Tokyo Twilight

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda, Tokyo Twilight is the story of two sisters who reunite with their mother after she had abandoned them when they were children as they both deal with their own lives. The film is a look into the life of a family as they cope with this sudden reunion as well as changes in their lives. Starring Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishu Ryu, Isuzu Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, Nobuo Nakamura, and Haruko Sugimura. Tokyo Twilight is an evocative and touching film from Yasujiro Ozu.

The film follows the life of a banker in Tokyo who has two adult daughters as the eldest had just moved in with him with her two-year-old daughter due to her unhappy marriage where she and her younger sister learn that their mother has returned to Tokyo having been presumed dead for years. It’s a family drama that explores a family life that goes into chaos though there are several things the two women in the family are both dealing with as the eldest sister in Takako (Setsuko Hara) is taking care of things at her father’s home while her father Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) continues to work at the bank as he is dealing with the death of a colleague. The script by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda also explores the private pain that Takako’s younger sister Akiko (Ineko Arima) is dealing with as she is pregnant as her college boyfriend Kenji (Masami Taura) wants nothing to do with her.

During a search to find Kenji, she goes to a mahjong parlor that is run by a woman name Kisako (Isuzu Yamada) where she claims to know Akiko as she doesn’t tell her that she’s her mother. When Shukichi and Takako invite Shukichi’s sister Shigeko (Haruko Sugimura) that she saw Kisako as Takako learned about what Akiko had been doing though she is unaware of Akiko’s pregnancy. The screenplay would show this meeting between Takako and Kisako as it is filled with tension with the former displaying some resentment over what Kisako had done. Yet, it would set the stage for the emotional journey that Akiko would endure not just her own pregnancy but also revelations about the woman at the mahjong parlor she met.

Ozu’s direction is understated as well as being simple in terms of the compositions he creates and the need to delve into anything stylistic. Shot on location in Tokyo, Ozu would devoid himself of camera movements for the film including no tracking shots or anything of movement. Instead, he just aims a simple static shot to play into the image that he presents where he would use some wide shots for some of the locations in and around Tokyo. Yet, much of what Ozu shoots is with medium shots for much of the film as there’s very little close-ups in order to capture the intimacy and interaction between the characters. Much of is to not dwell too much into the melodrama as it would increase by the film’s third act as it relates to the Takako, Akiko, and Kisako. Ozu would maintain his simple approach to visuals as well as know where to create some offbeat shifts in the story that would seem abrupt but also play into the drama. Especially into what would happen as Ozu is aware of the bleakness that is prevalent in the story but is also aware that life has to continue. Overall, Ozu crafts an intoxicating yet tender film about two women dealing with the re-emergence of their estranged mother.

Cinematographer Yuhara Atsuda does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography to capture the beauty of some of the daytime exteriors in Tokyo as well as use some lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Yoshiyasu Hamamura does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with very little elements of style for something more direct. Art director Tatsuo Hamada does fantastic work with the look of the home of Shukichi as well as the mahjong parlor that Kisako runs. The sound work of Yoshisaburo Senoo is terrific for being very simple and natural without the need to embellish as it very understated and to-the-point. The film’s music by Takanobu Saito is amazing for its orchestral-based score that feature some somber string arrangements to play into the drama while the music also feature some traditional Japanese music and contemporary music played on location.

The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Seiji Miyaguchi as a police officer, Kamatari Fujiwara as a noodle shop owner who lets Akiko drink at his restaurant during the third act, Kinzo Shin as Takako’s estranged husband who visits Shukichi early in the film, Nobuo Nakamura as Kisako’s new husband Sakae Soma, Masami Taura as Akiko’s cruel college boyfriend Kenji, and Haruko Sugimura in a wonderful performance as Shukichi’s sister Shigeko who would tell her brother and niece in her encounter with Kisako. Isuzu Yamada is fantastic as Kisako as Shukichi’s estranged ex-wife Kisako as a woman who has re-emerged in Tokyo with a new life as she recognizes Akiko though doesn’t tell her who she really is as it’s an understated performance that shows a woman trying to start over.

