Rating: 
Summary: incredible--
Review: I am a Japanese girl who is a student at Nagoya International School in Japan. We watched several "Macbeth" films during class, but I thought the "Throne of the Blood" was the most provoking versions of "Macbeth." It was very interesting watching the movie using old, feudal languages of Japan. What I liked most about this movie was that it was the spookiest version of "Macbeth" I had ever watched. While the other version of "Macbeths" contained blood, loudness, and dramatic scenes, most of this movie was quite slow paced and without blood. However, it definitely made me chilled- the ancient witch singing alone with an omen-like voice matched greatly with the haunted forest. This movie did not need any blood or guts to make it unforgettable; instead, its uncomfortable calmness gets us chilled to the bones. Although this version only included one of the witch's prophecies, "never loosing a single battle unless the Cobweb Forest moves towards the castle," it was enough to have Macbeth terrified and get sort of "insane." Then, the most powerful scene came, the scene of Macbeth's death. I simply could not take my eyes off the screen when hundreds of arrows came flying toward Macbeth. It was very shocking, when suddenly an arrow pierced through Macbeth's neck. His wide opened eyes and his deadly voice was a scene that didn't leave my mind for a while. Although I was aware that his death was an inevitable fate, it was quite a contrary to my expectation of "Macbeth being slew by the 'hero'." Overall, this movie was fantastic and I can recommend this to any Shakespeare or Kurosawa fan. It is incredible.
Rating: 
Summary: Leila's Japanese Macbeth Review
Review: I watched "Throne of Blood" in English class at my school, while studying about Shakespeare and "Macbeth". This movie referred to Macbeth but it was a Japanese version of it. I found it fascinating how someone could change a Shakespeare movie to another countries perspective of it. The plot was pretty much the same but the language, enviroment, clothing,... etc. everything was changed to Japan. Macbeth was named Washizu, the soldiers held swords and arrows instead of guns, the castle had sliding doors, everyone ate on the floor with chopsticks...etc. These little things made the movie so Japanese, yet you could still tell that it was a translation of "Macbeth".
I enjoyed this movie very much since I have seen the real "Macbeth" in Shakespearean language and it was just so intresting to compare it with this movie. Also since I am studying about "Macbeth" in English class. Many people might have seen different kinds of versions of "Macbeth" in English but I bet only a few has seen it the Japanese version! I recommend it to all the people who have seen the English of the "Macbeth" first, then watch this movie you'll find it amazing!
leila offner
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing Japanese Rendition of Macbeth!
Review: Kurosawa was a genius, we all know that, his are one of the few foreign films that have a great crossover avility. This is one of his best, and it goes to show how well Shakespeare can be adapted by anyone. The great Toshiro Mifune is the powerhungry lord here, and he delivers an intense mesmerizing performance. His screen pressence is unbelievable, the actress playing the 'Lady Macbeth' character is also good and creeplily effective in her role. The best sequences here are the scenes where Mifune meets the evil spirit in the forest (both times) and of course the unforgettable final sequence where he meets his bloody death by arrows. What an amazing sequence, with many master strokes, like seeing the forest move through the mist towards the castle and Mifune being executed by his own troops in such a bloody terrifying manner. All in all, the film is well worth a look, it is a bit flawed if you compare it to ther Kurosawa films, but for the better moments alone it is an amazing tale well told!... A solid 8 out of 10!
Rating:
Summary: Loose Adaption
Review: Although the case may say its Kurosawa's version of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', it is a very loose adaption. 'Throne of Blood' was more or less inspiried by 'Macbeth', but the story is very different. I'm willing to bet the same is true for 'Ran', which is an adaption of 'King Lear'(which I have not read). Nonetheless, the story is pure Kurosawa as dividing clans fight for territorial disputes and castles. A female character here is very similar to Lady Macbeth and many scenes do come right out of the play. She pushes her husband to do evil thing before the evil is done to him. If one is expecting to find Shakespere here, do not rent or buy it. The film does not have the unbelievably awesome monologue given by Macbeth at the end of the play. But if one is wanting to find a gem from Kurosawa's early years, this is bound to satisfy. As always in all of his movies, at least one unforgettable sequence exists. In this one, it comes at the end. You will know it when you see it.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding film
Review: one of mifunde's best.shows life in medevil japan. its organization and structure. mecbeth transported.one of the greatest death scenes ever.
Rating:
Summary: Samurai Macbeth
Review: This is yet another of Akira Kurosawa's "classic" samurai films. Similar to "Ran" in its reworking of a famous Shakespeare play, "Throne of Blood" takes the tragedy of "Macbeth" and transports it to feudal Japan with amazing results. Toshiro Mifune delivers a great performance as the doomed and ambitious warrior. Wonderfully filmed, as usual, with a terrific final sequence of the embattered and surrounded Mifune as he realizes the consequences of an eerie prophecy. A must-see for all fans of Kurosawa but perhaps not for the initiate.
Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile
Review: For what it's worth, I am not especially a fan of Kurosawa, Japanese cinema, or anything else of that nature. I also think Shakespeare is boring as hell. But I worship "Throne of Blood". This is without question the best adaptation of Macbeth ever by anyone. Awe-inspiring, gritty photography, creepy witches, and an ending that is so visually stunning that it will never leave your mind...just a few of the things this film has to offer. And pretentious as this may sound, I believe this is the most "spiritually faithful" version of Macbeth ever recorded. It is entertaining and poetic in a way that Shakespeare's play might have been to it's original audience. I like this film more than any other Kurosawa film and I wish they'd hurry up and put it on DVD. If you've ever tried to "get into" either Kurosawa or Shakespeare and found yourself rather bored, "Throne of Blood" will help you understand what all the excitement is about.
Rating:
Summary: Two great tastes that go great together!
Review: Kurosawa and Shakespeare are a winning combination. With "Throne of Blood," Kurosawa strips Macbeth to the bare bones of plot, then packs on new flesh in the form of scheming ambition in feudal Japan. In this version, Washizu (Macbeth) is somewhat simple, and content with what comes his way, be it castle or fort, honor or deceit. His wife, the infamous Lady Macbeth, is chillingly calm and dangerous. She has no interest in her husband's contentment, and knows that the only way to advance her position is to advance the position of her husband, by whatever means necessary. Her role as the spider is particularly suited to the halls of the Cobweb Castle. The acting and filming are up to the quality that one expects from Kurosawa and Mifune. The pacing of the film is full of dynamic contrasts, going from heart-pounding action to patient silence. This film is not spoon-fed to you, but demands your concentration. The visuals are particularly stunning in "Throne of Blood." The cobweb forest is haunting, and the single weird sister, all in white spinning in a white cage, maintains the same chilling calmness of Washizu's wife. One of the many nice touches of "Throne of Blood" is the chance to see that Samurai at the height of their power. These are not the poor, struggling warriors of "Seven Samurai" or "Yojimbo." Washizu is decked out in full armor for the bulk of the film, and his castle is defended and attacked by well-dressed armies. Each lord is powerful and wields mighty forces. Oh, and of course, the big finish. All I can say is wow.
Rating:
Summary: Lean and Mean!
Review: An electrifing performance by Toshiro Mifune dominates this superb film!!! This is Kurosawa at his best. Spartan sets, crisp dialogue and extremely unsympathetic characters make this movie a tour do force of extremism! Of all Kurosawa's film this is the most surreal. There is nothing warm or smooth in this film. It is all right angles and cold calculation. The entire cast is magnificent. The sets are oppressive yet beautiful. The fog is like an approaching army. All of these elements together make for one of the best films I have ever seen. Mifune's death scene is not to be believed. Incredible!!!
Rating:
Summary: German expressionism died and went to Japan...
Review: I first saw this film as a child, and what I remember most vividly is the arrow through the neck. Mifune stumbles this way and that, an impossible number of arrows perforating him and the wall near him. Screaming, shambling away, he cannot escape the crescendo of doom. The sequence is almost like the shower murder in Psycho; it just builds and builds, quick cuts, whistling arrows, terrified reactions, until - Until the arrow in the neck. Then there's this beat, this elongated pause. Mifune isn't screaming any more. His face is frozen like the proverbial deer in the headlights. His fate is truly sealed. He's dead and he knows it, even if he has not actually stopped breathing, just yet. So climaxes Akira Kurosawa's telling of MacBeth. This is no spoiler - everybody knows he has to die. That we know his fate, even while he, himself denies it, is part of the tale's enduring power. Kurosawa and his team have created some inspired and genuinely chilling images and sounds: consider the voice of the witch in the woods, which is not quite human-sounding and rumbles with basso profundo undertones. Or the silvery clouds of fog hugging the moist, coal-black forest floor in the film's brilliant black-and-white cinematography. Or the palpably other-worldly quality of the apparitions that drive our hero nearly to madness. The visual compositions have an eerie precision, an expressionism not generally seen outside of the old German masters of the 20's. The acting is, indeed, highly stylized - even stilted, but so is Elizabethan English and, for that matter, the very notion of the soliloquy. We don't complain about either of those aspects of MacBeth when we see it in its original form, do we? Perhaps other reviewers here are correct in ascribing much of the film's style to the Noh theater tradition. I cannot say, since I have never seen it. But I have seen this film, and it occupies an esteemed place in my video collection.
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