“Throne of Blood” is essentially “Macbeth” directly translated into Japanese and then re-translated into English with subtitles, which probably accounts for why it’s such a good adaptation, naturally losing the archaic language and iambic pentameter of Shakespeare’s original without succumbing to the goofiness that occurs when attempts at an update are made.
There’s an element to the end, that I don’t remember in “Macbeth” that reminds me of “Ozymandias,” namely the notice saying “here lies the ruins of spiderweb castle.” This, in my opinion opinion provides another layer of richness to the film, bringing by implication the same things that “Ozymandias” invokes. Namely, the way time and years erase even the greatest of men. The meaningless in the end of the pursuit of great power and greatness itself, to be ultimately forgotten and have your great monuments lie in ruin.
That may just be me however, and it may be in the original Macbeth as well. I haven’t read it since high school. I must make time to re-read Shakespeare and perhaps even catch some productions, though the thought of watching any actor’s performance of Hamlet fills me with nausea despite the fact that I do hold that play in deep regard. Anyway, how much I liked this due to Kurosawa, and how much I liked it due to Shakespeare, I can’t say. The scene with the arrows at the end is remarkable. Grade A.
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