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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 |
 "Beautiful stories. Beautiful Images."One of the most beautiful pieces of film I have ever seen. The images and colors linger in the mind long after the movie is over. "In Memory of Genius"Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, a title I take literally, is the best way to remember the visual and narrative genius that was Kurosawa. Each of the eight vignettes manages a narrative coherency as well as a definite aesthetic. It's not hard to see Kurosawa's past as a painter here, through the vibrant and dramatic imagery. It is powerful, beautiful, and poignant on a theological and social level, without being esoteric and high minded. Everyone should take the time to see this, and rejoice that it's been re-released at last. "Truly a Beautiful Film"I saw this film about three years ago and have never forgotten it. It is one of my favorite films not only because of the settings but because the stories are wonderful. The stages of the Peach Tree is my favorite simply because of the wonderful imagination it betrays. This truly is a breath-taking film!  "Kurosawa brings his dreams into reality"I made the mistake of making this the first Kurosawa movie that I saw. For those who have yet to experience his films, I urge that you hold off viewing this until you see most of his older films. I really don't think that this film works very well. The three best stories are "Red Fuji", where a nuclear power plant meltdown leaves some terrified survivors; the one where a traveler stumbles across a nuclear-mutated demon (one assumes this is a direct sequel to "Fuji"); and the last one, in my opinion, the most beautifully filmed, "Village of the Watermills". In it, an old man preaches to a young traveler about life and death. Like the ones I mentioned, the other stories have excellent cinematography (maybe the best Kurosawa has ever done -- what with the vibrant colors and sweeping landscapes), but the problem is, the overall experience is too disorienting. Kurosawa had difficult getting this one made and had to call for help from George Lucas (who's Industrial Light & Magic did the special effects) and Steven Spielberg. It's clear why, because studios had difficulty understanding the unity of it. Many of Kurosawa's hard-core fans enjoy this film, but I personally didn't find it to be all that exciting. "Stunningly beautiful and unfathomably deep."Dreams is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. This series of non-linear vignettes contains a flurry of lessons, each building upon one another to the point of dismanteling itself in a very Taoist fashion. Each episode is self contained, but still relative to every other one. Each time you watch it a new lesson is learned and new imagery revealed. |
