Throne of Blood

Kurosawa's adaptation of Macbeth is voted about one of the best Macbeth's put to screen even though it has little to do with the script. This is due to its retelling as a tale from Feudal Japan and its influence of Noh theater, which ties together the retelling of the play to theater and Japan. The best examples of the influence of Noh is the static expression on Isuzu Yamada face for the majority of the film, and the brilliant whites of the fog and the spirit that represents the three witches in the original MacBeth. The ominous white fog truly ties in the use of superstitions that allows most of this to play out stunningly.

Lady Asaji's pushing of Taketori ties to the play along with the scene of Taketori Washizu murdering the king taking place off stage and Lady Asaji framing the guards are the same from the play, tying it again to the orignal tale. Asaji's mental breakdown, where her face actually moves, shows the guilt still present, the blood still on both her and her husband's hands.

The idea of self-fofilling prophecy is eminent though this, where each man does his part to make the spirits prophecy come true!!! The trees rising up to attack Taketori is the final straw, what makes his men turn on him, giving one of the greatest, most over the top death scenes ever, where Taketori ends up like a porcupine, the coup de grace being the arrow threw his neck, where he so nicely turns so we can see it going all the way threw his neck, then falling down the stairs, staring ominously at his army that turned on him, finally falling into the fog and dying like prophecy foretold, that when the trees rosed up, he would be defeated.

The last scene of us seeing the soldiers behind the tree was brilliant, a way to shake away the belief of suspicion to the audience, where while we are to remember the story, but also the follies of Taketori!!