Kumonosu-jô
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
Based on: William Shakespeare‘s play Macbeth
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Akira Kubo, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura

Plot:
Generals Washizu (Toshirô Mifune) and Miki (Akira Kubo) have successfully defeated the emperor’s enemy and are now on their way to collect their reward from the emperor. On the way there, though, they get lost in the Cobweb Forest and stumble upon an apparition who foretells them that Washizu will achieve great things – almost as great as Miki’s descendants. Their reservations about the prophecy disappear when they are immediately promoted by the emperor after getting out of the forest – and they want more. Especially Washizu’s wife Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) pressures her husband to do everything for power.

Kumonosu-jô runs a tad too long and the end just features a couple of arrows too many. But altogether it was fascinating adaptation – especially because it was removed from its original context such a long way.

I had missed that this was a Macbeth adaptation (I only saw that the Filmmuseum was playing a Kurosawa movie and decided to do something for my movie education), so I was surprised at first about the parallels to the play. And then I was fascinated how well the play could be translated to a Japanese setting. It all fits.

And it was beautifully set in scene, too. For example in the begining where you just get one messenger after the other reporting on the war in quick succession, which saves the film’s budget and still manages to convey the rapid development and the tension. Or the scene with the witch, which featured one of the creepier witches around and had rather clever special effects (for the time).

The costumes and the sets were really beautiful, too. It made me really want to see the film in color. But even in black and white it was amazing.

The movie does rake up some length. It probably could have been 90 minutes long instead of 110. And the ending seemed overly dramatic, even if based on a Shakespeare play. But it wasn’t a big issue and I did enjoy it for the most part. A lot.

Summarizing: Fantastic film.