Chishu Ryu is excellent as Shukichi as a banker who is dealing with the death of his family as well as Akiko’s late arrivals at his home wondering what is happening with his family. Ineko Arima is brilliant as Akiko as a young woman trying to deal with an unwanted pregnancy and a troubled relationship with her boyfriend as well as the revelation about the woman she met at a mahjong parlor. Finally, there’s Setsuko Hara in a radiant performance as Takako as a woman who is separated from her husband as she’s trying to run her father’s house and take care of her two-year old daughter while learning about the re-appearance of her mother as she tries to make sure Akiko doesn’t get herself into any trouble as well as getting her mother to not see Akiko ever again.

Tokyo Twilight is an incredible film from Yasujiro Ozu. Featuring a great cast, a compelling story, evocative visuals, and a somber music score, the film is definitely one of Ozu’s finest films in its exploration of family and middle-class life. Especially as it play into two women dealing with the unexpected return of their estranged mother whom they had believed had died. In the end, Tokyo Twilight is a sensational film from Yasujiro Ozu.

Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) – (Days of Youth) – Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) – Passing Fancy – (A Mother Should Be Loved) – A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) – (The Only Son) – (What Did the Lady Forget?) – (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) – (There Was a Father) – Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) – Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) – Tokyo Story - Early Spring - (Equinox Flower) – Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer – An Autumn Afternoon

© thevoid99 2017

Osaka Elegy

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and screenplay by Yoshikata Yoda from a story by Mizoguchi, Osaka Elegy is the story of a switchboard operator who finds herself in a troubling relationship with her boss while struggling to support her father. The film is an exploration into the life of a woman who feels compromised by her life as she seeks to find some form of identity. Starring Isuzu Yamada, Seiichi Takegawa, Chiyoko Okura, and Takashi Shimura. Osaka Elegy is a harrowing drama from Kenji Mizoguchi.

The film is the story about a woman who falls from grace as she works for a pharmaceutical company where she reluctantly becomes her boss’ mistress and later go into prostitution where she would disgrace her family including her debt-ridden father (Seiichi Takegawa). While it’s a plot that is quite simple, it takes its time to play into the fall of Ayako Murai (Isuzu Yamada) who is a switchboard operator trying to do her best as she needed money to help clear her father’s debt but it would come at a terrible price. Notably as she becomes compromised by her boss Mr. Asai (Yoko Umemura) who forces her to become his mistress. The script would showcase Ayako in this state of compromised as she later finds herself dealing with Asai’s wife (Benkei Shiganoya) and later become a prostitute when she realize she needs money. Even as she’s found a good prospect in a former co-worker in Nishimura (Kensaku Hara) but the truth about what she’s doing would add to her fall from grace.

Kenji Mizoguchi’s direction is very straightforward while he does infuse the film with some style such as long takes and some gazing tracking shots to play out the drama. Notably as it would play into the de-evolution of Ayako as this simple switchboard operator who feels slighted by her father and later her older brother Hiroshi (Shinpachiro Asaka) who needed money to pay for his tuition. Mizoguchi creates shots to showcase a world where women don’t feel up to measures with men. Especially as these men are selfish and at times, very foolish with an exception of sorts in Dr. Yoko (Kunio Tamura) who tries to help everyone. Still, Mizoguchi plays into the plight of Ayako where she goes from being an unhappy, compromised mistress into the world of prostitution as she becomes disgraced. Even as what happens to her isn’t entirely her fault where it plays into the cruelty men would do to a woman including the people in her own family. Overall, Mizoguchi creates a very haunting yet exhilarating film of a woman’s fall from grace.

Cinematographer Minoru Miki does excellent work with the black-and-white photography to capture the stark look of Osaka as well as the theaters and places that Ayako goes to in her journey. Editor Tatsuko Sakane does amazing work with the editing by maintaining a straightforward approach to the drama while using fade-outs to flesh out the structure. The sound work of Hisashi Kase and Yasumi Mizuguchi is terrific for capturing the atmosphere of the varied locations in the film including the intimate moments between its characters. The film’s music by Koichi Takagi is fantastic for its orchestral-based score to play up the melodrama that occurs in the film as well as to emphasize Ayako’s plight.

