Throne of Blood (1957)

Throne of Blood Japanese movie poster

Throne of Blood is a Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa and based on William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Movie info

Original title
蜘蛛巣城
Transliterated title
Kumonosu-jō
Release date
January 15, 1957
Directed by
Akira Kurosawa
Distributed by
Toho
  • Akira Kurosawa: The Samurai Collection - UK DVD Box

    Region 2 PAL DVD (English subtitles)

    Label: BFI (UK)
    Out: Jun 7, 2010
    Buy:
+ Show DVD & Blu-ray releases

Plot

Sometime in the 1400s, a pair of powerful warlords named Miki and Washizu successfully turn certain defeat into victory with their stunning prowess in battle. On the way back to the castle, they get lost in the maze-like forest that they should know like the back of their hands, eventually meeting a strange witch who presents them with a set of unlikely prophecies.

First: Washizu will become the new Lord of the North Garrison before eventually becoming sovereign of Spiderweb Castle. As for Miki, he will be transferred to Washizu’s former post as commander of the First Fortress. This seems like a lateral move, but he’s also told that his son will eventually become ruler of Spiderweb Castle. The two men laugh of these predictions, but when the first two appointments prove to be true, Washizu’s paranoia—exacerbated by his wife, Lady Asaji—lead him down a road of treachery and murder that will surely be his undoing.

Featured Cast

Actor Role
Toshiro Mifune Toshiro Mifune Washizu Taketoki
Isuzu Yamada Isuzu Yamada Lady Washizu Asaji
Takashi Shimura Takashi Shimura Odagura Noriyasu
Akira Kubo Akira Kubo Miki Yoshiteru
No photo available Hiroshi Tachikawa Tsuzuki Kunimaru
Minoru Chiaki Minoru Chiaki Miki Yoshiaki
No photo available Takamaru Sasaki Tsuzuki Kuniharu
No photo available Gen Shimizu
Kokuten Kodo Kokuten Kodo military commander
Kichijiro Ueda Kichijiro Ueda Washizu's workman
No photo available Eiko Miyoshi old woman at castle
No photo available Chieko Naniwa old ghost woman
No photo available Nakajiro Tomita second military commander
Yu Fujiki Yu Fujiki Washizu samurai
Sachio Sakai Sachio Sakai Washizu samurai
No photo available Shin Otomo Washizu samurai
yoshio-tsuchiya Yoshio Tsuchiya Washizu samurai
No photo available Yoshio Inaba third military commander
No photo available Takeo Oikawa Miki party member
Akira Tani Akira Tani Washizu soldier
Ikio Sawamura Ikio Sawamura Washizu soldier
No photo available Yutaka Sada Washizu samurai
No photo available Seijiro Onda second Miki party member
No photo available Shinpei Takagi commander
No photo available Masao Masuda commander
No photo available Mitsuo Asano
No photo available Akifumi Inoue servant
Asao Koike Asao Koike
takeshi-kato Takeshi Kato guard killed by Washizu
No photo available Hitoshi Takagi Tsuzuki guard
No photo available Michiya Higuchi Tsuki guard
No photo available Senkichi Omura Washizu samurai
No photo available Kyoro Sakurai servant
No photo available Shiro Tsuchiya commander
No photo available Takaeo Matsushita commander
No photo available Jun Otomo commander
No photo available Kamayuki Tsubono servant
No photo available Fuminori Ohashi samurai
No photo available Isao Kimura phantom samurai
Seiji Miyaguchi Seiji Miyaguchi phantom samurai
Nobuo Nakamura Nobuo Nakamura phantom samurai

Latest news

  • Throne of Blood Japanese movie poster

    Review: Throne of Blood

    In 1956, director Akira Kurosawa started work on Throne of Blood, his own Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. In keeping with the original stage feel of the play, Kurosawa presented...

    7 years ago

Videos

  • throne-of-blood-trailer 3:43

    Trailer (English subtitles)

    Added 7 years ago

Comments

Last Updated 09 May 2014 at 18:41