Throne of Blood: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted

Inline

Latest revision as of 14:20, 22 October 2017

Kumonosu Jō (Spiderweb Castle), distributed with the English title Throne of Blood, is Akira Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. Kurosawa fuses Shakespeare's plot with elements from Noh theater, and sets the story at an unspecified time and place in Sengoku-era Japan. The Macduff subplot is left out, leading to a different, but more thematic end for the Macbeth figure.

Has been adapted as a play for the Ashland Shakespeare Festival.

Tropes used in Throne of Blood include:

Bearer of Bad News
Driven to Suicide
Fallen Hero: Washizu.
Heir Club for Men: Washizu is perfectly happy to have Miki's son as his heir, until Lady Asaji reveals she is pregnant.
Henpecked Husband: Washizu, possibly even more than Macbeth.
Horrible Judge of Character: Lord Tsuzuki.
I Have Come Too Far
Kabuki Sounds much of the score is like this.
Lady Macbeth: Asaji (not surprising, since she's based on the Trope Namer).
Lonely at the Top
Mobile Shrubbery
Ominous Fog in spades.
Out, Damned Spot!: Isuzu Yamada does a terrific mad scene. Also, she never blinks throughout the entire film (a direction from Kurosawa), which only adds to the crazy.
Prophecy Twist
Rain of Arrows
Samurai
Sanity Slippage
Spear Carrier: A group of spearmen appear as a Greek Chorus to mark ActBreaks.
Stop Trick
Tragedy
Villain Protagonist
Yamato Nadeshiko: Lady Asaji is probably the best example of how this trope can be played villainously. She barely moves during the entire first half of the film, and always takes a polite tone with her husband, yet every word that pours from her mouth is honey laced with venom.
You Have Failed Me... and You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Washizu kills the assassin he sent to collect Miki's head. This is either to get rid of someone who knows too much, or because the assassin failed to kill Miki's son as well (or both).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{work}}
-{{quote box|[[File:throneofblood_8294.jpg|frame]]}}
+[[File:throneofblood_8294.jpg|frame]]
-''Kumonosu Jō'' (''Spiderweb Castle''), distributed with the English title ''Throne of Blood'', is [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s version of ''[[Macbeth (Theatre)|Macbeth]]''. Kurosawa fuses [[Shakespeare]]'s plot with elements from Noh theater, and sets the story at an unspecified time and place in [[Jidai Geki|Sengoku-era Japan]]. The [[No Man of Woman Born|Macduff]] subplot is left out, leading to a different, but more thematic end for the Macbeth figure.
+''Kumonosu Jō'' (''Spiderweb Castle''), distributed with the English title ''Throne of Blood'', is [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s version of ''[[Macbeth]]''. Kurosawa fuses [[Shakespeare]]'s plot with elements from Noh theater, and sets the story at an unspecified time and place in [[Jidai Geki|Sengoku-era Japan]]. The [[No Man of Woman Born|Macduff]] subplot is left out, leading to a different, but more thematic end for the Macbeth figure.
-Has recently been adapted as a play for the Ashland Shakespeare Festival.
+Has been adapted as a play for the Ashland Shakespeare Festival.
-----
+{{tropelist}}
-=== ''Throne of Blood'' includes examples of: ===
 * [[Bearer of Bad News]]
 * [[Driven to Suicide]]
-* [[Enforced Method Acting]]: The arrows striking the wall beside Washizu in the final scene were fired by real archers placed just off-camera. [[Toshiro Mifune]]'s look of terror is not entirely feigned.
 * [[Fallen Hero]]: Washizu.
 * [[Heir Club for Men]]: Washizu is perfectly happy to have Miki's son as his heir, until Lady Asaji reveals she is pregnant.
-* [[Henpecked Husband]]: Washizu, possibly even more than [[Macbeth (Theatre)|Macbeth]].
+* [[Henpecked Husband]]: Washizu, possibly even more than [[Macbeth]].
 * [[Horrible Judge of Character]]: Lord Tsuzuki.
 * [[I Have Come Too Far]]
 * [[Kabuki Sounds]] much of the score is like this.
 * [[Lady Macbeth]]: Asaji (not surprising, since she's based on the [[Trope Namer]]).
-* [[Lonely At the Top]]
+* [[Lonely at the Top]]
 * [[Mobile Shrubbery]]
 * [[Ominous Fog]] in spades.
-* [[Out Damned Spot]]: Isuzu Yamada does a terrific mad scene. Also, she never blinks throughout the entire film (a direction from Kurosawa), which only adds to the crazy.
+* [[Out, Damned Spot!]]: Isuzu Yamada does a terrific mad scene. Also, she never blinks throughout the entire film (a direction from Kurosawa), which only adds to the crazy.
 * [[Prophecy Twist]]
 * [[Rain of Arrows]]
@@ Line 30: / Line 29: @@
 * [[Villain Protagonist]]
 * [[Yamato Nadeshiko]]: Lady Asaji is probably the best example of how this trope can be played villainously. She barely moves during the entire first half of the film, and always takes a polite tone with her husband, yet every word that pours from her mouth is honey laced with venom.
-* [[You Have Failed Me]] and [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]: Washizu kills the assassin he sent to collect Miki's head. This is either to get rid of someone who knows too much, or because the assassin failed to kill Miki's son as well (or both).
+* [[You Have Failed Me...]] and [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]: Washizu kills the assassin he sent to collect Miki's head. This is either to get rid of someone who knows too much, or because the assassin failed to kill Miki's son as well (or both).
 {{reflist}}
 [[Category:The Criterion Collection]]
+[[Category:The Criterion Collection (LaserDisc)]]
 [[Category:Japanese Films]]
 [[Category:Films of the 1950s]]
-[[Category:Throne Of Blood]]
 [[Category:Film]]
+[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Akira Kurosawa]]
+[[Category:Films Based on Plays]]