Throne of Blood

I watched Kurosawa's version of Macbeth, Throne of Blood last night. It was fantastic. It was creepy. It was good from start to finish. Especially the finish. With Noh theatre influences, Kurosawa's version is light in dialogue but uses visual imagery in place of Shakespeare's poetry.

Actually, I've never read Macbeth nor seen it fully (I always fell asleep) in either stage or cinematic adaptations (though I hear Polanski's version has a nude lady Macbeth *ahem*) but this film is a great foray for those unfamiliar with the work or if you've got a short attention span like me. Apparently not Kurosawa's best, but some say it is the best cinematic adaptation of the bard's tragedy.

The leads were excellent. Long time collaborator Toshirô Mifune played the tortured protagonist, Washizu well from his honourable beginnings to his descent into madness. The 'Lady Macbeth' in the show was played by the woman in the picture, Isuzu Yamada and she is the incarnation of evil I tell you. Now we know what Sadako used to do before she started terrorising the VHS party scene. She's so creepy and scary in the show it was such a delight. When she did the washing blood off her hands scene my spine tingled like a mobile phone in discrete. The film had such an atmosphere of dread you anticipated the worst at every turn.

The end does not disappoint as the tragic manipulation of events culminates into an ending which some say is cinema's best. Well I dunno about that but it's pretty damn good. Of course, we all know Washizu dies but Kurosawa employs a totally dangerous and unorthodox method to get the fear of death into Mifune's eyes. Apparently the actor used to get nightmares about it. Oh well, all in the name of good cinema.