Throne of Blood - Criterion Collection

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A champion of illumination and experimental shading, Kurosawa brings his unerring eye for indelible images to Shakespeare in this 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. By changing the locale from Birnam Wood to 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa makes an oddball argument for the trans-historicity of Shakespeare's narrative; and indeed, stripped to the bare mechanics of the plot, the tale of cutthroat ambition rewarded (and thwarted) feels infinitely adaptable. What's lost in the translation, of course, is the force and beauty of the language--much of the script of Throne of Blood is maddeningly repetitive or superfluous--but striking visual images (including the surreal Cobweb Forest and some extremely artful gore) replace the sublime poetry. Toshiro Mifune is theatrically intense as Washizu, the samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility; he portrays the ill-fated warrior with a passion bordering on violence, and a barely concealed conviviality. Somewhat less successful is Isuzu Yamada as Washizu's scheming wife; her poise and creepy impassivity, chilling at first, soon grows tedious. Kurosawa himself is the star of the show, though, and his masterful use of black-and-white contrast-- not to mention his steady, dramatic hand with a battle scene--keeps the proceedings thrilling. A must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, as well as all you devotees of samurai weapons and armor. --Miles Bethany

Description

One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of Shakespeare into film, Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood re-imagines Macbeth in feudal Japan. Starring Kurosawa's longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the film tells of a valiant warrior's savage rise to power and his ignominious fall. With Throne of Blood, Kurosawa fuses one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh theater to make a Macbeth that is all his own—a classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom.

Customer Reviews:

Throne of Blood.......2007-06-27

A brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan, Kurosawa's gripping 1957 tragedy is a less frenetic, more haunting outing than previous films like "Seven Samurai." Yet it's still visually potent, containing unforgettable images of austere beauty within a persistently tense and eerie atmosphere. Yamada's character, modeled on Lady Macbeth, is sensationally chilling, while the outsize Mifune's breath-catching demise in a hail of piercing arrows is something every film lover should see more than once. For a provocative East-meets-West experience, mount "Throne of Blood."

Outstanding Film: A Kurosawa Classic!.......2006-12-06

"Throne of Blood" also known as (SPIDER WEBS CASTLE) is Kurosawa's attempt at Macbeth, only with a Japanese twist. This film is great and boasts a very strong and excellent supporting cast, including the legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as the warrior Taketori Washizu in the lead. This is one of my favorite Kurosawa films. However it is the role of Lady Washizu (Isuzu Yamada) as the wife of Taketori which I found to be the most interesting character in the film.

In this Kurosawa version of Macbeth, we find the story taking place in medieval Japan with the samurai as the main characters. Both (Toshiro Mifune) and (Minoru Chiaki) [a great and legendary actor himself] are rewarded for putting down a rebellion. For this they are rewarded by their overlord. However, they were previously warned in the forest by an old women that Mifune would rule, but his reign will be short-lived. This film is more of a Japanese film than a Shakespeare adaptation [which is good]. The film is definetly one of the greatest of Kurosawa's films and I recommend it highly. Everything about the film is great. [Stars: 5+]

True Classical Shakespearian Japan Style.......2006-07-15

I liked it better then "Ran". Deep visual and dramatic expression. Leaves you thinking about it for days.

Absolute excellence.......2006-03-23

Throne of Blood is a masterpiece by one of the world's greatest film makers at the height of his powers.

Only Kurosawa could take the essence of Shakespearian stage drama and incorporate it into the medium of film as a dynamic tour de force. Yet at the same time he remains faithful to elements of Noh (a stagy traditional Japanese play-form in which design and movement are minimalized). A seeming contradiction, dynamism and static-ness yet Kurosawa masters both in the same medium. As usual; acting, writing, cinematography, sound, direction and production are all pitch perfect.

In this second Shakespearian based film by Kurosawa, focus is on the interplay of fate, free will and the fine thread the human psyche uses to weave the two together. On a more simpler level it is a man living and dying by the sword. In short what goes around comes around. What comes around for Toshiro Mifune as he gets his just deserts is a scene with straight as an arrow, perfect direction by Kurosawa leading to quite a pointed culminatin of events (pun intended...see the movie you'll understand).

Bonus features include excellent linear notes as well as the superb commentary of Donald Richie. Few people are more knowledgeable about film and Japanese film then he. The commentary is almost as interesting as the movie itself.

As usual Criterion presents its film in pristine condition. Some may complain that Criterion is too pricey but with them you get the best cinema has to offer. You cannot go wrong. One Kurosawa masterpiece packs more poignancy, punch and philosophy then 10 lesser films thus you get 10 times the movie at 5 times the price, really quite a deal if you look at it that way.