The film’s brilliant cast includes some small yet notable appearances from Takashi Shimura as a police investigator late in the film, Eitaro Shindo as an associate of Mr. Asai who tries to get Ayako to become his mistress, Kinuyo Tamura as the very kind yet comical Dr. Yoko, Benkei Shiganoya as Mr. Asai’s suspicious yet modern wife, and Shinpachiro Asaka as Ayako’s older brother Hiroshi. Kensaku Hara is terrific as Ayako’s co-worker Nishimura who tries to woo her only to get himself in trouble while Seiichii Takekawa is excellent as Ayako’s cruel yet debt-ridden father.

Chiyoko Okura is amazing as Ayako’s younger sister Sachiko who tries to get Ayako to return home and do right only to feel shamed by her. Yoko Umemura is great as the cruel and conniving Mr. Asai who manipulates Ayako into becoming his mistress as he ends up getting into trouble. Finally, there’s Isuzu Yamada in a radiant performance as Ayako as a young woman doing whatever she can to help her family but lose her self-respect as well as her identity in a very entrancing performance.

Osaka Elegy is a wonderful film from Kenji Mizoguchi that features an incredible leading performance from Isuzu Yamada. The film is definitely one of the most poignant yet harrowing tales of a woman being forced to make compromises on herself for others. In the end, Osaka Elegy is a marvelous film from Kenji Mizoguchi.

Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Ozen) - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - The Life of Oharu - Ugetsu - (A Geisha) - Sansho the Bailiff - (The Woman in the Rumor) - The Crucified Lovers - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)

© thevoid99 2013

Yojimbo

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/2/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa and written by Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima, Yojimbo is the story of a samurai who finds himself in the middle of a gang war between crime lords as he gets involved in hopes they kill each other off. The film has Kurosawa taking elements of the Western as it set in 19th Century Japan just as guns were introduced as the days of the samurai were finished forcing them to fend for themselves. Playing the lead role of Kuwabatake Sanjuro is longtime Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune as the film also stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, and Isuzu Yamada. Yojimbo is a phenomenal and adventurous film from Akira Kurosawa.

Walking into a village is a samurai warrior named Kuwabatake Sanjuro who overhears a farmer and his son arguing about the means to survive as the son wants to join one of the gangs in a gang war. After meeting the officer Hansuke (Ikio Sawamura) who suggests to Sanjuro to join one of the gangs, Sanjuro goes to a tavern where he meets the tavern keeper Gonjin (Eijiro Tono) who reveals to Sanjuro about the ongoing feud over control issues between a boss named Seibei (Seizaburo Kawazu) and his right-hand man Ushi-tora (Kyu Sazanka). Each men have different sponsors as Seibei is supported by a silk shop while Ushi-tora gets support from the sake brewer Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) leading to an all-out war. Realizing the troubling situation, Sanjuro tells Gonjin that he'll play on both sides so both gangs could kill each other off.

After killing a few of Ushi-tora's men to get Seibei's attention, Seibei's wife Orin (Isuzu Yamada) and her son Yoichiro (Hiroshi Tachikawa) suggest to pay him an advance and later kill him. However, Sanjuro hears them as the battle between Seibei and Ushi-tora is halted when Sanjuro changes his mind once an official investigator shows up forcing the feud to be halted. After the investigator leaves to go to another town about a murder, Sanjuro thinks something is up after overhearing Ushi-tora's men having a drunken conversation as he captures them for Seibei while revealing to Ushi-tora about what he knows. Ushi-tora's brother Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives to up the ante as he captures Yoichiro while revealing to hold a pistol as an exchange for Ushi-tora's men went bad as he reveals to also have Tokuemon's mistress forcing Sanjuro to join Ushi-tora's gang after learning about the woman.

