Throne of Blood (Kumonosu jo) (12A)

film

Throne of Blood (Kumonosu jo) (12A) 2pm / + Screentalk with Yukio Ninagawa before the film 2 June 2012 Cinema 1 (Silk St)
Tickets: Standard - £11.50 online / £12.50 on the door Barbican Members - £9.50 online / £10.50 on the door Concessions £10.50 Please note, the ScreenTalk with take place before the screening so we request you take your seats by 1.50pm subject to availability	sold out

+ ScreenTalk with Yukio Ninagawa, hosted by Japanese film specialist Tony Rayns. Complementing Cymbeline in the Barbican Theatre (29 May - 2 Jun). Akira Kurosawa's unforgettable transposition of William Shakespeare's Macbeth to the ghostly forests and grim castles of medieval Japan, in the Age of Warring States. Kurosawa's samurai Macbeth is not a strong, heroic figure, but a frightened, ambitious man who is fearful of the witches’ spell and kills to save his own blood. Laced with superb performances by Toshiro Mifune in the title role, alongside the wonderful Isuzu Yamada as Lady Macbeth, Kurosawa mixes the Japanese with the Jacobean, drawing upon the imagery of Noh in this indelible dark treasure. Even the sound of clothing - the sibilant rustle of Lady Macbeth's kimono, the rattle of armour - is used to call up dark reptilian images while reinforcing the physical reality of the moment. Japan 1957 Dir Akira Kurosawa 109 min Barbican offers the best new film releases alongside a unique programme of special seasons and events