Amazon.com Essentials:
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