After tricking Ushi-tora's brother Inokichi (Daisuke Kato), Sanjuro frees the mistress telling her to flee with her husband and child with the money he's received. With this incident, Sanjuro watches the feud get more intense until Unosuke realizes what Sanjuro is doing as he captures him. Though Sanjuro was able to escape barely with Gonjin's help by taking him to a shelter. Sanjuro realizes what must be done in order to end a bloody war that is tearing a small town apart.

While the film visually and stylistically is inspired by American westerns, notably the films of John Ford. The film is also inspired by the novel Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett about a gangster who plays both ways in the middle of a gang war. The script by Kurosawa and co-writer Ryuzo Kikushima is really about a study of a man with no moral justification or motivation rather than just kill for money and food. While the character of Sanjuro does have a few moments of morality including helping out a family in one important scene. He remains a loner and an observer who tries to figure out how to find peace in a little town ravaged by war. While Sanjuro may seem to be a very skilled, tough samurai, he's really a man who has to use his wits to play a game. The result is a great study of character who is trying to find his role for any kind of gain.

Kurosawa's direction is more stylish than any of his previous films, notably in the way he pays homage to the American western and John Ford. Particularly the way he sets up his shots in a way that is very stylized. With the use of the widescreen presentation that he started to use since The Hidden Fortress, Kurosawa manages to get more of what he wants in his presentation. Not only does he go for close-ups to observe the behavior of the characters but also the atmosphere they're surrounded by. With Kurosawa also serving as editor, he brings a nice, stylized pacing to the film that builds up on its momentum while it doesn't move too slow or too fast. Yet, the direction and editing also captures the intensity of battle with notable uses of the side-wipe transitions to shift scenes. The result overall is Kurosawa delving into style while bringing excitement and tension to the film as the direction is extremely masterful.

Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, who also shot Rashomon, does some amazing work in the black-and-white photography to capture the tension and intimacy of some of the interior locations while a lot of the nighttime sequences are done with amazing style of shading lights and texture to convey the eerie tone of those scenes. Miyagawa's work is brilliant for its emphasis on the wide-scope that is true to the American western genre. Production/costume designer Yoshiro Muraki does great work in creating the look of the costumes that is true to 19th Century Japan while the look of the homes is great to show the differing worlds of the bosses where Seibei's place is a brothel and Ushi-tora's is more about sake. Sound recordist Choshichiro Mikami does excellent work in capturing the film's tense atmosphere of wind and rain to emphasize the tone of the western. Music composer Masaru Sato brings an amazing film score that is intense and unconventional with its mix of traditional, percussive Japanese music with a mix of dense saxophones and instruments to add the element of the western throughout the entire film.

The film's cast is truly superb with small performances from the likes of Namigoro Rashomon as Ushi-tora's giant, Ikio Sawamura as the cowardice officer Hansuke, Atsushi Watanabe as the cooper who reluctantly helps Sanjuro in the film's final moments, Kamatari Fujiwara as the silk-making owner Tazaemon, Yoko Tsukasa as Tokuemon's mistress Nui, Yoshio Tsuchiya as Nui's husband Kohei, Yosuke Natsuki as Kohei's son, Susumu Fujita as Seibei's samurai instructor Homma, and Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura in a small role as the sake brewer Tokuemon. Throne of Blood star Isuzu Yamada is great as the greedy wife of Seibei who demands control while Hiroshi Tachikawa is good as Seibei's cowardice son. Seizaburo Kawazu is great as the experienced Seibei, a boss who is trying to vy for control while Kyu Sazanka is also great as Ushi-tora, the rival boss who has a gift for strategy.

Kurosawa regular Daisuke Kato is great as the dim-witted Inokichi, who is memorable for his round, ugly face while often being fooled by all as he brings some great comic relief for the entire film. Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant as the pistol-wielding Unosuke who is in some ways, Sanjuro's intellectual equal as he tries to figure out his plans while being a cold-blooded killer who cheats with his pistol. Eijiro Tono is amazing as Gonjin, the tavern keeper who, like Sanjuro, is an observer who tries to figure out what Sanjuro is planning. Unlike Sanjuro, he's a man of morals and in some ways, is the film's conscience as he doesn't try to get involved yet is amazed at his brilliance in playing double.