Kurosawa's interpretation of Macbeth: a masterpiece.......2006-01-14

Macbeth comes to Japan, and although it's set in feudal times and sometimes has the feel of a classic Noh play, Kurosawa borrows freely from Shakespeare: there are the prophecies of an evil spirit; there's Lady Macbeth feeding the fire of her husband's ambition and madly trying to wash the blood off her hands; and, of course, there's Birnam woods moving toward the castle at the end. Toshiro Mifune is Macbeth, and the final scene as he's barraged with countless arrows is a classic. Isuzu Yamada is Lady Macbeth, and she puts in a virtuoso performance of frightening proportions. The movie is very atmospheric - foggy woods, braying horses, an eerie musical score - that only adds to its intensity; but it's also poetic and moving in its own unique way. It's a brilliant piece of filmmaking. [I identify the characters using Shakespeare's play; in the movie they have Japanese names.]

Average customer rating:

Incident at Blood Pass (1970) Contains no spoilers
interesting, if you like this sort of film.
Just Don't Expect Kurosawa's Yojimbo!
Lone swordsman Toshiro Mifune faces a motley crew at a mountain inn
A gathering of clouds leads to a storm

Incident at Blood Pass
Starring: Toshirô Mifune , Yûjirô Ishihara , Ruriko Asaoka , Shintarô Katsu , and Kinnosuke Nakamura
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
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ASIN: B00073K7KI
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Amazon.com

The growly voiced sword star Shintaro Katsu was so well known for playing Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman, that it's doubly amazing to see him acting mostly with his glistening black-marble eyes in this 1970 samurai suspense drama directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (Samurai Trilogy). The nominal star, Toshiro Mifune, who also produced, appears for the fourth and last time as the nameless wandering assassin he first portrayed in Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. (The third was another collaboration with Katsu, Kihachi Okomoto's Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo.) But in this case the character is an observer and a catalyst of the action rather than a driving force. Ordered by his latest client only to proceed to a remote mountain pass and await further instructions, the bemused ronin gradually becomes aware of a complicated double- and triple-cross plot centered around a charismatic bandit leader. There's relatively little action before the big ambush-and-revenge finale; for most of the running time squabbling characters (including TV star Yuujiro Ishihara as an exiled former nobleman) are confined together, either as hostages or captors, in an isolated tea house. This is a handsomely mounted production, with a lot of star power. --David Chute

Description

In his final portrayal of the Yojimbo character, Mifune Toshiro is hired to perform a mission so mysterious he isn't even told what it is.

Customer Reviews:

Incident at Blood Pass (1970) Contains no spoilers .......2007-07-28

This film is sure to appeal to fans of its famous principle actors Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo), Katsu Shintaro (Zatoichi) and Yujiro Ishihara (Baby Cart series). The film was the last film in director Hiroshi Inagaki's long career. It will please the fans of the jidai geki (historical period drama) more than the those looking for chambara (sword fighting flick).

The film is considered to be the last of four films featuring the 'yojimbo' (bodyguard) character or nameless samurai created for Mifune by Akira Kurosawa. The first two films, "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro", are classics of the genre and have much more ambitious goals than the film we are considering here. The third film, the weakest offering amongst the the four, was "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo" directed by Kihatchi Okamoto in which Toshiro Mifune does not really play the same character we are considering here and is a film which fits more comfortably into the chambara category.

This film feels much like an extention of the Japanese television 'period drama' of its day which I confess to being somewhat partial to. It is elevated by the star studded cast and their performances however it is limited by a tendency at times toward melodrama, the use of stock genre character types and what appears to be a hastily tacked on ending to provide resolution to one of the major narrative threads. It is the last element which is the most unsatisfactory and the film would probably have been better served without tying up this thread at all rather than handling it in a manner which makes it appear to be a cursory afterthought.

Still the film does have much which will satisfy fans of the genre with good performances, an interesting if complex interplay of events and an examination of human behaviour when looking at individuals placed in a high pressure situation. I have heard the film compared to Archie Mayo's "The Petrified Forest" with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. This is an apt comparison from the standpoint of the situation which the characters find themselves in.

For those solely interesting in the action elements: The film does have two interesting scenes of sword play, the first beautiful and brief, the second longer and exciting if somewhat less beautifully choreographed. It also features a ham handed fist fight near the beginning of the film which would make John Wayne appear a well schooled boxer by comparison.

