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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

After a victorious battle, two generals, Washizu and Miki, are confronted by a spirit who predicts their futures. Washizu will be promoted and will ultimately be leader of the realm. Miki will also be promoted and his son will eventually be leader of the realm. Both immediately dismiss these utterances but once they are promoted, they start to believe them. Washizu is spurred on by his ambitious, scheming wife, Asaji. When a chance comes to kill the current leader, Washizu seizes upon it.Directed (and co-written) by the famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and based on William Shakespeare's MacBeth, this is a great adaptation of the classic play. The central plot remains roughly the same but Kurosawa changes the setting, dialogue and sub-plots. Gives it a fresh look without changing the broader story.Solid direction by Kurosawa and a commanding performance by Toshiro Mifune (Kurosawa's go-to guy for many of his movies).Only thing that prevents this from being an absolutely compelling masterpiece is that, if you know the story of MacBeth, you know how the plot unfolds. This dampens the impact of some of the twists. It also makes some scenes seem overly long and tedious, as you want to get to the good bit you know is coming. Kurosawa did his best to make the plot seem new, but you can't avoid the central plot, which is all MacBeth.

Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" is a retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth". I am no expert on Shakespeare but the story seemed very familiar. It is a faithful adaptation of the classic story and Kurosawa utilizes his magic to create a tragic tale that is both haunting and triumphant in its own right. The story begins as Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and Miki (Minoru Chiaki) travel their way through the magical Spider's Web Forest where, through the fog, they meet an otherworldly Spirit who foretells each man his prophecy. Washizu is to become Lord of Spider's Web Castle while Miki becomes Lord of The First Fortress and his son eventually will take over Spider's Web Castle. This scene brilliantly captures the ethereal tone of the film and sets up what is to come. The story of MacBeth deals with the supernatural. Kurosawa brilliantly blends the Western ideology with traditional Japanese folklore to create an atmosphere that is visually intriguing and original. The two men's confrontation with the Spirit is a haunting scene that is magnified by the men's acceptance that what they are seeing is a real spirit from another world. The vast fog surrounding them gives the feeling of loneliness and uncertainty. One thing this film has is a lot of fog. I found that the fog symbolized uncertainty of the future. We see the men riding off into the fog but we are unable to see what is ahead. Along with being a faithful adaptation, Kurosawa, nonetheless, made it his own. The entire cast does great but Toshiro Mifune is a standout as the war-hardened general Wishizu. Just the intensity his eyes give off is a scene in itself. I have yet to see a film where Mifune gives anything less than an amazing performance. Isizu Yamada is very good at playing his wife, Asaji. Some of the best scenes in the film are with those two. She convinces Wishizu to kill their Lord so he can take over the throne and fulfill his prophecy. Thus, the tragedy begins and a trail of bloodshed ensues...one bad omen after another. "Throne of Blood' is a story of betrayal and we reach a point where we know it cannot end well for the main character. In doing research, I learned that Kurosawa incorporated elements of Noh Theatre, a traditional Japanese artform, which is evident in costume design, music and character interactions, such as the interactions between Washizu and his wife. The characters struggle with their conflicting beliefs, but ultimately the thirst for power wins. The film was shot on and around Mount Fuji, which has a rugged landscape and lots of natural fog. I thought it was pretty cool that Kurosawa decided to film there. The landscape works perfectly. The cinematography is very good too. For many outside shots, there is an eerie atmosphere that the fog presents and a rugged, uneasy view of the world. Inside shots are very balanced and calm, as we view the inside of a room from the outside framing. These contrasting shots say a lot. Akira Kurosawa was a master at making every shot count and here, there is no exception. It sucks you right into the world of these individuals and keeps you wondering what will happen next. The ending is sure to satisfy!

