Directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1957, Throne Of Blood basically takes the plot of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, inserts it into Feudal Japan and adds culturally significant doses of Japanese Noh theater to give the production its own merits. This makes it more than just a Shakespeare adaptation, it stands as a truly original work of art.

The film begins when two samurai generals, Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and Miki (Akira Kubo) leave the battlefield after a massive fray to return to the home of Lord Tsuzuki (Takamaru Sasaki), Spider's Web Castle. Along the way, they travel through a forest where they encounter an older woman (Chieko Naniwa) whose body has been possessed by a spirit. She offers them three predictions: Washizu will go to command the North Garrison and take Spider's Web Castle; Miki will go to command the First Fortress; Miki's son will grow to eventually take Spider's Web Castle from Washizu.

When the two men arrive at Tsuzuki's castle, the spirit's predictions ring true. Washizu is indeed put in charge of the North Garrison and Mike the First Fortress. When Washizu informs his wife, Asaji (Isuzu Yamada), about all that has happened she urges him to assassinate Tsuzuki, fearing that if he gets word of the prophecy he will no doubt have him put to death. He dismisses this idea until he gets word sometime later that Tsuzuki has strategically placed some of his soldiers outside the castle to deal with this. Fearing for his life, Washizu kills Lord Tsuzuki. After this happens, Tsuzuki's son, Kuhimaru (Hiroshi Tachikawa), warns Miki about Washizu, but the bond between the two friends is strong enough that Miki doesn't want to believe what has happened. Now in command of the castle, Washizu plans to officially announce that Miki's son is his official heir… until he finds out that Asaji is pregnant with his own child.

Throne Of Blood offers up all of the epic set pieces you'd expect from a Kurosawa/Mifune samurai film but the emphasis here is just as much on mood, tone and atmosphere as it is on action and swordplay. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous, it captures the sets and locations where all of the drama unfolds perfectly. The Noh influences give the film a distinctly Japanese look and seeing the director weave a cinematic tapestry out of his Shakespearean source material through those influences is nothing short of amazing. The costume work is equally impressive, showing strong attention to period detail not just in the battle scenes (where scores of armored samurai prepare for war) but also in the quieter, more dramatic moments. The film also tends to stay close to its roots, in that a lot of the camerawork is static, giving us the feeling of a stage play during these moments.

The primary castle location is also really well captured here. We get a great sense as to the size of the place but once the intrigue and deception start up, the interior of this massive structure start to somehow feel very claustrophobic. Also noteworthy is the scene that takes place in the forest where our two samurai friends encounter the spirit. This segment is as eerie and ominous as anything you're likely to see, and Kurosawa takes us pretty much straight on into horror movie territory for a little while here. Masaru Sato's score compliments all of this perfectly.

As visually impressive and rich in tone as the film is, the real stand out here is the lead performance from Toshiro Mifune. Always known for delivering top notch work, here we see an actor with such commitment and with such a natural intensity to his performance that it's impossible not to get pulled into his plight. Here Mifune shows amazing range, communicating everything from pain to pleasure to hubris to regret with a conviction that is as admirable and impressive as anything he did before or after. This is truly one of his best roles, and the fact that he's surrounded by such a talented supporting cast only helps the film.

Video:

Throne Of Blood arrives on Blu-ray in an excellent 1.33.1 AVC encoded 1080p anamorphic widescreen transfer. The black and white image is incredibly crisp and shows far more detail than was present on the previous standard definition releases that Criterion has released over the years. Clarity is striking while contrast looks to be set properly. Fine detail and texture is always strong, you'll really notice it in the facial close ups where you can make out every little hair and all of the grit on the cast members faces. There aren't any problems with mpeg compression artifacts or edge enhancement and while a welcome and natural looking amount of grain is evident throughout, there are only the mildest instances of print damage to note. There are a few instances where you might notice a bit of flickering but Kurosawa fans can rest assured that this is a big step up from the standard definition releases and a completely worthwhile upgrade in the visuals department.