Throne of Blood12A

Dir. Akira Kurosawa | Japan | 1957 | 1h 50m | Japanese w/ English subs | Starring Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura

In this vivid adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Akira Kurosawa transposes “The Scottish Play” into a deeply atmospheric exploration of warrior traditions in sixteenth-century Japan. Toshiro Mifune gives a feral performance as the doomed warlord Washizu striving for total power alongside his ruthless wife, portrayed by the brilliant Isuzu Yamada. Kurosawa fuses atmosphere and action with more formal elements taken from Noh theatre in this unforgettable, fog-laden re-telling of Shakespeare’s chilling tragedy.

If you buy a ticket for this screening of Throne of Blood as well as Seven Samurai (Sun 7 Nov, 16:30) and Yojimbo (Sun 7 Nov, 21:00) in a single transaction you will receive a 15% discount on the total cost. 

Reviews

‘It remains a landmark of visual strength, permeated by a particularly Japanese sensibility, and is possibly the finest Shakespearean adaptation ever committed to the screen.’
Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

 

          

Screening as part of Japan 2020: Over 100 years of Japanese Cinema, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. bfijapan.co.uk

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Throne of Blood between November 7, 2021 and November 8, 2021.

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What else is on?

Today (Friday 26th April)

16:15

Evil Does Not Exist 12A
1h 46m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Residents of a rural village outside Tokyo oppose the development of a nearby luxury "glamping" site in this captivating eco-drama by Oscar-winning director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car).

Book here

18:45

Disco Boy 15
1h 33m | French w/ English subtitles
A Belarusian migrant arrives in Paris and joins the Foreign Legion in order to attain French citizenship in this dreamlike debut by Italian filmmaker Giacomo Abbruzzese, starring Franz Rogowski (Passages).

Book here

21:00

Late Night with the Devil 15
1h 33m
A late night talk show descends into bloody chaos as an evil force is unleashed on an unsuspecting TV audience. A devilishly constructed and wickedly funny found-footage horror set in 1970s America.

Book here


Tomorrow (Saturday 27th April)

16:15

Disco Boy 15
1h 33m | French w/ English subtitles
A Belarusian migrant arrives in Paris and joins the Foreign Legion in order to attain French citizenship in this dreamlike debut by Italian filmmaker Giacomo Abbruzzese, starring Franz Rogowski (Passages).

Book here

18:30

Late Night with the Devil 15
1h 33m
A late night talk show descends into bloody chaos as an evil force is unleashed on an unsuspecting TV audience. A devilishly constructed and wickedly funny found-footage horror set in 1970s America.

Book here

20:30

Evil Does Not Exist 12A
1h 46m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Residents of a rural village outside Tokyo oppose the development of a nearby luxury "glamping" site in this captivating eco-drama by Oscar-winning director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car).

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!