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Akira Kurosawa's Dreams Actors: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baisho Directors: Ishirô Honda, Akira Kurosawa Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 120 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-03-18 Buy from Amazon |
 "The first kurosawa movie I saw, and still my favorite"Probably the most continually awe-inspiring film I have ever seen. I first saw it in the theatres when I was a child, and every time I rewatch it I am amazed yet again. Do yourself a favor and try to find the laserdisc version of this movie (and a laserdisc player!), it will change your life. There are simply no other movies this could be compared too, or any other work of art for that matter. Even after all the other Kurosawa films I've enjoyed, this remains his masterpiece in every way. "Kurosawa!"This is possibly my favorite film, and without a doubt has the most amazing cinematography in history. DO NOT make this the first Kurosawa film you see! You won't understand! "Akira Kurosawa: Dreams"This has to be without a doubt one of the most beautifully filmed movies I have ever seen. I think the visuals alone are a reason to own this movie. Admittedly I didn't understand the meaning behind all the stories, but that did not hinder my enjoyment of this film. Yes, it is a little slow moving, and if you don't like subtitles athen this is not a movie for you. However, give it a try, you may be greatly surprised. Also look for Martin Scorcese in the fifth story. "One of the greatest movies of my life"I saw this movie when I was 12. It was on HBO, I think, and though some might think a 12-year old boy wouldn't be interested in watching a foreign film, I was entranced. Anything about Japan just seems to draw me, but anyway... at that age I was listening to the Three Tenors. I remember distinct parts to the movie... the peach orchard, the female spirit helping the near-dead mountaineers, the walk through Van Gogh's paintings, the bomb.... and the encounter afterwards between a human being and a man mutated by the radiation of the blast. A lot of this moved me, and it inspired me into writing one of my earliest poems which I used for an assignment in school. This is both a visually and spiritually compelling movie,....................  "Beautiful and faithful, also slow and not linear plot"This movie is a transferral directly from the realm of dreams to the realm of screens. The challenges of how to faithfully render a dream world on film would seem to me to be quite hard to overcome, yet Kurosawa creates magic on the screen. The film can be slow as some dreams are less intriguing than others, however that only accentuated its veracity, as some dreams run away with you, and some dreams get stuck in a rut or a circle, and most dreams are frought more with anxiety than with plot. Even the dreams I didn't enjoy so much seemed familiar to me as I was able throughout to see and hear the images and symbols and characters as if I were dreaming them up in my head and not just seeing them on a screen. The execution does not at all seem effortless, but nevertheless perfect and brilliant. Dreams have a way of symbolizing something surreal within you. That is what this film invites you to do, delve into your own subconscious - to find the meaning of the dreams, to find a subconscious connection between yourself and Kurosawa, and with all of humanity. The cinematography is beautiful. The imagery is chilling. The music is perfectly selected to contribute to the film. The stylized movement enchantingly expert. If you enjoy movies such as Jacob's Ladder, Ran, or other movies that use film imagery as an art, if you have a tolerance or even enjoyment of symbolic material, you must watch this film. Be forewarned, some of the scenes toward the end get a little preachy, which is a clumsy addition to an otherwise wonderful and magnificent film. Now I will indulge and say The Peach Orchard was enchanting and delivering and The Tunnel was grippingly powerful. |
