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Note from Richard Burt: This essay is not properly formatted, but it is otherwise excellent.
Sean Hale
Throne of Blood
(dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
Part One: Brief Description of Film Clip
This clip shows the interaction of Taketoki Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and Yoshiteru
Miki (Akira Kubo) with the old ghost woman (Chieko Naniwa) in the forest when they
approach her strange hut after being lost in the woods. She tells the men their futures while
they listen incredulously and question her. She then disappears, and the baffled men rush
into and through her hut. The hut disappears behind them, and they silently investigate the
piles of bones and armor stacked behind the hut before leaving the area to get lost in the
fog again.
Total Length: Four minutes and six seconds
Begins: 15:42
Ends: 19:48
Total Number of Shots: 17
Part Two: Analysis / Shot by Shot Description
Shot 1 -
Start/Stop Time – 15:42 - 16:18
1
Length – 36 seconds
Description – Medium long shot, stationary camera, head on, deep focus. The ghost woman
is seated on the floor in the center of the frame in her hut. She sings a song about the
dangers of ambition while she spins silk on a wheel. Washizu and Miki enter from behind
and to the left of the camera. Washizu opens the door of the hut then stands to the right of
the doorway, while Miki stands on the left side. They are on the edges of the frame at a
medium distance with their backs to the camera. Washizu questions the ghost about who
she is, but she tells him instead of his future. Eerie string music plays quietly with the shot.
Annotation – The perfectly centered framing of the ghost combined with her lack of
concern about the appearance of warriors yelling questions at her creates an eerie
atmosphere. Her strangeness lends credence to her claims of future knowledge.
Shot 2 -
Start/Stop Time – 16:18 – 16:21
Length – 3.5 seconds
Description – Medium close-up, stationary camera that tilts slightly up, slightly low angle,
deep focus. Reaction shot of Washizu questioning the ghost’s claims about Washizu’s
future. He is centered in the frame with the edge of the hut’s doorway in the left foreground
and the tangle of branches of the woods in the background. The camera tilts very slightly
2
upward to maintain the framing as Washizu adjusts his footing. The music continues as
before.
Annotation – This quick reaction shot shows the fear and disbelief in Washizu’s face that
could not be seen in the previous shot.
Shot 3 -
Start/Stop Time – 16:21 – 16:28
Length – 7 seconds
Description – Medium close up, stationary camera that tilts up, slightly high angle, deep
focus. Closer shot of the ghost sitting and spinning in her hut. There is a layer of fog or
smoke down at this level. She and her wheel take up most of the frame, and she smiles
placidly. The music gets a little louder as she continues with her prophecy of Washizu
becoming sovereign of Spider’s Web Castle.
Annotation – This shot allows the viewer the first close shot of the ghost’s face, and she
looks especially creepy sitting in the fog.
Shot 4 -
3
Start/Stop Time – 16:28 – 16:30
Length – 2 seconds
Description – Same as shot 2, but Washizu says nothing as the ghost finishes her sentence.
He looks silently to his left, the right of the frame, towards Miki.
Annotation – The look on Washizu’s face is one of wary confusion.
Shot 5 -
Start/Stop Time – 16:30 – 16:50
Length - 20 seconds
Description – Medium long shot, stationary camera, head on from waist height, deep focus.
The opposite of the first shot, the ghost is now shown from behind, seated in the
foreground with her head at the center of the frame. Washizu and Miki look at each other
for a moment, then Washizu laughs nervously and asks why the ghost would say these
things. They are standing just outside the doorway to the left and right of center of the
frame, respectively. The ghost questions why he would be so angry about such good news.
He angrily responds in the The Great Lord’s defense.
Annotation – This shot allows the viewer to see the bewilderment of both Washizu and
Miki at the same time while still retaining the ghost’s centrality in the frame, which allows
her to maintain the control of the scene.
4
Shot 6 -
Start/Stop Time – 16:50 – 17:03
Length – 13 seconds
Description – Same as shot 3. Return to the closer shot of the ghost while she jokes to
herself about the strangeness of humans.
Annotation – Returning to this shot allows the viewer to see the smile come across the
ghost’s face, emphasizing how much fun she is having at the humans’ expense.
Shot 7 -
Start/Stop Time – 17:03 – 17:07
Length – 4 seconds
Description – Same as shots 2 and 4, but the camera tilts slightly downward to maintain
Washizu’s framing as he becomes angrier and draws his bow and arrow on the ghost.
Annotation – Considering the shot that follows, this shot is not entirely necessary to show
the action of the scene. However, the repetition of these shots and others in the scene is
part of a larger theme of repetition that is central to the film.
5
Shot 8 -
Start/Stop Time – 17:07 – 17:50
Length – 43 seconds
Description – The same as shot one, only now Miki quiets Washizu so the ghost can tell his
future. The ghost tells the story nearly the same as she did to Washizu.
Annotation – This shot, like the last, continues the trend of repetitive shots within the
scene. Here it starts to become explicit that repetition is key to the scene and film.
Shot 9 -
Start/Stop Time – 17:50 – 17:54
Length – 4 seconds
Description – Very similar to shot 4, only now the right side of the doorway is seen in the
foreground and Miki is centered in the frame in medium close-up. He questions the ghost’s
prophecy using the same wording as Washizu had used, and then he looks to his right, the
left of the frame, so look at Washizu.
