SUB SECTIONS

DVD QUICK LINKS

MY ACCOUNT

SITE MATTERS


Throne of Blood - Criterion Collection DVD

Unrated :: Criterion :: Released: 2003-05-27

zoom box image

$30.96USD In Stock
$27.99 In Stock
Amazon Marketplace New:$24.23 34 Available
Amazon Marketplace Low:$19.94 14 Available
Buy.com:$27.98 In Stock
CD Universe:$31.25 In Stock
Deep Discount DVD:$27.89 In Stock
DVD Boxoffice:$38.45 In Stock, Ships in 1 to 5 days
Rent Throne of Blood - Criterion... at BLOCKBUSTER (USA)
Rent Throne of Blood - Criterion... with Zip.ca (Canada)


Throne of Blood - Criterion Collection Summary One Of The Most Celebrated Screen Adaptations Of Shakespeare Into Film, Akira Kurosawa’s throne Of Blood Re-imagines macbeth In Feudal Japan. Starring Kurosawa’s Longtime Collaborator Toshiro Mifune And The Legendary Isuzu Yamada As His Ruthless Wife, The Film Tells Of A Valiant Warrior’s Savage Rise To Power And His Ignominious Fall. With throne Of Blood, Kurosawa Fuses One Of Shakespeare’s Greatest Tragedies With The Formal Elements Of Japanese Noh Theater To Make A macbeth That Is All His Own—a Classic Tale Of Ambition And Duplicity Set Against A Ghostly Landscape Of Fog And Inescapable Doom.

A champion of illumination and experimental shading, Kurosawa brings his unerring eye for indelible images to Shakespeare in this 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. By changing the locale from Birnam Wood to 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa makes an oddball argument for the trans-historicity of Shakespeare's narrative; and indeed, stripped to the bare mechanics of the plot, the tale of cutthroat ambition rewarded (and thwarted) feels infinitely adaptable. What's lost in the translation, of course, is the force and beauty of the language--much of the script of Throne of Blood is maddeningly repetitive or superfluous--but striking visual images (including the surreal Cobweb Forest and some extremely artful gore) replace the sublime poetry. Toshiro Mifune is theatrically intense as Washizu, the samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility; he portrays the ill-fated warrior with a passion bordering on violence, and a barely concealed conviviality. Somewhat less successful is Isuzu Yamada as Washizu's scheming wife; her poise and creepy impassivity, chilling at first, soon grows tedious. Kurosawa himself is the star of the show, though, and his masterful use of black-and-white contrast-- not to mention his steady, dramatic hand with a battle scene--keeps the proceedings thrilling. A must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, as well as all you devotees of samurai weapons and armor. --Miles Bethany
Throne of Blood [Criterion Collection] DVD Techincal Details Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Akira Kubo
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Rated: Unrated
Running Time: 110 mins
UPC: 037429175828
Binding: DVD
Studio: Criterion
Release Date: 2003-05-27
Region Code: 1
Specs: Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC

Language & Subtitles Japanese (Original Language - Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Subtitled),
You may be interested in..