Collecting Movie Reviews

Im 13 years old and I love this anime.Why, not because of the action,but but because of its mystery,drama, and deph.Most of my friends loved the action,but they really never understood the concept of this anime.They just kept talking about it.It got me and other people annoyed by it.It made anime sound geeky and people started sterotyping the show and other anime.The show can get confusing at times but starts to come together like a big puzzle.Like the other anime on catoonnetwork people got only half of what the anime could of been because they wanted to make the show for kids.This show isn't always seriouse.It has a lot of funny moments in it.If you liked this I reccomend buying Trigun.

This series has action,beautiful girls and a hotspring now this series is hilarious at times yet it lacks a few things.... no wait its almost perfect , I personally like Aisha and anyone who would like her would love this series

One of my favorite animes of all time, "Outlaw Star" is A LOT like those old Western films (example: Clint Eastwood) but with a little bit of sci-fi fantasy mixed in. The same creators who've made "Gundam WING" return to give us a new anime series that doesn't make itself look too serious or too funny, but still a fun thrill ride with action & a GREAT love story. Gene Starwind is a man who, since his childhood, dreams of going up into space someday. Starwind has an 11 year old partner, Jim Hawking who helps him run a business of theirs called, 'Starwind & Hawking'.

But one day, something goes wrong, when they meet a client that's more than what she appears to be. Enter Hilda (a.k.a. "Hot Ice") a renegade space outlaw running from both the pirates and the Galactic Space Forces who're out for a very special ship, the X-GP. A weapon so powerful that no other would stand a chance! By twist of fate, Gene & Jim are forced to go along for the ride and wind up owning the ship, and then things really get crazy for our heroes! Gene names the ship (the shows title name obviously), which also comes with a beautiful female android, Melfina who happens to be it's navigator.

Along the way they meet a few other batch of friends, including a beautiful assassin, Suzuka, and the annoying alien, Aisha ClanClan. Together, they battle the evil KAY/BON pirates who are out to capture them all, and a mysterious old scientist who just won't get off their back! It's a dirty job, but Gene appears to up to anything that comes his way. Too bad his fear of space had to be his weakness. OVERALL: 10/10!!! This is indeed worthy to be called a classic! Animation quality looks a little dated compared to that of "Cowboy Bebop", but it's still good fun for the average anime/sci-fi lover! The artwork displayed at the endings is some of the most beautiful I've seen from the Japanese culture and the soundtrack itself is outstanding. All eps are here in this wonderful 6-disk package, so what are ya waiting for?! GET A COPY NOW!!!

WHERE IN GOD'S NAME ARE 'FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT' AND 'NO SLEEP 'TIL BROOKLYN'??????

Frankly those are the only Beastie songs that don't make me want to hurl and without them this anthology is worth crap.

Beastie Boys Criterion Collection DVD is by a long shot the most entertaining DVD on the market. It has so many features which include remixes, multi-angles, commentaries, alternate versions of the videos and more. Based on what else I've seen, I believe this is the best musical DVD release ever. Fans of Beastie Boys need to go out and get a DVD player and get this DVD.

This dvd you have to have it in your collection if you like the Beastie Boys. My fav. videos on this dvd are Sure Shot and Root Down.

Ciao

To all holmes fans I own this set and I just purchased the entire 41 episode collection from Amazon Uk,The pal version is encoded at significantly higher bitrate than this version,here they have squeezed three episodes on some dvds which has made the image look far more grainy ,it also shakes on all the dvds,black floats and leaves trail, very poor encoding indeed. the pal versions are much better and dont have all the above mentioned artifacts.And its significantly cheaper.

The series is great. a must but for all, but only if you do not intend to turn on the subtitles. they are absolutely pathetic.
The people who did it had no idea what they were up to and have ruined such a beautiful dvd. They have not even bothered to read the stories before sub titling it. example Mr. Jabez Wilson is typed as Jay Beards Wilson and game of whist is shown as whiskey. and hundreds of such other errors which really need to be rectified in future editions.