Toshiro Mifune, a longtime regular of Kurosawa, is equally as powerful and brilliant in his performance as Sanjuro. In previous performances, Mifune often has to play some kind of maniacal character in films like Rashomon, The Seven Samurai, and Throne of Blood. In this film, Mifune is more stoic and subtle in his performance as he doesn’t do any kind of over-power drama. Instead, he is restrained as he tries to figure out what to do while in the more action-like sequences, his intensity is just unstoppable. Mifune's performance is just amazing to watch as he takes his own spin on the western protagonist by being the anti-hero. One with no moral justification and yet, he isn't the traditional hero as well.

Yojimbo is an exhilarating yet thrilling film from Akira Kurosawa that features an incredible performance from Toshiro Mifune. The film is definitely among one of Kurosawa's best films as well as a great introduction to anyone new to Kurosawa. Fans of westerns will no doubt see this film as a unique interpretation of the genre that would influence a great remake in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars. In the end, Yojimbo is an outstanding film from Akira Kurosawa.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

Related: A Fistful of Dollars - (Last Man Standing (1995 film))

© thevoid99 2012

Throne of Blood

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/25/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Throne of Blood is the story of an ambitious lord who tries to fulfill a prophecy to become emperor with the aid of his power-hungry wife only to be haunted by a murdered lord. Directed by Akira Kurosawa and screenplay by Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, and Shinobu Hashimoto, the film has Kurosawa taking Shakespeare's tale of ambition by setting it in medieval Japan and giving the story a looser feel. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, and Isuzu Yamada. Throne of Blood is an eerie and provocative film from Akira Kurosawa.

It's civil war in medieval Japan as Lord Tsuzuki (Hiroshi Tachikawa) is in danger of losing his position as three of his fortresses have been attacked by his adversary Inui. His longtime general Noriyasu (Takashi Shimura) suggests a strategy must be made to combat Inui's forces. Suddenly, news arrived that Taketori Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and Yoshiaki Miki (Minoru Chiaki) have just defeated Inui's forces into retreat protecting two of the remaining fortresses. Word arrives to the two war commanders as they travel to the treacherous forest known as Spider’s Web Forest where they encounter a mysterious spirit (Chieko Naniwa) who tells them of a prophecy. The prophecy revealed that Washizu would become lord of a territory while Miki would become the new commander of the main fortress with his son (Akira Kubo) destined to become emperor.

When they arrive at Spider's Web Castle where their emperor lived, they're granted new titles that was foretold in the prophecy. While Washizu seems content with his new role, his ambitious wife Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) wants more believing that the prophecy is about Washizu more than Miki. Asaji's persuasions suddenly confuse Washizu when Lord Tsuzuki arrives at his place to stay while Miki runs Spider Web's castle believing that Inui will attack. Asaji convinces Washizu to murder the lord in order to fulfill his destiny while putting the blame on Noriyasu's men. Washizu does the deed with a lot of guilt as sides become divided with Noriyasu and the prince (Takamaru Sasaki) are convinced that Washizu killed Tsuzuki as they turn to Inui for help. Arriving at the castle, Washizu brings the coffin of Tsuzuki as Asaji tells him she's pregnant with child hoping to destroy Miki's prophecy of his son becoming emperor.

Miki, who has been Washizu's friend since childhood, becomes suspicious as a ceremony for Washizu’s coronation as the new emperor becomes troubled when Miki doesn't show up and Washizu keeps seeing a ghost. When Miki's son learns what happened and the fate of his father, he joins up with Noriyasu and the prince to fight against Washizu. Suddenly, Washizu's ambitions get the best of him when he meets the spirit again where another prophecy concerning his fate is told. With his wife now in trouble, Washizu is filled with guilt and paranoia over his actions as he meets his own fate.

