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DVD
reviewed by Donald Melanson
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July
12, 2004 | There have been over three hundred screen
adaptations of Shakespeare's plays and, while I'm partial to Forbidden
Planet, one can easily make an argument that no one did
it better than the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Although
"adaptation" does not begin to describe what Kurosawa did with
the material.
Based on Macbeth, Throne of Blood (Kumonosu-jo) was
Kurosawa's first attempt at adapting Shakespeare to the screen and,
to many, it remains his best. As you might guess, this is not your
traditional interpretation of Shakespeare. The play's original Scottish
setting is replaced with feudal Japan, and the traditional Shakespearean
style of acting and staging is replaced with elements of the 'Noh'
theatre, characterized by exaggerated performances and sparse sets.
It is simply a remarkable film to behold. Whereas many screen adaptations
of Shakespeare (even lavishly produced ones) still have the feel
of a filmed stage play, Throne of Blood is an extraordinarily
cinematic film. Shooting with a telephoto lens, Kurosawa obtained
an incredibly sharp but flat image, lacking depth but adding a great
deal of texture to each scene.
As Steven Price notes in his insightful essay included with the
DVD, weather plays a central role in the film, in a real sense becoming
an embodiment of the characters' psychology. "The bleached skies,
the fog, the barren plains, and characters going adrift against
and within these spaces -- this is where the emotion of the film
resides."
Kurosawa's longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune gives a wonderfully
frenetic performance in the Macbeth role, here called Washizu. I
don't think it's spoiling anything to say he has one of the most
incredible death sequences ever filmed. Also outstanding in a very
subtle performance is Isuzu Yamada as Asaji (otherwise known as
Lady Macbeth).
The picture and sound quality of the DVD are both good, although
scenes with a lot of fog (and there are quite a few of them) exhibit
a lot more grain than is noticeable in the rest of the film.
Compared to other Criterion Collection releases, there are relatively
few special features. The centerpiece is an intelligent and entertaining
commentary track by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck. Also notable
is the inclusion of two very different sets of subtitles, one by
Linda Hoaglund and one by Donald Ritchie. Each provides a rationale
for their interpretation in the 24-page booklet that comes with
the DVD.
Criterion discs don't come cheap, but as they've proven again here
with Throne of Blood, you're usually richly rewarded for
spending the extra bucks.
bio:
Donald
Melanson is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mindjack. He
also writes about movies on his film
blog.
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