In preparing for writing this review, I re-read Shakespeare's powerful play, Macbeth, the plot of which inspired Kurosawa to create the haunting Throne of Blood. To clarify the parallel characters, Taketoki Washizu is Macbeth, Lady Asaji Washizu is Lady Macbeth, Captain Miki is Banquo and Lord Tsuzuki is Duncan. Based after the Onin War in medieval Japan -- a time when the country was in turmoil and ruled by many rival clans who fought and betrayed each other for power, a fitful Macbeth setting – Kurosawa a studied and established the frightening tale into that time period with precise historical accuracy*.In one of many actor-director collaborations, Mifune plays Washizu, a Samurai commander, along with his closest friend, Captain Miki, in the Forest Castle** under the Lord Tsuzuki. After defeating the enemy in an off-screen skirmish, Miki and Washizu wind up lost in the Forest Castle's forest where they meet a terrifyingly chilly witch who foretells their futures: Washizu to command the neighbouring North Castle and eventually Forest Castle itself, and Captain Miki to command Fort One before his son, after Washizu, rises to be Forest Castle's next ruler. But that future is actually brought on by Washizu's wife who believes that destiny calls to them and brings to fruition the imminent.As to the original play, expect some violence. Throughout the movie, a haunting atmosphere rests, stressed by the melancholy Noh-style acting and direction. Arguably the most frightening witch of all time in cinema, the witch (shockingly a woman) makes several blood-chilling appearances, reciting morbid lyrics and futures, driving Washizu to the point of madness at the end.Kurosawa's witch is the star among the stars in this masterpiece. But, although already troubling and foreboding, Kurosawa doesn't go all out with the horror as he could have with the material. Instead, the horror seems suppressed and presents itself only when required. Plus, the beginning scene that sets the story in place seems rushed, especially contrasted to the rest of the story.Throne of Blood was directed by Akira Kurosawa. Before you say "Japanese can't make movies," let me say this: they can make movies -- and phenomenal movies at that -- but it's just not the same style as what we're used to. Western movies tend to be fast-paced and "baby feed" as much material possible (not that that's a bad thing -- it's the general style), but on the other hand, Kurosawa chiefly builds his most reflective and intense scenes simply on silence. He gives the bare minimum for you to understand and leaves the rest to what you see. Consider the scene where Asaji Washizu sits in a temporary home after she craftily persuades her husband to murder the Lord Tsuzuki in order to get the command of Forest Castle. Coincidentally, their simple home has one wall covered in the blood of a traitor killed in the past. During the moments when Washizu performs the murder, the camera sits in front of the pondering, cross-legged Asaji with the blood stained wall in full view. All is silent, yet the wall cries out.But due to the fact that Kurosawa doesn't go all out with the horror and the rushed beginning scene that set up the plot, I give Throne of Blood a 9/10. Fortunately, these faults don't dim the film's poignancy and strength. Owing to the magnificent artistry of Kurosawa, Throne of Blood is magnificent, sincere and horrifying.

This is Kurosawa's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. While I am certainly not a Shakespeare expert but I still am aware of the story of the play. Being aware of the original play, I could pick up all the subtle as well as significant changes in the film. Kurosawa uses the basic plot of Macbeth, but actually ornaments the film with a lot of Japanese folklore using Noh traditions and Japanese/Buddhist mythology. Macbeth ends on a happy and morally upright note of good triumphing over evil. But 'Throne of Blood' ends on an ironic note and it is significantly different. Kurosawa uses a much more bleak ending than Shakespeare. The film explores the cyclical nature of men falling prey to greed which leads them to embrace evil ways and in a way it is implied that this cycle will continue forever. The throne will always have blood on it in a symbolic sense. The world will never rid itself of misery and suffering as long as human beings continue this tradition of being overwhelmed by a sense of greed. This is a bit of a contrast to Rashomon. In 'Rashomon' the entire film is about greed selfishness and the idea of losing faith in humanity. But Kurosawa ended the film on a very optimistic and humane note and the poignancy of that beautiful ending gets heightened when you consider 'Rashomon' came out only years after the Hiroshima/Nagasaki blasts. But 'Throne of Blood' doesn't offer the viewer any optimism ladled respite, but that doesn't take anything away from the mastery that's involved in the filmmaking.I don't need to say too much about Kurosawa. Everyone knows that he was a master. Like his other films that I've seen, this film is also visually beautiful. They way he frames his shots with meticulous details regarding the placement of the actors in a particular shot to visually express the mood is fantastic. Complementing the subtle shots are the trademark Kurosawa wide angle sweeping shots of armies and soldiers that are just brilliant. He generates a sense of fear and paranoia through the way he shoots the film. An example that can be cited to talk about the paranoia that runs through the film will be the way Kurosawa films all the scenes in the Spider's Web Forest. The movements of the characters in the forest gets obscured because Kurosawa shoots their movement from behind trees and branches. These branches and twigs are clearly made to look like a spider's web to make a visual symbolism of the characters(specially Washizu) losing their way and getting trapped in the spider's web of greed. The lighting, the smoke and the general feel of the trees and the supernatural elements of the scenes in the forest really felt creepy.Toshiro Mifune is again fantastic and commanding. He really commits to this character of Washizu. His eyes had an intimidating and fiery quality to them that makes it impossible to look away from them. He dramatically portrays the changes that take place in Washizu and it completely works. I would also like to give a special mention to Isuzu Yamada who plays Asaji. Kurosawa uses the character of Asaji in a very unique way and as a result she stands as a character on her own distinguishing herself from Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. They way she moves, the make-up on her face, the way she speaks and the visual style used by Kurosawa in one particular shot of her does make her look like a ghostly figure in one sense, but even then in my eyes the character retains some elegance and dignity.My only complaint which is a nitpick is that the editing at the beginning is a bit bizarre and jarring. But apart from that the film is pretty much flawless.