This is an absolutely fantastic series. From the smallest details to the intrigue, this series captures the essence of Sherlock Holmes. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these together. The scenery is breathtaking, the characters thoroughly well developed. You have to be crazy not to buy this set, it is so well worth the money.

The hidden fortress starts with it's two main characters Tahei and Matakashi (played by Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) walking through a war torn country side. They have just escaped from an internment camp after a recent great battle. The two had been forced to dig graves as prisoners and they are already, at the start of the movie, at wit's end. They soon become frustrated with each other and their situation that they set out in opposite directions, only to be both recaptured shortly thereafter. After a prisoner mass uprising and subsequent exodus, the two find themselves completely unscathed but monumentally stunned amongst the dozens of dead.. and piles of pillaged gold.

Unable to carry much in their escape, their sense of scheming is palpable and a testament to the quality of direction. While walking through the woods they come upon a camping warlord, General Makabe (played by Kurosawa mainstay, Toshiro Mifune), who they enlist to help them steal the gold. Makabe has other ideas. They later meet up with the fiercely sexy Princess Yukihime (Misa Uehara) who playfully defends herself from the two anti-heroes, smacking all insolent fools with a reed and secretly running the show. The two rogues suffer through constant harassment with wide eyed fear and cowardice that Kurosawa somehow makes endearing.

It was said that Kurosawa would spend the mornings of the writing process thinking up impossible situations for the two rogue protagonists and the production crew would have the afternoon to plot out how the two would escape from certain death; The pair survive numerous captures, a prison riot, multiple rock slides (!) and more often than not each other during a sometimes cathartic, sometimes hilarious series of events. The Hidden Fortress is an archetypal dark comedy and could be well adapted in the future because of it's intelligent dynamics and carefree yet succinct episodes (the first Star Wars employs much of the same wide open sense of adventure).

While being one of the lightest of Kurosawa's films, it still has the underlying fatalism and rebelliousness that is inherent of much of interesting Japanese cinema. For examples, see much of mainstream (and probably most non mainstream) anime, as well as the nihilistic cult films of today like the recently Americanized Ringu (The Ring) and Kyua (Cure) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation). The Hidden Fortress is worth a viewing by any patient film buff.

Yes, George Lucas was influenced by Akira Kurosawa (who was influenced by John Ford), but don't get the DVD for the interview, get it for the movie! The movie has Toshiro Mifune and together he and Kurosawa make magic. The movie has drama, adventure, LOTS of humor, lots of gold, two greedy farmers, dancing, warring clans and a cute princess. No, really, Misa Uehara had a great outfit that showed off her nice legs.
I love the interaction between characters, the action that never seems to stop and the poor farmers. In the end they value friendship more than gold.

There is one reason I'm even writing this short review. It's because all anyone even seems to care about is that it inspired George Lucas when he made Star Wars, but that doesn't matter. Let's talk Kurosawa here!

I just want to establish the fact that I hate George Lucas' films and I don't believe Star Wars has any significance to anything.

This film is not one of Kurosawa's best. It lacks the powerful message, brick-in-the-balls kind of thing he had going on in previous movies, but this is nevertheless one of my favorite films. Don't watch this for Star Wars. Watch this because Kurosawa is said to be the greatest filmmaker to ever live. Know also that Mifune Toshiro is said to be the greatest actor of all time.

The movie itself was beautifully executed, extremely expensive for its time, and featured a cast over over 1,000,000. With a beautful script and wonderful camera work, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat with intrigue. Watch this, but also watch the rest of Kurosawa Akira's films, especially my ersonal favorite, Red Beard (Akahige.)

Let me start off by talking about the transfer. For a Criterion edition (and the pricetag attached to the Criterion name) the transfer is really quite lacking. The negative is rather scratched and there is that rather unfortunate presence of the white bar in the latter stages of the film. I understand that they were dealing with compromised film stock, but I refuse to believe that they were unable to restore the film to a greater extent.

Criterion compounds this problem with their notable lack of extras. No commentary or audio essay, no production notes, no publicity stills, no biographies or anything else. A poor effort from Criterion.

