Film

Throne of Blood Plays at the Met

Samurai cinema

by Helen Cooper   |   Nov 12, 2009

Throne of Blood Plays at the Met

 

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A museum’s primary objective is as a “depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value” according to the dictionary nestled between a collection of short stories and graphic novel on my book shelf. An art museum is often thought of as only containing paintings, prints, sculpture and other traditional mediums of artistic expressions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is dedicated to highlighting the inclusivity of the definition, and has included the medium of film in its hallowed halls.

Airing Friday, December 4th at 6:00 pm at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, Throne of Blood (1959) will be shown as an accompanying piece in conjunction with the exhibition “Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156–1868,” October 21, 2009–January 10, 2010. The film, the final of three classic samurai films by Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998), one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers and the master of the genre. Star Toshiro Mifune’s unparalleled performance still defines for Western audiences the essence of what it meant to be a samurai.

Throne of Blood at The Met is not only a diversification the definition of art, but a one–of–a–kind opportunity for art lovers to discover a historical time period and group of people through the muli–lensed perspective of multiple mediums. Throne of Blood will be introduced by Donald J. La Rocca, Curator, Department of Arms and Armor.

For more information or to purchase tickets to this or any event at The Met, please visit www.metmuseum.org.