Throne of Blood
Akira Kurosawa first envisioned adapting William Shakespeare's Macbeth after completing his 1950 film Rashomon. He admired the play for its exploration of social problems shared between Medieval Scotland and feudal Japan. The director intended to make this adaptation several years before it actually happened. However, he delayed the project after learning that Orson Welles had released his own version in 1948. Kurosawa decided to wait until he could offer something distinct from Welles' interpretation. In May 1956, he announced plans to produce three samurai films for Toho studio. These included Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress, and Revenge. Originally, Ishiro Honda was slated to direct Throne of Blood, but Kurosawa ended up directing all three himself. The script involved frequent collaborators Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Ryuzo Kikushima working together for the fourth time with the director.
Kurosawa preferred Noh theater over Kabuki when incorporating stylistic elements into the narrative structure. The production used masks reminiscent of traditional yaseonna faces for the evil spirit character. Noh drama emphasizes Buddhist doctrines of impermanence, which connects to Washizu being denied salvation. A chorus sings that his ghost remains in the world throughout the story. The film score incorporates flute and drum instruments drawn directly from Noh musical traditions. Set design utilized black walls and armor to complement mist and fog effects seen on screen. Production designer Yoshiro Muraki based these visual choices on ancient scrolls depicting Japanese castles. The combination of actual forest scenes and studio shots created a unique atmosphere for the Spider's Web Forest sequences. This aesthetic choice helped distinguish the adaptation from other Shakespeare interpretations available at the time.
Castle exteriors were constructed on the volcanic slopes of Mount Fuji during filming. Volcanic soil was brought from Fuji to match the ground texture at Toho's Tamagawa studio courtyard. Interior scenes took place in a smaller Tokyo studio while mansion shots occurred on the Izu Peninsula. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya managed the scene where trees approach the castle. Originally this sequence included more shots, but Kurosawa cut several because he remained unimpressed by them. Real arrows shot by skilled archers were used for Washizu's death scene. Mifune waved his arms to indicate intended bodily direction for safety reasons. The production budget made Throne of Blood one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan upon release. Despite the high cost, the film became the second-highest-grossing Japanese movie of 1957 after Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War.
Toshiro Mifune portrayed Taketoki Washizu as the central warrior character modeled after Macbeth. Isuzu Yamada played Lady Asaji, the ambitious wife who convinces her husband to commit murder. Vivien Leigh asked why Yamada made such little movement when portraying madness during their meeting. Akira Kubo appeared as Yoshiteru Miki, representing Fleance in the original play. Takashi Shimura played Noriyasu Odagura, the Macduff analogue character. Minoru Chiaki portrayed Yoshiaki Miki, playing Banquo's role from Shakespeare's text. Chieko Naniwa took on the witch角色 with Kokuten Kodou appearing as the First General. Seiji Miyaguchi and Isao Kimura both served as messenger characters within the narrative structure. The cast included numerous supporting actors like Yū Fujiki and Kichijirō Ueda who played samurai and workmen respectively.
The film received widespread critical praise upon its theatrical release in Japan on the 15th of January 1957. Time magazine described it as a visual descent into hell when released in the United States in 1961. Bosley Crowther from The New York Times called the concept amusing while complimenting cinematography quality. Film historian Donald Richie praised the work as a marvel created from minimal elements like fog, wind, trees, and mist. Stephen Prince compared its minimalist landscapes to sumi-e painting techniques used by Japanese artists. Harold Bloom judged it the most successful film version of Macbeth among literary critics. Leonard Maltin gave the film four stars calling it graphic and powerful in his Movie Guide. Rotten Tomatoes maintains an approval rating of 96% based on forty-seven reviews with an average score of 8.80 out of ten points.
Throne of Blood won two Mainichi Film Awards including Best Actor for Toshiro Mifune. Isuzu Yamada received recognition for her performance at the Kinema Junpo Awards ceremony. Yoshiro Muraki earned awards for both Best Art Direction and Technology categories. The film secured the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival under Kurosawa's direction. Blue Ribbon Awards honored the production within their Best 10 Japanese Films selection. Visual Technology Awards recognized Muraki's contributions to the special effects department. The movie was screened at the first BFI London Film Festival on the 16th of October 1957. Later releases included LaserDisc distribution by Criterion Collection in 1991 and Blu-ray versions released in 2014. The Kawakita Memorial Film Institute presented a 4K remaster during the twelfth 10am Film Festival in 2021.
Roman Polanski's 1971 Macbeth featured similarities to Throne of Blood through twisted road shots and set design choices. Piper Laurie's death scene in Carrie drew inspiration from Mifune's arrow-wounded finale in 1976. Kurosawa returned to Shakespeare adaptation with King Lear in his final epic Ran released in 1985. Millennium Actress referenced the Forest Spirit character in its 2001 anime format. Director Ping Chong adapted the story for stage performance premiering at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. The National Film Archive of Japan screened the film during the Essential 2018 Opening Cinema Memorial event. Toho distributed the title on DVD in Japan starting in 2002 before releasing it on Blu-ray in 2010. Madman Entertainment handled Region 4 DVD distribution beginning in 2013 while Criterion Collection managed Region A releases.
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Common questions
When was Throne of Blood released in Japan?
Throne of Blood received its theatrical release in Japan on the 15th of January 1957. The film later appeared at the first BFI London Film Festival on the 16th of October 1957.
Who directed Throne of Blood and which actors starred in it?
Akira Kurosawa directed Throne of Blood after originally planning for Ishiro Honda to lead the project. Toshiro Mifune portrayed Taketoki Washizu while Isuzu Yamada played Lady Asaji in the central roles.
Where were Castle exteriors constructed during filming of Throne of Blood?
Castle exteriors were constructed on the volcanic slopes of Mount Fuji during filming. Volcanic soil from Fuji matched the ground texture at Toho's Tamagawa studio courtyard where interior scenes took place.
What awards did Throne of Blood win upon release?
Throne of Blood won two Mainichi Film Awards including Best Actor for Toshiro Mifune. The production also secured the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival under Kurosawa's direction.
How does Throne of Blood incorporate Noh theater elements into its narrative structure?
Kurosawa preferred Noh theater over Kabuki when incorporating stylistic elements into the narrative structure. The production used masks reminiscent of traditional yaseonna faces for the evil spirit character and incorporated flute and drum instruments drawn directly from Noh musical traditions.