Review of Throne of Blood (1957) by Gavin S — 11 Dec 2013

Best Macbeth ever filmed? Ummm yes. Best Macbeth adaptation to show high school kids to get them interested in the Bard? Hells yes. The great Toshiro Mifune takes the lead here as Washizu, the lord who rises to power after encountering the spirit who foretells his future. Mifune is his usual phenomenal self, just chewing scenery, and nailing the creeping paranoia and suspicion of Macbeth. This version really does a good job of emphasizing how important Lady Macbeth was in pushing her husband over the edge (played here as Asaji, by Isuzu Yamada, who's fantastic in a very restrained performance, which actually makes her more spooky). The film was shot on Mount Fuji, giving it an amazing atmosphere, and there was an actual castle built on site for the set (with help from US Army Engineers). A haunting tale, set perfectly in the feudal samurai period of Japan. Kurosawa...I think I've given up on superlatives for how good he was. The final scene is just tremendous, bringing prophecy to reality, and Mifune's eyes alone in this last scene do a better acting job than a majority of actors working today do with their entire bodies.

Another nearly flawless classic.