Shakespeare's tale of lies, deceit, and ambition in Macbeth is indeed provocative in how a woman's ambitions distorts the mind of her husband whose fates would end in tragedy. For Kurosawa, he strips down some of Shakespeare's sense of psychology and its political tones from the play and translate it to the traditional, Japanese theatrical style known as Noh. The result is a theatrical drama that plays true to both Noh and Shakespeare as the film is really about a general whose own ideals are distorted by the ambitions of his wife and his own betrayal of himself. The film is definitely about character and its development through ambition. The script that was written by Kurosawa and his team of writers, the story is a meditative and provocative in its study of ambition as it stays faithful to Shakespeare's original play while bringing a new interpretation to the story.

Kurosawa's potent, solid direction is strong for its theatricality and emphasis to the Noh style of Japanese plays. While Kurosawa brings a huge scope to some of the film’s exterior, battle sequences. His interior settings are intimate to convey the theatrical tone of the film. More importantly, the staging and compositions of Kurosawa is eerie while some of the sequences involving the spirit is very haunting that is true to Shakespeare's original play. Notably the opening song that also closes the film that would foretold what was to come. Even the film's dramatic ending is filled with intensity as it plays to the mind of Washizu who starts off as this calm, innocent man to a power-hungry fool. With Kurosawa bringing some of his unique editing style of side-wipes and intense cuts to convey the film's drama. The result features Kurosawa at his most solid and ambitious without being over-the-top.

Cinematographer Asakazu Nakai brings some amazing black-and-white photography that included some wonderful shading and blinding lights for some of the film's forest, exterior sequences. Nakai's cinematography also captures some of the manic world of battle that includes a great depth of field to convey the danger that does on. The film's final sequence is wonderfully shot with its dark, grey look and the camera capturing the action. Nakai's work is truly superb in every frame.

Production/costume designer Yoshiro Muraki does some great work in creating traditional, Japanese housing as well as Spider's Web Castle that looks very dark. Muraki's costumes also play true to the Noh theatrical style that included makeup and robes that plays to the film's homage to Noh theater. Sound effects editor Ichiro Minawa and recordist Fumio Yanoguchi do some brilliant work on the film's atmosphere, notably one scene that involved Asaji's shoes screeching in the aftermath of Lord Tsuzuki's death. Music composer Masaru Sato creates an intense score of traditional, Japanese music with orchestral music to emphasize the film's drama and action-like sequence.

The film's cast is brilliant featuring cameos from two Kurosawa regulars from The Seven Samurai like Seiji Miyaguchi and Isao Kimura as phantom samurai warriors. Smaller performances from Chieko Naniwa as the old spirit, Akira Kubo as Miki's son, Takamaru Sasaki as the prince, and Hiroshi Tachikawa as the emperor are brilliant for their small performances. Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura as Noriyasu is excellent despite a small role as a general who understands strategy while knowing the truth about his emperor while trying to find ways to attack Washizu. Minoru Chiaki is great as Miki, a general who seems to understand things more than anyone in the entire film while being Washizu's only friend only to see him be corrupted. Isuzu Yamada is brilliant as the manipulative Asaji. Yamada’s performance is very restrained and subtle while managing to have a presence that is discomforting as well as maniacal. Her performance is worth noting for being a rare female persona, notably an antagonist who was willing to pull the strings for her own gain.

Toshiro Mifune is amazing in the role of Washizu. Mifune's performance is less comical than some of his previous work as it shows his dramatic range. Early in the film, he is likeable, content, and respective. Mifune's performance by then is relaxed and subtle but once he develops with the story. He becomes more engaging, paranoid, and aggressive as he starts to become this ambitious ruler who has lost sight of himself. Mifune's performance is amazing in every frame and scene he's in. It's no wonder he is regarded as one of Kurosawa's greatest actors.

Throne of Blood is a sprawling yet entrancing film from Akira Kurosawa and company. With great performances from Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, and Isuzu Yamada, it's a great introduction to Noh theater as well as one of Kurosawa's essential films. Fans of William Shakespeare will no doubt enjoy Kurosawa's interpretation of Macbeth and his devotion to Shakespearean drama. For anyone who loves both Kurosawa and Shakespeare and see the mix will no doubt enjoy Throne of Blood.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012