The main actor is Toshiro Mifune, who plays the general Washatsu in the play, equivalent to Macbeth in Shakespeare's play. Lady Macbeth, also known as Washatsu's wife Asakusa, is played by Isuzu Mita.
The story tells that Washizu and Miki returned from the victory and returned to the main city (that is, the spider nest city, the surrounding forest is called the spider foot forest, implying that it is like a labyrinth) to receive the reward. Passing through the Spider's Foot Forest, lost his way, and met a witch, who predicted that Washu would first become the lord of Beicheng City, and then become the lord of the city, while Miki would be promoted to the lord of the first city; Miki's son would be the next generation of lords. After they returned to the main village, they were really given important tasks. The witch's words came true. Washatsu told his wife, Asakusa, the prophecy, and Asakusa cowardly and single-handedly planned Shi-kun of Washatsu. The filming of Killing the King was quite smooth and completed in one go. The performance was performed using the performance style of Japanese Noh Opera, and the scene was like a Noh Opera stage. It is worth mentioning that Asakusa's expressionless inciting husband to kill the king is in stark contrast with the subsequent arrangement of Shi-jun's various links in a calm and unhurried manner. Toshiro Mifune's performance is also very commendable. His hesitation, greed, stupidity and panic are three-pointed, and he holds a long sword with blood-stained hands. The scene of thieves catching thieves is also deeply in my heart. mind.
Afterwards, Washatsu proclaimed himself the lord of Spider Nest City and planned to get rid of Miki. Miki's son escaped and defected to the rebels. Soon to attack the spider nest city. The soldiers in the city were talking and panicking. Washatsu's six gods have no masters, and Asakusa is also in trouble due to the stillbirth of the fetus, and he has no way to advise him. So he rode his horse to the Spider's Foot Forest, and called out the witch in the rain to predict the outcome of the war. The witch prophesies that Washatsu will not fail as long as the Forest of Spider Feet does not move. Washatsu believed in this prophecy, believing that the victory was in sight, and inspired the soldiers with the witch's prophecy. The re-encounter with the witch in the rainstorm is also a highlight of the film. The frantic rainstorm, the forest in the fog, and the exaggerated ghosts strongly stimulate the audience's audiovisual. Under the bewitched by the ghosts, Washatsu completely lost his true nature, and swore to the surrounding monsters that blood would flow into rivers and bones would become mountains as the fruit of victory as a memorial.
Unexpectedly, the forest actually began to move, attacking in the direction of Spider's Nest City in the mist (this is actually an illusion caused by the opponent's army tying trees to horsebacks and people as cover). The army in the spider city was distraught, and the soldiers aimed their arrows at Shi-jun's treasonous Washatsu. Washatsu pierced his heart with arrows; Asakusa was also severely injured by the stillbirth of the fetus and went mad. Just like what the old Noh performer sang at the banquet in Washizu: In ancient times, those who rebelled against the monarch Shi will be killed. This is what happens to the betrayer and the greedy. In this last scene, the most commendable thing is that Toshiro Mifune was pierced by random arrows in his heart, and finally was pierced by an arrow in his throat. Terrifying, and therefore unforgettable. And the scene where Asakusa kept washing his hands and trying to wash the blood off his hands was also maddening. The resolute Asakusa died, leaving only the shell of a panicked ugly woman with messy hair and two terrifying ghost eyebrows.
Washatsu, played by Toshiro Mifune, is suspicious and stupid. His wife, Asakusa, is ambitious and is the decision maker and helper who prompted Washatsu to fulfill the witch's prophecy. She is just as daring as the heroine Mrs. Kaede in Kurosawa Akira's other movie "Ran", but Mrs. Kaede implements madness. Asamao pushed himself and her husband into the abyss of sin entirely with his own selfish desires.
The set of the film is very unique, always filled with clouds and mist, and sets various mysterious characters such as witches and ghosts, making the film full of a dark and eerie atmosphere. At the beginning of the movie, Washizu and Miki lost their way in the forest and met the witch, they were moved into "Wuji" by Chen Kaige, that is, the episode where Guangming got lost and met Manshen. But look at the real masterwork! Akira Kurosawa took this "lost" experience, which is both magical and evil, very layered: dense forest + dense fog + panicked horse running, creating a realistic and psychological maze mood.
The arrangement of the roles is also very clear. Although there are many characters in the play, the center of the stage is only Washatsu Asakusa. The demon in the film doesn't appear many times, but because of its terrible makeup (all of which is pale) and weird singing, reading, and laughing, it becomes the third protagonist of the play. Some film critics compared it to "Seven Samurai", thinking that Spider Nest is restrained and Seven Samurai is open. There is a layer of meaning in terms of the simplicity and complexity of the character arrangement and the simplicity of the storyline. Spider Nest City is a simple and powerful clue running through the end, while the Seven Samurai is the plot of the protagonists layer upon layer... This is my superficial understanding.
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