Written in November 2009 Wrote this after studying Japanese cinema and traditional theater.  WARNING: Possible spoilers for the film!

Throne of Blood Unmasked: Shakespeare Transposed for Noh Theatre and Japan

Critics commonly describe Throne of Blood as Kurosawa Akira’s adaptation of Macbeth. While this description is certainly not untrue, it hardly begins to suggest the ways in which the film is so much more than a literary adaptation. When viewed objectively, the film resembles the Shakespearean theatrical play very little. Stripped of all of its dramatic dialogue and soliloquies, Kurosawa compresses Macbeth, and replaces its elegant words with sound, stylized movements, atmosphere, and imagery of the Noh theatre. By incorporating elements of the classical Noh theatre into Throne of Blood, Kurosawa transforms the Macbeth story into something undeniably Japanese and also cinematic. Continue reading PAPER: Throne of Blood Unmasked →