On the other hand, the film is presented in the original 1.17:1 format, and not at 1.33:1 as another reviewer has stated. Criterion confuses this by stating that it is presented at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but in reality there are black bars at the sides of the screen. I suppose that this is nominally a 4:3 aspect ratio (as opposed to 16:9 enhanced) with reverse letterboxing being applied, if that makes any sense.

As for the film itself, I was quite impressed with it. It is a movie which is as relevant today as it was in the days it was made, a movie where the string of crimes would terrorize as many people today as it did then, and a criminal whom we are as unsure how to treat as they were then. In this respect we may regard M as being vastly superior to current fare, as it actually raises the sticky questions of responsibility versus compulsion instead of emptily condemning that which cannot be condoned.

Sure, it may strike us as being unrealistic that the police and the underworld are both trying to capture the same man (and for the same reason), but it's a conceit we are willing to believe in "Silence of the Lambs," not to mention "Cradle 2 the Grave," which was a straight up M remake.

One of the surprising elements of the film is how well it uses sound, considering that it is Fritz Lang's initial foray into the medium. In this sense it is an innovative work (like citizen Kane), as Lang has integrated sound in a way few directors today manage to do. We actually hear the murderer whistling before we see him, and you'll never listen to that little Grieg tune the same way ever again. It's interesting to observe the way sound is used at other stages of the film, as in some points there is no sound whatsoever, to the extent you might even start checking to see if there is something wrong with your speakers or DVD player. I don't know if it was the novelty of sound or what, but it seems like a lot of early directors were much more innovative in their use of sound (think of Eisenstein in Alexander Nevsky) and took advantage of it in ways modern directors don't think of. Sure, there are directors to whom sound is obviously important and who use it well (David Lynch and Wong Kar-Wai are a couple), but for most it seems like something of an afterthought.
At any rate I feel that this film holds up quite well, certainly more than other vintage films like Grand Illusion or Citizen Kane. The plot is largely as relevant today as it was when it was made (though thankfully we do not appreciate the commentary it offers on the nascent Nazi party or fascism) and the commentary on human nature is as true as ever. It is not best appreciated solely as a historic document or technical yardstick (which is how I regard the highly lauded Citizen Kane) but as a commentary on humanity and, above all, entertainment.

I was actually familiar with Peter Lorre before watching this movie, mostly from his extensive appearances on radio programs. That being said, I must say I found his performance rather tiresome, as he uses the same histrionics and tics (only this time they are in German, and not in the English I was used to hearing). Of course this isn't really fair to him, as he was no doubt being type-cast in his later American works, having made much of his reputation with this film. If you aren't familiar with his other work then you may find his performance really quite fine.

All the reviews I've read here are so good that all I can add is the image of the balloon floating in the air.

In this day and age, psychological drama is a dime a dozen. I can think of several. Seven. Silence of the Lamb. To name two. Yet way back when...even before I was a twinkle in my parents eyes...or a crash on their credit cards and wallets (lo those many years ago)...there was this little film, M.

M. is one of the greatest of dramas, of a psychotic killer that...as the story moves along...though he is unbelieveably evil in his killings of children...you and I as a audiance grows to have an interest in. Peter's character in M. makes Hannibal look weak, because Peter is able to derive out of you so many emotions...anger, fear, sorrow, anquish. Who is the real villain in this? Yes Peter's character must pay for his crime, for in any logical and thought driven society such actions as he does call for punishment. Yet the way the avengers in this film, the hunting crime bosses and their lackies...you hate them for the way they deal with Peter's character in the end. You can't help it, you want to see Peter's character pay, but the way the criminal syndicate makes him pay for the crimes, you will be left tormented as the credits roll.

I have to think that Lang was probably gaining some of the feelings and attitudes of this movie by the horrors of the growing Nazi party and their sinister evils that were only shadows in the background of Germany's rush for nationalism after the toils the country had to pay for in reperations toward the Allies after W.W. I. I of course could be wrong, but that is my assessment anyway. Take it or leave it.

If you want a true scare, get this. If you enjoy thought provoking movies, get this. If you enjoy period movies, get this. It is just that simple.

