Review of Throne of Blood (1957) by Matthew C — 07 Feb 2008

This is how Shakespeare should be done on film - the intricacies of plot and numerous incidental characters don't lend themselves to cinema - here kurosawa strips macbeth to its bare bones, drwaing out the most spectacular of images, and adding a few of his own.

Kurosawa's usual intuitive, highly dynamic, economic yet kinetic, stylised use of a camera is on full form here - Washizu's vision of the ghost is the epitome of tension and psychological unease.

That Kurosawa's technique is able to contain another wild performance from Toshiro Mifune is a fantastic testament to his ability, and the film's set pieces - getting lost in the forest, the witch, Washizu's death, the moving trees are all spectacular and unforgettable.

Every cut, beat, expression, camera motion is a joy to watch and really confirms Kurosawa as one of the very few true poets of the reel, while reminding us that there really is poetry to be found it what in most hands is a fairly clunky medium.