Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 23, 2013

Nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, Akira Kurosawa's "Kumonosu-jo" a.k.a "Throne of Blood" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on disc include an original Japanese trailer for the film; audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Michael Jeck; and documentary on the making of the film. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film historian Stephen Prince. In Japanese, with two sets of optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

"Fire ravages the Fourth and Fifth Fortresses..."

After a long battle, the fearless samurai Washizu (Toshiro Mifune, Rashômon, High and Low) and Miki (Akira Kubo, Sanjuro) are on their way to Lord Tsuzuki’s castle. In a dark forest, they meet an evil spirit who has taken over the body of an elderly woman (Chieko Naniwa, Sansho the Bailiff). The spirit prophesizes that Washizu will become commander of the North Garrison and then the mighty Sovereign of Spider’s Web Castle, while Miki will become commander of the First Fortress. The spirit also tells Miki that one day his son will take over Spider’s Web Castle.

At Spider’s Web Castle, the great Lord Tsuzuki (Takamaru Sasaki, Samurai Rebellion) rewards Washizu and Miki for their bravery exactly as the spirit has predicted – Washizu is declared commander of the North Garrison, while Miki is declared commander of the First Fortress.

Soon after, Washizu tells his wife Asaji (Isuzu Yamada, The Lower Depths, Sisters of the Gion) about his experience with the evil spirit. Realizing that Washizu is vulnerable – because if Lord Tsuzuki learns about the prophecy he will immediately order his death – Asaji urges Washizu to kill him. At first Washizu refuses, insisting that killing the Great Lord would be a terrible mistake with disastrous consequences, but when one of his men announces that 300 of Lord Tsuzuki’s warriors are hiding in the nearby forest he changes his mind.

After Lord Tsuzuki is killed his son Kuhimaru (Hiroshi Tachikawa, Sanjuro) warns Miki that Washizu can no longer be trusted, but the proud samurai refuses to believe that his childhood friend is a murderer. Meanwhile, Washizu organizes a lavish banquet at the end of which he plans to declare Miki’s son his heir. He hopes that the announcement will strengthen his friendship with Miki. But when Asaji reveals to him that she is pregnant, Washizu is forced to alter his plan.

A powerful and hugely atmospheric adaptation of Macbeth, Throne of Blood is one of Akira Kurosawa’s most Japanese films. It frequently resembles a classic Noh play, but it effectively preserves the epic spirit many of the legendary master's greatest films are known for.

The camera frequently remains static, carefully observing the main protagonists from afar. Many of the larger panoramic shots also look like grand period paintings. This lack of consistent fluid movement and the fairly basic dialog remind of the visual styles championed by the great Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse.

The sheer intensity Mifune infuses in this film is incredible. There are sequences where he looks straight into the camera without uttering a single word yet the audience immediately feels the intensity in the room. When Yamada manipulates him, it is also easy to tell how deep inside he struggles to make the right decision. Indeed, Mifune’s remarkable facial expressions and body language are quite extraordinary.

There are some obvious changes in the relationships between the key characters - the balance of powers between Washizu and Asaji for example is reversed; in Shakespeare’s play Lady Macbeth isn’t such a strong manipulator - but they actually enhance the sense of inevitability that permeates the entire film.

The emphasis on detail is striking. The elaborate costumes and especially the sets are first-class. The main castle was also built from scratch on the foggy slopes of Mount Fuji, reportedly with the help of U.S. marines from a nearby Marine Corps base.

Throne of Blood was lensed by the great Japanese cinematographer Asakazu Nakai (Seven Samurai, Dersu Uzala). The film’s haunting soundtrack was composed by Masaru Sato (Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress).

Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the original 35mm fine-grain master positive; the film's original negative no longer exists. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, cinch marks, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, and noise management.

Scanning supervision and colorist: Lee Kline/Criterion, New York.
Scanning: Imagica, Tokyo."

Recently restored in 2K, Throne of Blood looks very good in high-definition. Close-ups convey pleasing depth, while the large panoramic shots boast very good fluidity. (This is still the case even in the sequences with the prominent fog; see screencaptures #5 and 9). Contrast and sharpness levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Additionally, shadow definition is greatly improved and many of the darker sequences now look substantially stronger. The blacks, grays, and whites are also beautifully balanced. There are no traces of problematic degraning. Compromising sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. Predictably, from start to finish the film has a solid organic look. Finally, there are no serious stability issues. Some extremely minor scratches remain, more than likely because they could not be fully removed with current digital tools without affecting the integrity of the image, but there are absolutely no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, there are sizable improvements in every important area we typically address in these reviews. Naturally, I am convinced that fans of Throne of Blood will be very pleased with the film's transition to Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Please note that Throne of Blood is presented with two sets of optional English subtitles. The first is by Japanese-film translator Linda Hoaglund. The second is by Akira Kurosawa scholar Donald Richie.

The improvements in the audio department are rather impressive. Depth is noticeably better and re-balancing corrections have made the dialog lot tighter (there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity). Masaru Sato's score has also benefited from the lossless treatment -- many of the traditional solos are clearly more vibrant. The dialog is stable and free of problematic background hiss. The English translation is excellent.

Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Japanese trailer for Throne of Blood. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).

• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create - this documentary about the making of Throne of Blood is part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create. It features archival interviews with the legendary Japanese director, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, Noh performer Mitsuhiro Honda (from the Konparu School), and actress Isuzu Yamada (Asaji), amongst others. The documentary is narrated by Masayuki Yui. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (23 min, 1080i).

• Commentary - this audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Michael Jeck was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2002. It initially appeared on Criterion's R1 DVD release of Throne of Blood.

• Translation - please see the audio section of this review.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film historian Stephen Prince and notes on the subtitling by Linda Hoaglund and Donald Richie

Throne of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of this hugely atmospheric film directed by the great Akira Kurosawa will be very pleased with its transition to Blu-ray. Recently restored in 2K, Throne of Blood looks wonderful in high-definition. I was also pleasantly surprised with the excellent lossless track. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.