Throne of Blood (1957)

Synopsis

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

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Where to watch

Stream

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Streaming availability via JustWatch

Cast

• Toshirō Mifune as Taketoki Washizu
• Isuzu Yamada as Lady Asaji Washizu
• Takashi Shimura as Noriyasu Odagura
• Akira Kubo as Yoshiteru Miki
• Hiroshi Tachikawa as Kunimaru Tsuzuki
• Minoru Chiaki as Yoshiaki Miki
• Takamaru Sasaki as Kuniharu Tsuzuki
• Gen Shimizu as Washizu samurai
• Kokuten Kōdō as Military Commander
• Kichijirō Ueda as Washizu's workman

If you liked Throne of Blood, try

• Batman Begins
• Pan's Labyrinth
• Heat
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Thelma & Louise
• Raging Bull
• Rashomon
• 47 Ronin