Talk:Throne of Blood

Comeuppance?

What is the wife's comeuppance, and how does she get it? - Bagel7 14:49, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

quote: "her long-supressed conscience has begun to plague her; she is haunted by visions of spots on her hands — the blood her husband has spilled largely at her instigation — and she eventually loses all contact with reality, tormented into madness by the guilt" - Darwinek 00:46, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

Source on T. S. Eliot's favorite film

Throne of Blood being T.S. Eliot's favorite film is often mentioned, but I can't find a source for his actually saying or writing that. For now I am adding a citation of a Guardian film review that repeats the claim, but it would be better to cite the original source. -- Meyer (talk) 03:04, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Since no direct sources have come to light, I have rephrased the article from saying the film was Eliot's favorite to was reputed to have been. -- Meyer (talk) 05:28, 24 September 2009 (UTC)

It's almost surely better to omit this reference entirely. What one poet was reputed to have though of the film is hardly of critical importance to the article. I'm cutting it.zadignose (talk) 03:00, 30 September 2015 (UTC)

Macduff

This article contradicts itself, saying at one point that there is no Macduff character, then claiming in the cast list that there is one. Which is correct? 92.3.96.98 (talk) 08:30, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

Reference has been provided Noriyasu is the Macduff analogue. Don't blink or you'll miss him. The mention you refer to that there's no Macduff used to be in the Plot section. That kind of analysis doesn't belong there; and in particular, that kind of unreferenced analysis doesn't belong anywhere. Ribbet32 (talk) 19:28, 10 December 2016 (UTC)

Incomprehensible gap in plot summary.

What's missing here? "... Washizu plans to tell Miki and his son about his decision at a grand banquet, but Asaji tells him that she is pregnant, which leaves him with a quandary concerning his heir, as now Miki's son has to be eliminated. During the banquet Washizu drinks sake copiously because he is clearly agitated, and at the sudden appearance of Miki's ghost, begins losing control..."

Washizu is planning to tell Miki something at a banquet, but is interrupted by the appearance of Miki's ghost... the beginning of the story strongly suggests that Miki is alive and present at this banquet, but now he's dead. If Miki mysteriously failed to show up at the banquet, or his absence was noted, or a murder plot was put in motion, it should be mentioned here.zadignose (talk) 01:53, 30 September 2015 (UTC)

"110 minutes"?

My BFI DVD of the film is 105 minutes (the website rounds down to 104 minutes) -- is there a longer cut of the film somewhere? (I am aware that it's possible the current text of the article is based on slightly slowed bootleg copies online or the like. Such uploads are, of course, not a reliable source; the BFI DVD would be better, but ideally we would have a book or other such source that explicitly discusses the discrepancy, especially given that modern books are likely to just get their info from here.) Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 09:34, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

WP:EPICFAIL - Why does this editor not only refuse to perform a simple google search but also remove the comment which would have provided a rapid and decisive conclusion to his or her imaginary quandary? If this editor finds the archive.org link unacceptable, the film is available to watch legally and within copyright protections on various sources such as Google Play - 109 minutes, Amazon Prime - 109 minutes, BFI player - 110 minutes, Kanopy - 109 minutes, iTunes - 109 minutes. Surely basic search engine competence should be a requirement for Wikipedia editors, no matter how lowly, in this age of abundant online information. HeyHoNonny (talk) 09:01, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

@HeyHoNonny: Please cite a reliable secondary source that explicitly says that my copy of the film that I paid money for is either sped up or cut to be the length it is and those copies you apparently found online (?) are the correct length. None of these primary sources you are linking to explicitly state that the film as published by Toho in 1957 was 110 minutes -- in fact, they explicitly support my assertion that there is a discrepancy, as the only one that says 110 (as opposed to 109) is the BFI -- the same one that previously put out a DVD that explicitly listed the run time as 104 minutes. Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 13:07, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Do a Google book search for the running time of the film. HeyHoNonny (talk) 23:08, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Per WP:RS and WP:V, that's not how these things work. Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 01:25, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

On the contrary, that is precisely how you should be researching this matter. Looking at your copy of the DVD is not. HeyHoNonny (talk) 03:52, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

