifune teamed up for many films in the 50’s and 60’s, some of which are considered classics. After the experience of watching “Throne of Blood,” I’d be interested in seeing them.

Overall rating: ****