Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, based on Macbeth, tells the story of the power hungry warlord Washizu Taketoki. If you don't know the story of Macbeth, be warned that I give away the entire plot in the next sentence.
As prophesied by a witch in the forest, Washizu rises to become the high lord of the realm by killing those who trust him, and then falls, handing the kingdom over to his hated enemy with whom his former friend's son has joined forces. Though Washizu commits evil deeds he is goaded to action by his wife who is the truly power-hungry member of the family.
The cinematography is beautiful, and the fear on the face of Washizu - as played by Toshirō Mifune - is palpable. The Wikipedia page linked above has fascinating tales of the production of the film including Washizu's death by archers which was filmed with real arrows shot by choreographed archers "to help Mifune produce realistic facial expressions of fear." I think I'd rather just act scared, than actually fear for my life.
The minimalism of the fortresses in which they live are in stark contrast to anything we would see on screen today. The only object in a room besides the actors might be a mat on which to sit, or worse, a wall splattered in blood. The fortresses were built on Mt. Fuji to achieve a barren landscape drenched in fog. It makes even a cheerful moment when riders come to announce success in battle creepy.
I know I was supposed to take the witch pronouncing the fate of Washizu seriously: Greek oracles, getting caught in one's own web, and all that. Alas, all I could bring to mind as she foretold that the trees of the forests would move before he would fall in battle was Sky Masterson's advice:
One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to show you a brand-new deck of cards... [and] offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out... and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not accept this bet, because as sure as you stand there, you're going to wind up with an ear full of cider.If the witch tells you that the forests will walk before you are felled in battle, watch out for marching forests! Not that avoiding cider-spitting Jacks saved Laius, Jocasta and Oedipus, but Washizu does seem to stumble into fate rather too easily once he thinks only moving forest will fell him. Perhaps by this point the blood is too heavy upon his hands.