But really for those looking for a blood and guts samurai flick you would be much better served by picking up something like "Sword of Doom" or something from the Zatoichi series. This is a film for fans of genre, looking for a rather standard period drama elevated by good performances by Mifune and Katsu.

interesting, if you like this sort of film........2007-02-27

While Mifune is, as always, fantastic in his role here, some of the pace is quite slow, and the film is not terribly good from a technical standpoint, so for stretches there isn't quite a lot to keep you interested. Like other reviewers have said, this is no "Yojimbo". Even the sort of fighting the main characters do in this film is really simplistic, brawler sort of stuff. I would even go so far as to say it's not worth owning, unless you're a collector of samurai films (though this is hardly a samurai film).

Just Don't Expect Kurosawa's Yojimbo!.......2007-01-05

This 1970 released samurai film has two major draws. First and foremost, the famed actor (Toshiro Mifune) who portrayed the unknown ronin made famous by Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Sanjuro, reprises his role for the fourth and last time. Second, the film's other star, Shintaro Katsu, noted for his portrayal as the blind yakuza in the Zatoichi film, and who also starred with Toshiro Mifune in the Zatoichi episode #20: "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo," both star in this film. However, don't expect to be blown out of the water by this film. It it an entertaining samurai film, but not a great one. Directed by Horoishi Inagaki, "Incident at Blood Pass," centers on double-crossing [and triple crossing] web's of deceit.

And although the film is not a great samurai flick, it does have some entertainment value. However, if you go into this film expecting a Kurosawa type of film, or an impressive Toshiro Mifune characterization of the legendary Yojimbo, then you will be disappointed. If however, you don't mind an average samurai film, then the film will not disappoint. The films setting takes place at a remote mountain top inn, deep in the mountains. It is here that events will transpire which will find both the innocent and guilty caught up in a backstabbing and double-dealing by the films antagonist(s).

Mifune is ordered to the mountain top to await futher orders. Here he observes the goings on, and notices things are not what they appear to be. He was hired on this mission at this remote mountain top, and ordered to await further instructions. However, he slowly becomes aware that there is double-dealing going on. The film has very little action in it, and this is mostly saved for the ending. And while I do recommend the film to all samurai lovers, the film was more of an average film. The second film to star Toshiro Mifune and Shintaro Katsu, that left me a little disappointed. I really wanted this film to be great. However, it is an interesting watch, and I do recommend watching the film.

Lone swordsman Toshiro Mifune faces a motley crew at a mountain inn.......2005-10-20

This is a period suspense drama set at a remote inn located at a crucial mountain pass in Tokugawa-era Japan. It takes the time-honored premise of gathering a motley cast of characters and forcing them into close quarters together as trouble brews before a major confrontation. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wandering yojimbo' (bodyguard) who has been hired to go to this pass and wait for something to happen.

A gathering of clouds leads to a storm.......2005-05-07

High in the mountains, a remote inn is the setting for a gathering of double- and triple-crossing bad men, each with his own secret and agenda. Sprinkled though out these villains is a collection of innocents, unknowingly standing on the lid of an over-boiling kettle that will soon scream. A web of deceit and action, each player attempts to survive as best they can.

"Incident at Blood Pass" (Japanese title "Machibuse" or "Ambush") is a fun but not outstanding Samurai flick. The main draw is the star cast of Toshiro Mifune ("Yojimbo") and Shintaro Katsu ("Gentetsu"), who is best known for playing the blind fighter Zatoichi. The film is ably directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, known for his Musashi epic "Samurai I, II and III" and his adaptation of the 47 Ronin tale "Chushingura." While Inagaki has his moments, he is not on the same level as Kurosawa or even Masaki Kobayashi, and doesn't quite maximize the talents he has available. This was his final film.

Mifune again assumes the role made famous in the Kurosawa-directed "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro," that of the nameless, a-moral Ronin who appears to be bad but always seems to fight for the weak. In this case, he has been hired for a mission that he does not even know, with his secret boss passing details onto him in the form of coded notes. Katsu, taking a different tact from his amiable hero Zatoichi, is a hard, dirty bandit, a former Doctor who lives in a barn and plans and plots for unseeable ends.

Inagaki doesn't bring out the performance from Mifune that Kurosawa did, and his Yojimbo lacks the dirty nobility of previous incarnations, with motivations remaining obscure. He tries to find the humanity behind each the icon, with a love interest in the form of a battered wife rescued in the film's opening scene. However, it is great to see Katsu as such a horrible human being, and to see his range as an actor.

