Review: Throne of Blood

Kurosawa's 1957 masterpiece, Throne of Blood, is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in 14th century medieval Japan. It tells the story of one General Taketoki Washizu (played by the charismatic Toshiro Mifune) who murders his lord and usurps power through manipulation and treachery, ultimately to suffer his demise at the hands of his own men.

Perhaps the darkest of the Kurosawa samurai epics, it was filmed on the slopes of Mt Fuji where Kurosawa had an entire medieval castle built to serve as the set for the film. The elevation being so high, the area was a barren wasteland and fog covered the ground most of the time, giving the film a bleak, stark tone - consistent with the story itself.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story itself is the role which General Washizu's wife, played by Isuzu Yamada, has in orchestrating the entire plot. For although her husband is the lord of the castle she is truly the one calling the shots. This relationship brilliantly captures the nature of feminine power - subltle, dark, yielding - and yet clearly as powerful as the more overt male. It is an interesting manifestation of the yin-yang principle in which the yielding yin submits to the dominant yang and the male yang then, in turn, submits to the dark yin.

Lady Washizu suggests the murder

Ultimately, Lord Washizu's dramatic fall from grace is a vivid testament to the short-sightedness of greed and the desire for power. It is also a poignant example of the principle of karma. With stunning cinematography, powerful acting, and a mysterious atmosphere of foreboding that is unparalleled in any other Kurosawa film, this publication endorses this cinematic masterpiece with the greatest enthusiasm.

Lord Washizu's demise