Film Review: “Throne of Blood” by Akira Kurosawa
The film I am reviewing is “Throne of Blood” as it is an interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I teach English across all grade levels and it is a film that I would show to my AP English Literature class after reading and analyzing Macbeth. “Throne of Blood” is a great connection to make to East Asia because of how it depicts the samurai warrior culture and traditions of the Japanese. It has to do with war, great lords, and castles. It connects to Macbeth in that it makes the viewers ponder and question human nature and human desires. “Throne of Blood” shows how the Japanese warrior traditions are ruled by a hierarchy and how human desire for power and fame drives the main character, Washizu, to murder the Emperor and rule in his stead. Human desire breaks the samurai tradition of honor and loyalty. It also ties in the “Yoen” or sense of mystery especially with the opening scene of the film which begins with fog and unnatural weather. The old woman in Spiders Web Forest also shows the the power of shamanism seen in Japanese cosmology in that she spins her weave of fate and tells the Washizu of his own destiny. Overall, this is a great film for students to analyze and make interpretations of possible themes, literary analysis, and connections to Japanese traditions and culture.
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