© 2002 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title: The Throne Of Blood
Japanese Title: Kumonosu jo
CD Label: Toho Music Corporation
CD Number: AK-0003
Music by: Masaru Satoh
Number of tracks: 45
Running time: 67:05
Number of discs: 1
Year of release/manufacture: 2001

REVIEW

April 07, 2002

This 1957 film is Kurosawa's masterful retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth set in medieval Japan and is also one of my favorite Kurosawa films.

The music here is mostly dark and slow probably due to the subject matter. There is a smattering of nicely done action pieces mixed throughout the CD. A number of tracks also have a suspense type theme to them. There are also many very short tracks of 30 seconds or less on this disc. While this music works great in the film and helps bring out the great performances, it's not a great body of music to listen to as stand alone music. Again, for material from a movie made over 40 years ago, Toho has done a great remastering job and made this a very good sounding disc.

The Throne Of Blood (Kumonosu jo)

Track translations courtesy of Jolyon Yates!

  1. Titles
  2. War Drum
  3. Light
  4. Rush
  5. Old Woman of the Straw Hut (unused)
  6. It Strangely Disappears
  7. Ancient Battlefield
  8. Wandering in Fog
  9. Fireside
  10. Disturbing Coincidence
  11. Northern Castle
  12. Hunting Contest
  13. Provocation ~ Separation
  14. Prisoner of Delusion
  15. Promotion
  16. Horrid Feeling
  17. Crazed Dance
  18. Confused Position
  19. Line of Great Lords at the Funeral
  20. Entry of the War Castle
  21. Conception (original version)
  22. Conception (film version)
  23. To Its Strange Cause (unused)
  24. Phantom Warrior
  25. The Great Army Comes
  26. Great Army 1 (tympani)
  27. At War, Smiling (unused)
  28. Great Army 2 (tympani)
  29. A Sign
  30. Spiderhand Forest Moves 1
  31. Spiderhand Forest Moves 2
  32. Great Army 3 (tympani)
  33. Ending

    BONUS TRACKS

  34. Titles (without gong)
  35. Titles (with gong)
  36. It Strangely Disappears (copy music 1)
  37. It Strangely Disappears (copy music 2)
  38. Wandering in Fog (strings)
  39. Wandering in Fog (bass strings)
  40. Wandering in Fog (rhythmic)
  41. Line of Great Lords at the Funeral (no drums dub)
  42. Line of Great Lords at the Funeral (rhythmic)
  43. Spiderhand Forest Moves 1 (turned around)

    BONUS TRACKS: ALTERNATIVE TAKES

  44. Titles (alternative take)
  45. Hard Ride (alternative take)