NOR does not apply to my above talk page comments -- Wikipedians are, on the contrary, encouraged to be sceptical about article content, whether said scepticism is based on "instinct" or some other reasoning that would be unacceptable as a citation for inclusion in the article. Anyway, DVDs are just as usable as primary sources as streaming copies -- making a point on the talk page based on such a primary source is fine, but using other such primary sources while claiming they are reliable secondary sources and therefore trump primary sources is not. Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 05:59, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

BTW, I don't doubt that 110 is the "correct" number, since two separate Japanese DVD releases from 2018 and possibly 2015 (both primary sources) give that run time. But given the discrepancy between the Japanese sources that say 110, the American sources that tend to say 109, and the British sources that say 104 or 105, we really shouldn't be speculating over which sources are "right" without a single reliable source addressing the matter. Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 02:02, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

The 109 minutes run time is caused by rounding the exact running time down rather than to the nearest whole number. There is no "range of running times" for this film. DVDs have different running times from the original film depending on the TV coding system used. HeyHoNonny (talk) 03:52, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

There, was that so hard? Would you mind explaining why you chose to answer my question now rather than last Wednesday? Was it related to my directly editing the article as opposed to posting on the talk page? I was assuming that there was some reason for the discrepancy, and so rather than directly editing the article I asked here, but your above responses convinced me that there likely was no simple explanation. Hijiri 88 (聖やや) 04:57, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Throne of Blood/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: ErnestKrause (talk · contribs) 16:37, 28 May 2022 (UTC)

Review preparation may take a few days. Here are a few comments to start things going:

(1) There is a footnote in the lead section which is also covered in the Develeopment section. Is the doubled footnote needed in the lead section?

I'm removing the reference now, I left it there to remember where exactly I found the information on Tsuburaya, then when I used it in the production section I forgot that it was there. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 7:46, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

(2) There is a book about this film which does seem to appear anywhere in the footnotes: Throne of Blood, Film Classics, Robert N. Watson, Published by Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2020.

Ah yes I completely forgot to cite that book thanks. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 7:46, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

(3) Casting section in Development, the Noh acting in the Lady Macbeth part was important to Kurosawa. Was she casted because of her theatre background in Japan?

I've never read anything about that anywhere, how do you know about it? - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 7:46, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

"Yamada began learning nagauta and Japanese traditional dance from the age of six." The linked artiicles describe her background in general Japanese theater.

(4) Other Shakespeare films done by AK, others done by Toho, etc. ErnestKrause (talk) 16:37, 28 May 2022 (UTC)

My recall here is of the most recent version done by the Coen brothers, and the recent Fassbinder version from a few years back. Did any of them make comments about the AK version. The Coen brothers are usually good about acknowledging sources. Separate comments still in preparation. ErnestKrause (talk) 15:44, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

General review

(1) Not sure you need that 3rd paragraph in the lead section. It looks better as a 2 paragraph lead section by merging paragraph 2 and 3 in your version.

(2) The end of the Plot section I think needs to make something of the very graphic death scene; the arrow through his throat is almost iconic in cinema studies.

(3) Same in Filming section. That was not a "real arrow" which went through his neck. The special effects used for the arrow kill-shot needs some comment here and some citation.

(4) Crew section is separate from Development section, and it should be a stand alone section. It would be nice to have a Casting section in this article. There is enough biographical material on Mifune to fill in this information, at least for the lead actors. Did Mifune ever reflect on this film in his long list of interviews done during his long life?

I've only really ever seen the Crew section in Production, but I guess it would make sense to make it a separate section. As for the Casting section, I considered adding one before but there isn't much notable information on it, and it would likely end up consisting of one paragraph. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 9:43, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

(5) The filming section really looks more like a Set design discussion and might be titled better as Set design. You also mention the Special effects there which is normally covered as "Special effects". It would be nice if you could find something on the cinematographer to place in the Filming section after you separate out the "Set design" section and the "Special effects" section. Did he do other films with AK? Did AK give him special direction for any of the scenes in the film? You list the 'camera assistant'; is he the cinematographer?

Infomation on Kurosawa-Tsuburaya collaborations is really rare, Toho themselves didn't even credit Tsuburaya as special effects director on their official website. And Saitō was just an assistant camera operator from my understanding. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 9:54, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Cinematography by Asakazu Nakai.

(6) You mention the Criterion Collection version in the Release section. These usually have extensive special features and interviews included. Did you see this version of the DVD? Was there a voice-over available for audio comments during the viewing which Criterion Collection usually does in their releases.