Like Inagaki's other films, the pace is a slow build up to an explosive finish. The side characters, such as the flashy but poor gambler, the kindly innkeeper and his naive pretty daughter, the obsessed police officer and his tortured captive, all get ample time to annoy, entice and betray each other before the main plot is even revealed. The film plays out like a Samurai version of "The Petrified Forest," with the innkeeper, his daughter, the suitor and the gangster.

While not anywhere near the level of a masterpiece, "Incident at Blood Pass" is certainly an enjoyable flick and worth watching. Story and character driven, those seeking a high-action flick would do better to look elsewhere, as that is not Inagaki's trade mark.

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Blood of the Samurai: The Series
Starring: Blood of the Samurai
Manufacturer: Hellcat Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BBYSPG
Release Date: 2005-09-27

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One star is being very, very generous.
terrible
Fun ! A great 1st film
Comic book camp
complete and utter rubbish

Blood of the Samurai
Starring: Michael Ng (III) , Bryan Yamasaki , Stephanie Sanchez , Johnny Custer , and Shawn Forsythe
Director: Aaron Yamasato
Manufacturer: Hellcat Productions
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ASIN: B0000DIJQZ
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Description

Blood of the Samurai is an action-packed, award winning, cult film, featuring special make-up effects by the legendary SCREAMING MAD GEORGE (Big Trouble in Little China, The Fly II, A Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master, Poltergeist II, THe Guyver, Beyond Re-Animator).

Customer Reviews:

One star is being very, very generous........2005-09-18

I was fairly excited when I saw the trailer for this movie on the internet. It looked well made, and since it made use of locations on Oahu, where I live at, I thought that maybe I'd get a good feel of what locations were available when I myself decided to shoot a film.
What I got, however, was pretty devastating. The acting, costumes and camera work are simply depressing. The actors keep trying jokes that simply lack in substance and timing.
I never would have thought that a villain clad in black, wearing a trenchcoat could look so... lame. That's the word that describes him the best, Lame. The feeling I get while watching him was that either he was too short, or all the clothes he was wearing weighed heavily on him, giving him great difficulty moving. Unfortunately, I still have his poses burned into my memory.
If this were a comic book, it could actually work. The idea, while cliché, is not entirely bad. Two guys find cursed swords that give them " incredible" sword fighting ability. The villain wants the swords for himself (I wouldn't know why, since the weapons he favors are crossbows) and kidnaps the guys' girlfriends to get them to the warehouse climax fight scene.
The back of the DVD box lists the awards this film has won. Upon careful inspection, I might have been alerted to the quality of this film, but I was suckered into trusting that people have good taste, seeing only the "Winner" label, and consequently wanting to have my eyes gouged out.
In conclusion, the only way I was able to finish this movie was fast forwarding it. I wish that was a joke, but I literally had to keep fast forwarding it.
If you want proof of how horrible a movie can be, or if you want to punish someone by tying them to a chair in front of the sceen, then buy this movie. Otherwise, don't even go near it.
If Dr. Forrester had used this film on Mike or Joel, he might have succeeded.

terrible.......2005-07-27

There was a warninig sign as soon as I looked at the box, Hawaian film festival winner. This movie is terrible for even a first film. The only thing that makes me mad is that the movie cost so much and it was advertised as being descent I was under the impression that the film was one of those old fung-fu samuri movies.What a waste of film. And also the acting was just awful.

Fun ! A great 1st film .......2005-05-25

You can feel the love, the energy coming from the director. And it makes this film enjoyable to watch. It also shows promise: see BOTS The Series, and Ninja EX.

(^_^)

Support your local indie filmmaker!

Comic book camp.......2004-03-16

I thought it was a lot of fun. If you think you might like Wayne's World meets Kurosawa on a (very?) low budget than this is a film for you. A good flick to have in the background on poker night. Caution: If you are looking for a high brow, high budget, sweeping cinematic epic then consider something else.

complete and utter rubbish.......2004-03-04

Trash...This movie won the Hawaiian International Film Festival award for best film soley because supposedly it was the only film at that time in the category...This movie is painful to watch...Dont support rubbish. Pass this movie up for any akira kurasawa movie, a real director and a samurai story that will not give you reason to put your own eyes out. Living in Honolulu, I have talked to people many people, none like this movie...The high-rated reviews that are attached to this movie probably get money from sells when you buy a dvd, so beware... The Blood of the Samurai will make you vomit blood.

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Samurai Blood, Samurai Guts
Starring: Kong Pun , and Lee Shue
Manufacturer: Phoenix
ProductGroup: DVD
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