Adolescence is a difficult time for any child. It does not matter where you grow up or in what era. The period between childhood and adulthood is fraught with awkwardness and insecurity. Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" examines the life of one such child as he takes his first baby steps toward a new stage in his life.

Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is a young man who lives with his mother (Claire Maurier) and stepfather (Albert Remy) in Paris. He has his troubles but is not really a bad child - he is just a confused boy looking for adventure, attention, and guidance. However, a serious error in judgment leads Antoine to steal a typewriter and he is sent off to a juvenile detention home. He eventually escapes his confinement and heads for the beach. While staring out at the sea, Antoine tries to make some sense out of his life.

"The 400 Blows" is a restrained version of "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955). It deals with the problem of juvenile delinquency and the confusion of adolescence from a stark and minimalist perspective. There are no drag races or switchblade fights to sensationalize the proceedings. This is a film more concerned with personal introspection and the harsh realities of the real world. Yet, while there is a richness to the film's texture, "The 400 Blows" is a trying film to watch. It is a technically-sound film that will appeal to the film student but will not appeal to the casual viewer. Truffaut captures the nuances of everyday life so well that the film mimics life's routine nature to perfection. The end result is a viewing experience that becomes too monotonous to be enjoyable.

Truffaut's childhood retrospective remains a powerful film today. While some of the parts describing standard childhood defiance are a bit drawn out, they are presented with a winning tone and with the details necessary to make them convincing. Additionally, by focusing so much on standard defiance, we are somewhat unprepared as the darker aspects are gradually revealed. We see how precarious our paths can be. Truffaut has by then duped us into being emotionally concerned about the lead character, who's alienation and detachment are captured with (of all things) tenderness and innocence by Jean Pierre Liaud. Truffaut's brilliance is that he makes us feel for this character without having to resort to any sentimentality beyond that of his own memory. Our need for love, and the benefits of a stable home are shown here to be as irrefutable as gravity or the tides.

I did feel that the last parts of the film could have been shortened or eliminated (such as the police station and the correctional facility), but the final scene was very powerful. Having reached the end, there is nowhere else to run. The protagonist must decide whether to act, i.e. to try to 'grow up' and face his demons. The fatalistic alternative is to continue down his current path, which while perhaps justifiable given his background, can nevertheless only lead to despair. But if one truly encorporates the idea of free-will into their life, perhaps the future is not so precarious after all.

Other pluses here are perhaps the most beautiful depiction of Paris in all of film history (quite a statement, I know), as well as some incredible shots. My favorite is definitely how he captures the universality and otherness of childhood innocence during the puppet show. Another justifiably famous shot is the overhead of the children choosing their paths as they jog through the streets of Paris. While these decisions cannot be called final, I see now (sometime after my 10 year high school reunion) that they close far more doors than they open. This is not necessarily a problem, provided you pick your doors wisely.

The wonderful and cutting edge jazz soundtrack is also more than an afterthought.

I just saw this recently, and it is one of the best films I've seen in a very long time. Beautifully photographed, written, and directed. This compulsively watchable movie also has possibly the best child performance I've ever seen. The 400 Blows is much better experienced than described. The Fox DVD transfer is good, but suffers from distorted sound and print scratches. See this movie!! You won't regret it.

This show is good i dont think i have seen one as good since cowboy bebop, but collection 1 will leave you wondering. It is a good show for people who want action,space battles, and humor the dvd dosent have many features and is kind of boring. This show gets a tie with cowboy bebop and trigun which are all good "cowboy animes."

