Movies... For Free! Throne of Blood (1957)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain (with streaming video!)...


Kumonosu-jô (a.k.a Throne of Blood or Castle of the Spider's Web), 1957.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada and Minoru Chiaki.

Inspired by William Shakespeare's Macbeth and transposed to feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa's Kumonosu-jô is regarded as one of the renowned filmmaker's greatest works and has been described in many circles as the best screen adaptation of The Bard's classic tragedy.

After defeating a traitor, generals Taketori Washizu (Mifune) and Yoshiaki Miki (Chiaki) are visited by an old woman en route to their lord's castle. She prophesises great things for Washizu and with encouragement from his wife (Yamada), the warrior sets out to fulfil his destiny regardless of the cost.

For more on Kumonosu-jô, check out Trevor Hogg's Epic Dreamer: An Akira Kurosawa Profile.



Embed courtesy of Google Videos.

Related:

Movies... For Free! Rashomon (1950)

Click here to view all entries in our Movies... For Free! collection.