6
Annotation – The scene is very intentionally repeating the same shots with minor
alterations to show that this type of prophecy is applicable to many people, and that it has
and will indeed come true for many more.
Shot 10 -
Start/Stop Time – 17:54 – 18:10
Length – 16 seconds
Description – Same as shot 5, Miki questions further about his future, and the ghost
cryptically says it will be both more and less than Washizu’s.
Annotation – This shot not only allows for the reaction of both Miki and Washizu to be
seen, since the prophecy concerns them both, but it also continues the repetition of the
scene. The shots are virtually identical, as well as having very similar durations.
Shot 11 -
Start/Stop Time – 18:10 – 18:14
Length – 4 seconds
7
Description – Same as shot 9, Miki questions what the ghost means, and the camera pans
slightly to follow him as he adjusts his footing.
Annotation – The repetition is now beginning to create a sense of dread as the scene plays
out. The uncanny quality of the shots adds tension.
Shot 12 -
Start/Stop Time – 18:14 – 18:21
Length – 7 seconds
Description – Same as shots 3 and 6, the ghost tells Miki that his son will one day rule
Spider’s Web Castle.
Annotation – This repeats the shot of the ghost telling Washizu his destiny to rule the
castle but with a slight alteration.
Shot 13 -
Start/Stop Time – 18:21 – 18:23
Length – 2 seconds
8
Description – Same as shots 9 and 11, Miki looks towards the ghost with a troubled
expression then he turns towards Washizu. The music begins to swell at this odd message.
Annotation – As the implications of the prophecy become more confusing, the music adds
to the tension.
Shot 14 -
Start/Stop Time – 18:23 – 18:32
Length – 9 seconds
Description – Same as shots 5 and 10, but as Washizu and Miki exchange looks, the ghost
stands to be the height of the frame. The music swells loudly along with the sound of a
strong wind. The ghost’s robe blows upward and the shot is cut seamlessly so that the
ghost disappears instantly while Washizu and Miki stay still. They look at each other
silently and start to charge into the hut.
Annotation – This shot breaks the tension of the repetition of the scene by verifying the
ghost’s supernatural power. The unexpected nature of the disappearance adds to its
spooky effect.
9
Shot 15 -
Start/Stop Time – 18:32 – 19:05
Length – 33 seconds
Description – Shot begins from the same vantage as shots 1 and 8, only it picks up as
Washizu and Miki charge into the hut. The music quiets down but continues as the men
look around for a few seconds before Miki knocks out the back wall of the hut. The strings
pick up again, and the camera dollies forward slowly as the men rush out behind the hut.
The camera gets through the hut as well and the music continues the tense melody while
the men are framed in a medium long shot looking around for any sign of the demon. Their
backs are to the camera for several seconds until they both turn to face the direction of the
hut. Washizu points and exclaims, and the two men step towards the camera which dollies
backward, away from them. The men stop where the hut should be and the camera
continues back to its original position in the shot. The men look around and at each other
but say nothing. Washizu points further out behind the hut and the two men start that way
into the fog.
Annotation – This clever shot allows the viewer to join in the chase with Washizu and Miki
while also allowing for the hut to be removed from the set without cutting the shot. This
further enhances the impression of the ghost’s supernatural power.
10
Shot 16 -
Start/Stop Time – 19:05 – 19:41
Length – 36 seconds
Description – Medium long shot, tilting and panning camera, head on and slightly high
angle, deep focus. The shot begins with pile of leafy detritus along with bones and armor
filling the width of the frame and going up about two thirds of the frame’s height. Washizu
enters from the right following the path behind the hut. When Miki enters the frame behind
him, the camera pans to the left with them as they walk. They stop to look at the pile and
around the rest of the area. As they begin to continue left the camera tilts down to reveal
another similar pile in front of the camera. The camera pans left showing Miki and Washizu
from the knees to the waist walking behind the pile. The eerie music continues. The camera
tilts up at the edge of the pile to reframe Washizu and Miki in full view. Washizu is on the
left edge of the frame and Miki is on the right edge, and another pile of detritus, bones, and
armor is behind them. They look around for a couple seconds then walk back to the right.
The camera pans to follow them as they exit the area. It stops when the first pile is in view
again, framed the same as before. Miki and Washizu exit the frame to the right.
Annotation – This shot begins strange enough with the sight of the giant pile of bones, but
when the camera tilts and pans to reveal more piles it becomes horrifying. The piles being
separated leads the viewer to believe that they may possibly be from separate conflicts.
11
The repetitive nature of the ghost’s conversation and the shots in the scene give the
impression that these piles of bones will continue to amass.
Shot 17 -
Start/Stop Time – 19:41 – 19:48
Length – 7 seconds
Description – Medium long shot, stationary camera, head on, deep focus. Closer shot of a
pile of bones, detritus, and armor. The pile nearly fills the frame, and it is shrouded in
billowing fog. The eerie music quiets down but continues. The shot dissolves into another
that is completely filled with fog.
Annotation – This closer view of the bones adds weight to their significance. They are not
simply meant to be seen and moved on from, as Washizu and Miki attempt to do. Kurosawa
forces the viewer to focus on them for several seconds with no other distractions. History
unheeded is bound to be repeated.
12