Throne of Blood

1957 1h 48m JA

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 1,025🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes★8IMDB · 59,315

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Toshirō Mifune
Taketoki Washizu
Isuzu Yamada
Lady Asaji Washizu
Takashi Shimura
Noriyasu Odagura
Akira Kubo
Yoshiteru Miki
Hiroshi Tachikawa
Kunimaru Tsuzuki
Minoru Chiaki
Yoshiaki Miki
Takamaru Sasaki
Kuniharu Tsuzuki
Gen Shimizu
Washizu samurai

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryuzo Kikushima
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Asakazu Nakai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Toshirō Mifune and Isuzu Yamada and Takashi Shimura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0050613 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Asakazu Nakai behind the camera. Masaru Satō scores. Akira Kurosawa cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Asakazu Nakai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Toshirō Mifune and Isuzu Yamada and Takashi Shimura carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0050613 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 14 themes, including "japan", "samurai", "based on novel or book", "prophecy".
8Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Asakazu Nakai
Original score: Masaru Satō
Editing: Akira Kurosawa
Production design: Yoshirō Muraki
Costume design: Yoshirō Muraki
Makeup / hair: Masanori Kobayashi
Sound: Ichirô Minawa
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $13,422
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Throne of Blood (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8/10 · 59,315 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

4 wins & 1 nomination total

Blue Ribbon Awards

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Akira Kurosawa

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CRCulver2018-08-23
★ 8/10
One of a number of films that Akira Kurosawa made in the 1950s and which have become classics, <i>Throne of Blood</i> is the director's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in feudal Japan but showing that lust for power is a perennial feature of human society. Washizu (the Macbeth character, Toshiro Mifune) is a soldier serving the lord of Spiders-Web Castle. While riding through a forest with his comrade and childhood friend Miki (the Banquo character, Minoru Chiaki), they come upon a forest spirit that foretells an elevation in rank for the two, and eventually Washizu's reign over Spiders-Web Castle. While Washizu denies that he has any desire to seize the throne, the forest spirit could see into his heart, as can his wife Asaji (the Lady Macbeth character, Isuzu Yamada) who spurs him on to murder any potential rivals. Thus Mifune moves inextricably towards his own elevation, but also his own fall. Although the film is an adaptation of Shakespeare, the way the actors move before the camera owes much to the Japanese theatre called Noh. So much of the film is carried by the powerful facial expressions of the main actors: the over-the-top snarls and gasps of Mifune; the sad mien of Chiaki, as if his character is already aware of his fate; and the chilling calm of Yamada, a coldblooded killer even if she doesn’t personally murder anyone but has others do it. Kurosawa's set design is elaborate, one really feels back in Edo Japan. Furthermore, by shooting the film in a bleak part of Japan with abundant fog, the landscape powerfully mirrors the predicament in which the characters find themselves. This is one of those films that any Westerners with a solid liberal arts education (by which I mean at least some general knowledge of Macbeth) should see and will probably enjoy. Because it is based on a universal theme that just happened to be so well packaged by Shakespeare, the plot is straightforward and engaging in spite of the exotic setting. But because viewers can so easily follow that plot, the feudal Japan dressing with its distinct mores will prove a fascinating touch, and Kurosawa has depicted this world in rich detail. I don't know if postwar scarcity was still a thing in 1956 when Kurosawa shot <i>Throne of Blood</i>, but it seems like no expense was spared here.
CinemaSerf2023-04-20
★ 7/10
I think that this is a superb tragi-adventure story that stands out well amongst the numerous loose adaptations of Shakespeare that have been made over the years. Kurosawa takes the Scottish play and gives it the "Noh" treatment that delivers an enigmatic and tautly directed rendition of a story of betrayal, power and insanity. Toshirô Mifune is magnificent as "Washizu" who after getting lost with his colleague (Minoru Chiaki) in the doleful "Spider's Web" forest is given a cryptic prophecy that one day he too is destined to rule the great "Spider's Web castle"... Initially reluctant to embark on this path, he soon becomes blinded by this ambition on the misguided advice of his wife (Isuzu Yamada) and so he sets out on a despotic path than can only end in disaster for everyone. The cast work the story well, ably aided by the eeriness of the sets and a sharp pace. It works far better, in my opinion, in monochrome - no colourful distractions from the moody cinematography of the forest nor of the castle architecture and the mobilisation of grand armies - especially in the scenes set in winter; and the general grittiness of the scenarios are easily akin to those of 11th Century Scotland. Once the delirium of the final scenes is upon us, the performances become plausible and in the end , I almost felt sorry for "Washizu". Great stuff.