Donald Richie notes that one of the reasons why Macbeth appealed to Kurosawa was that he saw in it the opportunity to create a mixture of the two essential styles of Japanese film, that of the film that looked to the past, and that of the film that looked to the contemporary scene:
In Macbeth, Kurosawa saw a contemporary issue--a parallel between medieval Scotland and medieval Japan which illuminated contemporary society; and, further, a pattern which is valid in both historical and contemporary contexts (Richie 115).
When asked what philosophical questions he explores in his films, Kurosawa answered,
I look at life as an ordinary man. I simply put my feelings onto film. When I look at Japanese history--or the history of the world for that matter--what I see is how man repeats himself over and over again (Richie 115).
Jack J. Jorgens notes some of the themes embodied in Throne of Blood and how they relate to the source material. He calls the film "a highly formal work with images of great force and beauty" (Jorgens 153) and states that it is a blending of the samurai film with the conventions of Japanese painting and Noh drama. He also notes how Kurosawa has altered the language of the film while retaining its essential thematic meaning and also accomplishing this in a cinematic way:
Kurosawa has stripped the poetry from the lines and infused it in the movements of characters and camera, contrasting settings and costumes, and beautifully composed images (Jorgens 153).
Jorgens, Jack J. "Defining Macbeth: Schaefer, Wells, and Kurosawa." Shakespeare on Film. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1977.
Richie, Daniel, The Films of Akira Kurosawa. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1984.
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