Being a space freak myself, this anime captures a magnificent setting of unique planetary worlds, and the most awsome galactic battles with pirates, aliens, and assassins. Gene Starwind and his younger partner Jim come across a beautiful but dangerous outlaw named Hot Ice Hilda. Stealing the most technologically advanced ship in the galaxy, he meets the lovely and not to mention naked, android Melfina. Gene then begins his quest journing in space as an outlaw searching for the mysterious Galactic Leyline and the true meaning of Melfina's existance. Along his quest he encounters some intresting women, Suzuka the beautiful assassin, and a ctarl ctarl warrior Aisha. Being persued by pirates the outlaw crew digs deeper and deeper into information of the treasures hidden in the Galactic Leyline. The outlaw star ship; XGP15A-11, is also a mystery all on its own. Its operated with the navagator Melfina who is naked all the time. Its unusal but cool that shes naked and conects with the ships system. The character designs and story line are awsome. I absolutely love this anime. Gene Starwind really brings out and together the story in Outlaw Star. Hes an outlaw who loves to drink and spend "quality time with women" not to mention hes one hell of a fighter with his unique and deadly caster gun (a gun that has a mixture of science and sorcery). I really enjoyed the journeys throughout the galaxy, the humor from the the characters, their self discoveries and basically the entire story line. Overall this anime is not intended for little kids because of its content. But for those of you interested it contains action, danger, humor, mystery, and despair. So if you like all or any of these, this is the anime for you.

I purchased this because I love Outlaw Star and I wanted to see all the things they cut out from the episodes on Cartoon Network. If you like outlaw star and have some cash to spare then you should get this one as well as the other DVDs in the series.

This is just great!

It brings back so many good memories!

If you love ABBA, and who doesn't, will listen to this again, and again...........

Oh, what a DVD!! I've loved ABBA's music nearly my whole life and to have all these fantastic music videos in ONE DVD is what is an ABBA dream come true! I put it in my DVD and listen as usual, but now I have the visual as well and it is just great! Pure joy! This DVD contains contains an extended version of "On and On and On", which I absolutely love and even some spanish versions of some songs, which is cool. The music is beautiful and awesome anyhow, but the visuals make it even nicer to watch! It's too cool!! I know many have gone into detail about the songs included so I won't re-iterate that, but let me just say that if you like ABBA, you will LOVE this DVD and you will probably play it often as I do! Happy Happy watching! You will NOT regret buying this DVD, so don't worry...just get your hands on it as soon as you can! :)

Watching and listening to Agnetha in "The Day Before You Came"
and "Under Attack" are enough reasons alone to buy the DVD. The ending of "Under Attack" is kinda prophetic about the end of ABBA. I eagerly look forward to Agnetha's new album.

I must admit I am not a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock, particularly his later American work. I am more one to appreciate a good epic with some historical, literary, or social significance (like Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver Twist, or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Hitchcock's work, while usually entertaining, is rarely if ever encumbered by such weighty significance.

That said, I did want to find a Hitchcock movie or two to complete my DVD collection, and this, along with Rebecca, are both on my list. The thing that most struck me about this film was its obvious influence on the recent blockbuster The Fugitive. The scene in Scotland where Robert Donat walks with a parade to allude the police was shamelessly lifted 100% by The Fugitive. The scenes with the river and waterfall were also extremely reminiscent of Harrison Ford's dam jump scene from that film. Also, I thought the interaction between Donat and Madeleine Carroll, although not as completely developed, was as delightful as Gable and Colbert in It Happened One Night. The scene where Carroll takes off her stockings whilst handcuffed to Donat was particularly notable in this regard (provocative stuff for 1935, and still fun to watch). Finally, I felt that the historical background of the film, regarding the impending conflict between Britain and Germany (both implied in the plot and later played out in real life) gave it just a nice bit of significance value.

The 39 Steps certainly lacks the more developed and aerodynamic plot turns of Hitchcock's later work, but in my opinion, it was more fun.

The Criterion DVD has plenty of extras which may be of some value to Hitchcock junkies. The image quality has not received the Jeanne D'Arc treatment, but its good enough. The only thing I would have liked to have seen were some Spanish subtitles for when I watch movies with my latino friends.

