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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 |
 "It's 1.85:1."I just examined a 35mm print, and can confirm that fellow reviewer P.A.G. Fessel and the IMDB have wrong information about the aspect ratio. This film was composed for the 1.85:1 ratio, and that is the way it was shown theatrically. I have submitted a correction to the IMDB. Not one of Kurosawa's best in my opinion, anyway. Still often quite fascinating.  "My favorite Dream"Visit heaven on earth in the last segment: "The Village of the Watermills." "a big step down for a giant"This is definitely not one of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces. As its title suggests, the movie is a loose series of dream-like vignettes that echo some of the themes in AK's previous films, with stylized bits of autobiography tossed in. These "dreams" are arranged in rough chrono-biological order, from childhood to manhood to old age; in between we get scenes of war and environmental catastrophe. Sprites, ghosts, and demons abound. The supernatural elements are reminiscent of Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, from which Kurosawa probably lifted his Snow Maiden episode. Sure, there are some striking images painted in gorgeous hues, but the whole affair is curiously uninvolving. It's also painfully didactic. Two of the dreams, "Red Fuji" and "Weeping Demon", are dated, simplistic, Cold War-era anti-nuke polemics that reminded me of nothing so much as those cheesy Godzilla flicks, minus the campy fun. (Perhaps the cheesy effects are Kurosawa's little tribute to his former AD, Inoshiro Honda, who directed the original Godzilla.) The last dream, "Watermill Village", starring the usually subtle and superb Chishu Ryu, is a kitschy luddite fantasy about the perfect little ecotopian village. Okay, I'll admit that this quaint little "village" is the epitome of bucolic loveliness (in real life--as opposed to "reel" life--it's a popular tourist trap, part of the large Daio wasabi farm in Nagano prefecture). But Ryu's wise-old-man schtick is just too damn corny and preachy in this scene. The upshot of all these dreams is: science and technology are bad (mmmkay?), modern man is arrogant and stupid, we should return to medieval village life and learn to live in harmony with Mother Nature. Kindergarten Taoism, in other words. The sophomoric, heavy-handed Dreams is such a comedown from Kurosawa's wonderfully subtle, multi-faceted masterpieces of the '50s and '60s. Frankly, this simple-minded bagatelle is a little embarrassing coming from the towering cinematic genius who gave us Ikiru, Seven Samurai, and Red Beard. Someone should have told Kurosawa that only Freudian shrinks want to hear about other people's dreams.  "A feast for the eyes"This is definitely one title I would love to see in HD as it's beautifully shot and composed (featuring classic "bookend" framings). The use of color is masterful and the stories themselves are captivating. I quite liked Scorsese as Van Gogh with attitude. Watch this one on as large a screen you can - you'll see why. "Some of it is SO pretty..."Look, AK was an old fart when he made this film. He didn't have to be be a trailblazer or a rabble rouser anymore. Sometimes, it looks like he just had extra ideas to throw out and Spielberg and Lucas were gonna finance most of it so....cool. I can watch about half of the episodes and just sit in RAPTURE. I can watch about half of the episodes and say ...."WHAAAAAH ??" My favorite is the "Peach Orchard" with the gorgeous colors and the idea of the beauty of the past falling before the realism of the present. Hey, he makes a case darnit, and I happen to have grown up in an area where TREES actually meant something in my life,my mind,and my temperment. I miss certain mulberry, willow, and oak trees much as I miss my grandmother and my grandfathers. Of course, I can watch the "Snow Goddess" episode and be entranced by the idea, but stunned by the cheesiness of the fake snow....did I miss something? Is this the same AK who made those arrows fly so convincingly around that guy's head (and neck) in "Throne of Blood"? Did I actually see a building burn at the end of "Ran"? I own this DVD and I love to show it to my friends but I sometimes worry about the heavy-handedness of the dead soldiers in the tunnel episode...emotional yes, but I think I saw Rod Serling do it to better effect with cheaper cinematography on '50's TV. I am glad I own this DVD and I am also glad that I can skip episodes according to my mood. I will always watch the "Peach Orchard" and I will always revel in the pastoral beauty of the closing episode with the waterwheel....Ippolitov-Ivanov provides the musical background...I think it is from "Caucasion Dances No. 12". The music is gorgeous. If you can't find it look for a Rimsky-Korsakov compilation...his student usually shows up on there somewhere. If you can buy this for under $20 do it and enjoy the beauty of the film.... Oh yeah, Scorcese is a hoot in the magnificent "Crows" episode. His take on Van Gogh is precious and insightful. |
