Throne of Blood

Throne of Blood
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay by	Shinobu Hashimoto Ryūzō Kikushima Akira Kurosawa Hideo Oguni
Based on	Macbeth by William Shakespeare (uncredited)
Produced by	Sōjirō Motoki Akira Kurosawa
Starring	Toshiro Mifune Isuzu Yamada Takashi Shimura
Cinematography	Asakazu Nakai
Edited by	Akira Kurosawa
Music by	Masaru Sato
Production company	Toho Co., Ltd
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	January 15, 1957 (1957-01-15) (Japan)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	$350,000[1]
Box office	US$46,808 (Kurosawa & Mifune Festival)[2]

Throne of Blood (Japanese: 蜘蛛巣城, Hepburn: Kumonosu-jō, lit. 'The Spider Web Castle') is a 1957 Japanese jidaigeki film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of English dramatist William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (1606) from Medieval Scotland to feudal Japan, with stylistic elements drawn from Noh drama. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles, modelled on the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

As with the play, the film tells the story of a warrior who assassinates his sovereign at the urging of his ambitious wife. Kurosawa was a fan of the play and intended to make his own adaptation for several years, delaying it after learning of Orson Welles' Macbeth (1948). Among his changes was the ending, which required archers to shoot arrows around Mifune. The film was shot around Mount Fuji and Izu Peninsula. With a budget of US$350,000 (equivalent to $3,797,000 in 2023), the film was one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan at the time of its release.^[1]

Despite the change in setting and language and numerous creative liberties, Throne of Blood is often considered one of the best film adaptations of the classic play, and has received much critical praise. The film won two Mainichi Film Awards, including Best Actor for Toshiro Mifune.^[3]