The Thirty Nine Steps - an early Hitchcock film - has many classic elements of his films even at this stage in his directing. As is often the case in his movies, the film opens with Richard Hannay, a dashing, seemingly successful bachelor, out on the town on his own - with not a woman in sight. As with many Hitchcock films, this innocent man quickly gets caught up in a spy game of cat and mouse, while simultaneously getting to know the beautiful woman who has somehow gotten mixed in with the spy game as well. A notable commentary on the movie is that it subtly criticizes many facets of married life - I read that after watching the movie and realized how true it was - which makes it somewhat progressive for a time when one thinks of the movies as wholesome. Another notable fact that makes this movie worth watching is Robert Donat's - the actor who plays Hannay - voice. This relatively uknown (in 2003) British actor sufferred from a stutter as a child and overcame it only to develop a voice renowned for its beauty when he was an adult - amusingly, his character stutters a few times in the movie. Bottom line : its a sweet wholesome, interesting adventure movie with great acting by actors who haven't been exposed to death.

Hitchcock considered "The 39 Steps" to be the culmination of his work in Britain, just as "North by Northwest" was a culmination of his work in America. The movie is well-paced, Robert Donat is charming, and Madeleine Carroll is beautiful. The commentary by Marian Keane is very insightful as she points out Hitchcock's "signatures" as the author of his films. Why did he choose a high angle shot? Why are the characters composed the way they are? Why does the camera dwell where it does? This is the first commentary I have heard from Keane, and I was not disappointed.

The Criterion Collection transfer is a little grainy, and the intensity is a little inconsistent. Criterion's transfer of Hitchcock's "Rebecca" is far more flawless. Nevertheless, it is comparable to other transfers they have done of movies from that period (i.e., a little less grainy than "Trouble in Paradise"). Overall, an excellent purchase, and one I would recommend for anyone who liked "North by Northwest" or who is interested in seeing how Hitchcock developed as a filmmaker.

"Throne of Blood", aka "Castle of the Spider's Web", is the third Kurosawa film that I've seen, and it's definitely different from the other two ("The Seven Samurai" and "The Hidden Fortress"). It's much more somber and introspective, less action-oriented, and the general theme centers on ambition and fate rather than cooperative action to overcome a common problem.

The film is an adaptation of "Macbeth"; only instead of taking place in medieval Scotland, it's set in feudal Japan. I tend to be a Shakespeare purist, but I really enjoyed the different historical setting. Warlords, samurai and huge, squat fortresses are depicted in full glory. The samurai costumes are so beautiful and intricately detailed that I had to pause the film just to stare at them.

In addition, the dialogue and acting have been altered to fit a Japanese setting. Many of the scenes are shot in the Noh style, which is a very old, very classical form of Japanese theater. In Noh, the drama plays out on bare stages. In order to compensate for such sparse environments, the acting tends to be highly stylized. To Western audiences, this may translate as unrealistic, but to Eastern, I presume it comes off as compelling.

Toshiro Mifune plays the title character, Washizu, who receives predictions of power and glory from a forest spirit. Spurred on by his ambitious, scheming wife, Washizu commits heinous acts in order to fulfill the prophecy. The effect is like a tightening noose as Washizu becomes ensnared in his own web of ambition.

The final scene is a cinema classic. Never one to go for cheap effects, Kurosawa uses professional archers and real arrows, and Mifune's reaction is genuine. The scene visualizes the claustrophobic mood of the film and the idea of inescapable fate. Kurosawa was a master of this type of filmmaking.

I'm always impressed by how much Kurosawa accomplishes with so little. Take the forest spirit, for example. He simply shot her in blinding white light and removed all high notes from her voice. It's effectively creepy, yet it's something filmmakers today, with their multimillion-dollar CGI effects, would not even attempt. It's for these moments of filmmaking ingenuity, which "Throne of Blood" abounds in, that Kurosawa has become so well respected.

"Throne of Blood", despite a few slow parts and some overacting, is a gripping, haunting and worthwhile journey. It's also great filmmaking. I wouldn't recommend it to Kurosawa neophytes, but once you're hooked on the master of Japanese cinema, it's definitely one to seek out. If you're looking to purchase, the Criterion DVD is well worth the price; the film looks great and the commentary by Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck is entertaining and informative.

