In the spring of 2011 the McKelvy scholars were invited to join members of the Arts and Theater departments in seeing a production that adapted Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood for the stage. Directed by Ping Chong, the adaptation was certainly something that we experienced. Partly inspired by this, and by my own previous exposure to Kurosawa’s films, I decided to host a film screening this past February.
For the film screening I chose a double-feature of Throne of Blood (1957) and Rashomon (1950), both films directed by Akira Kurosawa. Throne of Blood is a retelling of Shakespeare’s MacBeth, set in feudal Japan. Rashomon meanwhile centers on the trial of a local bandit for the murder of a samurai and rape of his wife. By showing the events as told by each of the witnesses, Kurosawa’s contradicting narratives allow us to explore the nature of crime and justice.
The event was very successful, thanks in part to the projector borrowed from Events Planning, the attendance of the Lafayette Anime Club (even though both films were live action), and the pizza we ordered from Sicily II.