I’ve watched two more movies by Akira Kurosawa over the past few weeks.

The first is Throne of Blood from 1957 which is considered to be the best adaptation of Macbeth for film ever, and many consider it to be Kurosawa’s finest film.   Even Harold Bloom considers it to be the best adaptation of Macbeth.   It is absolutely exquisite.   Much of it mirrors the Japanese Noh theater.

Kurosawa asked Isuzu Yamada to portray her character as though she were wearing a Noh mask.  It’s chillling.  Toshiro Mifune plays the Macbeth character.

The other is Hidden Fortress (1958) which is a comedy and is told from the point of view of its lowliest characters.  George Lucas actually based 3CPO and R2D2 on the two lowliest characters in Hidden Fortress - peasants whose facial expressions and bodily movements are hilarious!  It’s funny to think of the comparison in retrospect.   Toshiru Mifune plays one of the “villains” (but is actually a General) and is absolutely gorgeous.  I love his intensity!