Of all Shakespeare's great tragedies, Macbeth is the play that people find the most troubling. It is the one work in Shakespeare's canon that comes closest to Greek tragedy with its outward inevitability and its conclusions seemingly predestined by the fates. We are also asked to identify with a murderer--an intelligent intriguing complex murderer to be sure--but still a murderer. This creates within us a moral tension not present in more clear-cut tragic figures like Hamlet and Lear, and this only leads to a greater incentive to excuse Macbeth as a victim of fate. It is easier to identify with a murderer who has no choice in his actions since his lack of choice absolves us of the guilt we might otherwise feel for sympathizing with him.

Kurosawa leaves us no such outlet. His Macbeth is an unrepentant schemer, opportunist and murderer. That he feels passing pangs of conscience is due to the remnants of his humanity, remnants that by the end have been totally subsumed by his overarching ambition. This is a subtly different presentation from the angst ridden second guessing Macbeths so often portrayed in western productions, and when Kurosawa's Macbeth meets his death, we are struck not so much by the waste of a potentially good man as we are by how completely he is destroyed through the workings of divine justice.

I am not going out of my way to be bookish here. This analysis is meant to show how well Kurosawa understands the moral message conveyed by the play as he constructs a Macbeth who, in spite of the ghastliness of his character, both fascinates us and draws our admiration. It is easy to admire obvious heroes and just as easy to condemn obvious villains and Hollywood has made a fortune from grinding away at this formulaic mill over the years. However, we are cast into contrary waters when we find ourselves admiring sympathetic villains and condemning failed heroes. Such characters are too much like our secret selves and their presence forces us into uncomfortable self-examination. This is Kurosawa's purpose: he is forcing each of us to ask how much like Macbeth we really are. How much blood would we spill for our own chance at a throne?

And Kurosawa does this under an all but impossible handicap. He cannot use Shakespeare's glorious language, so in its stead, he substitutes his genius in the filmmaker's craft: mood, lighting, shading, contrast; and most of all, imagery, both the shrewd and the shocking, like the famous closing scene in which justice is delivered with altogether gruesome finality. Nor does it hurt that he has access to one of the finest actors in cinema. Toshiro Mifune puts in an inspired performance as an unswervingly driven Macbeth.

This film and 'Ran', Kurosawa's later Shakespearean adaptation, are both bittersweet experiences. Kurosawa never had the chance to direct a production in the Bard's native tongue. He lived and filmed in a time when it was unthinkable for a major western production to be given into the hands of a Japanese director, so although we have had many notable interpretations of Shakespeare from many notable directors over the years, the now lost prospect of a definitive version from one of the best directors in history can only evoke regret.

This film is unusual in that it may appeal even to people who do not like Shakespeare. In sacrificing the language for his Japanese audience, Kurosawa is forced to compensate with his theatrical ingenuity, and this has the ironic effect of making his version more accessible to those who have always been put off Shakespeare because of the demands of the language. Against this, the acting is comprised of bold gestures and pregnant pauses, a style that may strike some as stilted and affected, but which actually comes from traditional Japanese Noh theatre and which grows on you and becomes more natural as the film progresses.

This is not a film for mass audiences, but if you like intelligent atypical challenging fare and are not afraid of subtitles, then this surprisingly original adaptation will make you think as well as enthral and entertain you.

A good example, along with Kurosawa's "Ran", of the continuing universality of Shakespeare. You can stick him in feudal Japan, you can take the dialogue out, you can do whatever you like, but in the end, you're still left with Shakespeare. Kurosawa knew this only too well--that there was more than enough room for his own sensibility, that he could not distort Shakespeare, but that Shakespeare could expand his cinematic art. "Throne of Blood" may be one of the most colorful black-and-white movies ever made, if that makes any sense. Kurosawa was a genius with the camera. There is always something wonderful to look at in every scene of every one of his movies. His attention to light, shadow, and most importantly, movement, puts him at the highest level of directors. His storytelling skill is just as strong as his technical skill. He is one of the very few directors--Hitchcock, Kubrick, Bunuel and maybe one or two others--who embodies all of the great characteristics of filmmaking. Directors who can be imitated but not duplicated, and certainly not surpassed. The new Criterion edition of this movie is definitive--as beautiful a print as I can imagine.