Throne of Blood, by Robert N. Watson, reviewed

Published: 01-10-2020, review of Throne of Blood, by Robert N. Watson, available from Bloomsbury here.

Throne of Blood (1957), Akira Kurosawa’s reworking of Macbeth, is widely considered the greatest film adaptation of Shakespeare ever made.

In a detailed account of the film, Robert N. Watson explores how Kurosawa draws key philosophical and psychological arguments from Shakespeare, translates them into striking visual metaphors, and inflects them through the history of post-World War II Japan. Watson places particular emphasis on the contexts that underlie the film’s central tension between individual aspiration and the stability of broader social and ecological collectives – and therefore between free will and determinism.

In his foreword to this new edition, Robert Watson considers the central characters’ Washizu and his wife Asaji’s blunder in viewing life as a ruthless competition in which only the most brutal can thrive in the context of an era of neoliberal economics, resurgent ‘strongman’ political leaders, and myopic views of the environmental crisis, with nothing valued that cannot be monetized.

Throne of Blood, by Robert N. Watson, reviewed

Kurosawa is both a great Japanese director and an interesting example of the endless cultural exchanges that continue working their way out across time and geography. For many of us our first exposure would have been indirectly via the Magnificent Seven movies, initially with Yul Bryner and a great cast of supporting heroes. If you liked those, then the cooler older brothers or fathers (thanks) would then sagely nod and say yeah but they are only a remake of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.

They would be absolutely right, but, unlike say Kurosawa’s contemporary Ozu who delivered much more Japanese focussed stories (which are great in their own way too) Kurosawa was more aware and influenced by the legacy of US film and Western literature. As mentioned in the blurb notes above, Throne of Blood is simply Macbeth relocated to feudal Japan. The movie loses nothing by doing this, and in many ways gains a lot. Some consider this to be one of the best interpretations of Shakespear in film, though if you wanted to add Romeo+Juliet into the mix we wouldn’t argue with you (and Robbie the Robot was a fun effort too).

This book works well for drawing in these bigger picture musings, and if it helps to introduce Kurosawa to a new audience then it has served it’s purpose. The first time we watched Hidden Fortress, the similarities with a mega American 70s sci-fi blockbuster immediately became obvious. Highlighting an integral part Kurosawa has played in both world cinema and also inspiring the US film industry. Ran and Kagemusha are also stunning visual classics that surely influenced and inspired the subsequent epics of  Zhang Yimou too.

The books in this series are short but fun, provocative, and thoughtful. This one sits well within this premise and is well worth checking out, as well as the many and varied films of Kurosawa.

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