Throne of Blood (1957)

7 January 2018

Throne of Blood (1957) was Akira Kurosawa's translation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. For a story that tells you the plot flat-out through prophesy, it's a fascinating watch. Partly because you don't know how the classic literature will translate, and partly because the primary actors carry the Macbeth characters over so effortlessly. Noh theater was a muse for Kurosawa's filming of Throne of Blood. That style decision also would appear in Kagemusha (10/10, 1980) and Ran (8/10, 1985), though I think the black and white film translates a lot better than the color over-saturation I've felt from his later films. Kurosawa pacing is more a problem with this one than say Roshomon (9/10, 1950) but not as bad as Red Beard (7/10, 1965). Another great film from Kurosawa though. 9/10