I tried to get my hands on Criterion's DVD last year but it didn't arrive for whatever reason soo I had to rely on Madman's DVD since it was distributed in New Zealand. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 9:43, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Does the public library in New Zealand allow you to request a inter-library loan of the Criterion Collection version for free? Some public libraries seem to allow such services for free.

DVD's are getting harder to get due to most libraries in NZ not loaning them anymore and streaming services becoming more popular. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 10:50, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

(7) For the Reception section it seems that the Aggregator stats should go at the top of this section as is done in most Wikipedia film articles. Its a top notch film, and readers should see the aggregate number at the top.

(8) It seems that Watson covers more about the Impact of the film than the short section which you include in this article. The graphic violence of the closing death scene has influenced quite of few directors, and it seemed to set a course for the depiction of graphic violence in films which came after it. Another paragraph would be good to see here. ErnestKrause (talk) 17:04, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

(9) There appear to have been several co-writers for the film; did AK do other films with them? Hideo Oguni ... (screenplay) & Shinobu Hashimoto ... (screenplay) & Ryûzô Kikushima.

I know Hideo Oguni worked on 12 films with AK, Ryūzō Kikushima worked on 9, and Shinobu Hashimoto worked on about 8 of his films. Do you suggest mentioning them in the see also section? - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 10:43, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

(10) Here is the cinematographer and others for the film production. Do they all match up; are any worth elaboration? Music by Masaru Satô; Cinematography by Asakazu Nakai; Production Design by Yoshirô Muraki; Costume Design by Yoshirô Muraki; Makeup Department: Masanori Kobayashi ... makeup artist (as M. Kobayashi); Yoshiko Matsumoto ... hair stylist; Junjirô Yamada ... hair stylist; Production Management: Hiroshi Nezu ... production supervisor, Second Unit Director or Assistant Director; Yoshimitsu Banno ... assistant director (as Yoshimitsu Sakano). Are you sure these are not in the Watson book?

They are in the book, it's just the section should mainly be used for the notable ones not mentioned in the infobox, and as with most crew sections the director(s) are the only ones reused for it. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 10:46, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Interim note

I'm just noticing that this appears to be your first try at GAN, and that you have 2 other films you would like to promote as well being nominated at the same time. If you need some assistance, then let me know and I'll try to figure something out for this film. At present, the article seems to fall short of Rashomon (which is not a GA-article); its not as good as the AK Rashomon Wikipedia article, though you would like to have Thone of Blood promoted to GA-level. That means starting a Writing section and adding all the writers names, and in which order of AK collaborations they did Throne of Blood for each one of these 3 co-writers. Also, the Plot section must include your doing new changes there to accommodate the graphic violence scene at the end. Wikipedia does not censor Plot contents due to graphic violence if that is your concern. If you would like me to assist, I think I can get a copy of the Criterion Collection DVD version with the essay by Stephen Prince dedicated to this film, maybe as soon as by Wednesday or Thursday, and communicate relevant parts to you on this Talk page here. Do you want the article to move forward? Can you do the Writing section in the interim? ErnestKrause (talk) 23:43, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

I'm quite busy right now but in about 3 hours I'll be able to at least try to fulfill your requests, listen to the audio commentary on Youtube, and make it as good as Rashomon. - Eiga-Kevin2 (talk) 12:35, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

Let me know when its ready. The Rashomon Wikipedia article currently looks better than Throne of Blood. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:35, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Quickfail of article

Article has not received the edits needed to allow the GAN review to continue. The article is still at C-level with multiple issues even to get it to B-level. The article is still missing important content or contains much irrelevant material. The article should have some references to reliable sources, but still has significant problems and requires substantial cleanup. The article is somewhat useful to a casual reader, but would not provide a complete picture for even a moderately detailed study. Considerable editing is needed to close gaps in content and solve cleanup problems. When I provided the names of some of the crew for this film, for example, to be added into the article, the nominating editor added an atypical "Crew" section simply listing the names of the crew. The intention of my providing the names of some of the crew was meant for you to create a separate section for each of them in the Production section of the article and to look up some reliable sources to document what they did in the production of the film. You started this for the Writing, but the article still fall significantly short of B-level article standards. This is the editor's first nomination and this quickfail is made for purposes of encouraging the improvement of the article, possibly by requesting a peer review by an experienced Wikipedia editor, and it can be renominated after being improved first to B-level Wikipedia standards. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:36, 2 June 2022 (UTC)