MovieChat Forums > Kumonosu-jô (1961) Discussion > question about the kurosawa's use of fog

question about the kurosawa's use of fog

posted 20 years ago by kojima2
10 replies | jump to latest

In Throne of Blood, what does the fog symbolize and how does it relate to the story or to washizu's character(or flaw)?

I'm not really good with symbolism, so could someone please answer.

[–] crushkilldestroy 20 years ago

fog usually symbolizes uncertainty. shakespeare's macbeth is generally about turmoil and the loss of differences between good and evil.

[–] lordsakana 20 years ago

Fog can also represent the noncorporeal and the fact that in this case Washizu's destiny is predetermined. The apparition that appeared to both men and told them of their destinies is also with them in the form of fog.

[–] lupinemadness 20 years ago

It's also great for atmosphere.

Are you denying the snazzy of that?

[–] Fatt_Abbot 19 years ago

you could probably also say it relates to scotland, covered in fog, as that is where macbeth took place originally

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Flint32 19 years ago

also, it references one of the most famous lines from the play
"fair is foul and foul is fair,hover through the fog and filthy air"
spoken by one of the witches in the 1st scene.

[–] fozzypettodipollo 19 years ago

In Prince's book on Akira Kurosawa he states that nature plays a confucian role in the film and is not as much psycological as it is a represntation of the morality of the ruler's descions

[–] the_wainman 19 years ago

Prince wrote a book about Kurosawa? That sounds like something I wanna read.

http://www.ymdb.com/travis-wainman/l32005_ukuk.html?addMovie=0137523

[–] Gregoire-2 18 years ago

Fog also appears in a lot of Japanese films that are invested in the supernatural. Ugetsu is probably the greatest example. I think its just an atmospheric device, with many of the symbolic meanings mentioned in this thread. And nobody can film it more beautifully than Kurosawa. The scene with the moving trees is haunting.

[–] Glamdring-The-Foe-Hammer 18 years ago

Any one else find it went on too long? The scene with Miki and Washizu went on FOREVER. Its like ok I get it already they are riding in the fog. They seriously spent like 20 minutes or more of the movie just showing people riding around in the fog.