Throne of Blood

 

 Throne of Blood (1957)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Written by Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, and Hideo Oguni

Classic

Throne of Blood, a.k.a. The Spider Web Castle, is a jidaigeki (period drama that takes place before the Meiji Restoration) adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth with Noh (a form of traditional Japanese drama that uses dance, costumes, props, and hand gestures to portray a characters emotions in a stylized way). 

The plot of Throne of Blood is, well, Macbeth - albeit with a few stylized changes. Some of the changes are as follows:

 A. The movie does not use the exact lines of Macbeth, trading the grammar of early modern English (words such as thou art, whom, alas, etc...) to modern day Japanese. Several lines are additionally rewritten to fit in the context, tone, and setting of the adaptation and the scene as needed.

 

B. In Throne of Blood the main characters are Washizu and Miki, who take the roles of Macbeth and Banquo respectively. They are generals who are loyal to the lord of Spider's Web Castle, the central castle on a hill surrounded by a thicket of woods called the Spider's Web Forest. 

C. In the forest, the two receive the prophecy of Macbeth/Washizu's rise to power through an old woman who is an evil spirit instead of the three witches from the original play.

D. Washizu is only prophesized to fall when the forest surrounding Spider's Web Castle rise up and attack its gates, not that he could not be slain by any man born from a woman as in the original play.

E. The ending is different, as Washizu is killed in a mutiny by his own soldiers instead of in a duel.

Despite these differences, Throne of Blood is considered to be one of the most successful adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It went on to win several awards, including best Actor and Actress, grossed 198 million yen and was the second-highest grossing film of 1957, and is reviewed as one of the best films by Akira Kurosawa. It was also incredibly expensive at the time of its release, costing almost 4 million dollars in 2023 money and was widely considered to be one of the most expensive films ever made at that time. 

The film has less lines than the original play and audio plays a significant role throughout the movie. I found that the audio transitioned between being either loud enough that I had to turn down the volume or quiet enough that I had to hold my breath to hear what was being said. This didn't really detract from the experience in my opinion. The shifts between loud woodwind music and absolute silence often shifted with the moods of the characters, reflected who was speaking, and was used to create quite effective disquieting scenes. There are many moments in the movie where the characters are silent, contemplating an act they have committed or processing what another character has said. The silence is complimented by numerous long, still shots of the characters and landscape.

 Silence is golden, and this movie ensures that silence is well spent. 

The characters also have good facial reactions and expressions to the world around them; there are many subtle gestures that characters do to purview their thoughts whenever they are silent. For example during the beginning of the movie when Washizu and Miki are bestowed the title of commander for the First and Second Garrisons as foretold by the evil spirit, you can see their eyes flick from the floor to the Lord of Spider's Web Castle as they slowly realize that the prophecy the spirit foretold is coming true. Further thoughts of the character are also told through their movement, pacing, and gestures to others in the room.

The designs of costumes, sets, and stunts are also beautiful. All of the characters are soldiers, and thus are wearing samurai armor. The movie uses black samurai armor to highlight the actors with the fog present throughout the movie. The movie was shot on a slope by Mount Fuji and the Izu Peninsula for its location and the frequent presence of white fog, meaning the actors are contrasted during several scenes. The actors also spend much of the movie on horse back, which I think is no small feat considering horses don't always go where you want them to, there are many horses in some scenes that all need to be organized to move in a certain way, and these scenes often have flashing lights, sudden loud noises, and people moving quickly out of the horses periphery. On top of all of this, the actors are wielding longbows, spears, and wearing bulky armor while on horseback and acting out their lines.

Finally, the stunts. You probably know which one I'm referring to. This was 1957, meaning no CGI; all stunts and effects were completely practical. At the end of the movie, Washizu's soldiers rebel against him and kill him after spending several minutes shooting arrows at the actor. This scene is well-acted out, in part because they used a tried and true form of method-acting - letting the actor get shot at with real arrows.

Look at this guy. You probably know these images. 

This is a face of unrestrained fear.

Dozens of arrows are shot next to the actor, and at the actor in continuous shots. To shoot this scene (pun intended), the actor would wave their hands and arms around to indicate to the archers what direction they would be moving towards so they could shoot the arrows elsewhere. I found disputed sources as to whether the arrows were shot by professional archers or by college students. Wikipedia says professionals, some documentary scenes say college students and it was done without having health insurance. I don't own a Blu-Ray copy of Throne of Blood however, so I can't really verify which one is correct. Either way, impressive stunt considering, you know. The arrows. A lot of them.

In conclusion, Throne of Blood is a faithful and enjoyable adaptation of Macbeth in its own unique way. I'd recommend it a bushel of arrows out of one adaptation. Give it a watch if you have a hour free; I found it enjoyable and memorable in spite of the many other adaptations and reworks of Shakespeare.