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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 |
 "Fantastic, Visual Symphony!"I love this movie, Kurosawa is such a master, so able to bring life to the screen. His fantastic use of color and placement along with the mysteries of the ancient Japanese culture make for a delightful viewing experience. Very dreamlike in its progress, this movie follows the changes of Kurosawa's dreams from youth to old age.  ""Image Poetry""Nuggets of beauty. Polished marbles of untainted wide-eyed wonder. Frank, innocent, child-like eye for beauty. "pieces of dream" that can be stored away and held onto forever. Like wondrous capsules each containing a vivid memory. . . poetic memory. "Dreamy cinematic art..."A kaleidoscope of eight dreams where each dream leaves the audience with an open ending triggers thoughts and reflections shadowed by the audience's knowledge, values, and believes. The beauty of each dream offers several different meanings for each individual viewer, which provides personal impact on the audience. The dreams also present many similar notions, yet, each notion has its unique symbolism formed by the viewers own collective knowledge, beliefs, and values, which in the end offers an absolutely exceptional cinematic experience. "Masterpiece by the Master"The ageing creator of classics like Roshomon, Ran, The Seven Samaurai, and Throne of blood, treats us to a tour de force of directorial virtuosity. This visually stunning masterpiece consists of eight dreams with an environmental sub plot. The last of these, The Village of Watermills is one of the most moving pieces of art I have ever encountered. Everything about this film is perfect The costumes the colour balance, the forms and the music. Akira Kurasawa demonstrates why he is one of the greatest artists of all time  "DVD Review"Kurosawa's Dreams is a collection of short films that work as part of a whole, but like all collections some films are far inferior then others. The film is Kurosawa's most personal and several segments are a bit heavy handed and indulgant. The segments that worked for me were among the best of Kurosawa. The Peach Orchard with its mysterious mood and breathtaking color is a highlight. The Tunnel with a powerful performance by the actor playing the officer is a strong and simple reflection on war. Crows is a stunning segment that recreates and uses effects to lead its character through the paintings of Van Gogh. The weakest segment is Mount Fuji in Red which uses poor special effects to tell an awkward cautionary tale. The other segments are intermitantly interesting, but really aren't that striking. If it was anyone else the film would be a masterpiece, but for someone of the caliber of Kurosawa it is simply good. Video: If you enjoy the film or are a Kurosawa collector you are in for a treat with this stunning transfer of the film. It is very sharp and clean with good detail in the shadows. What knocked my socks off was the color which is rendered beautifully. It is absolutely gorgeous. A great transfer. Sound: Very good with nice separation and kick on the music and sound effects. Extras: Nothing not even a trailer, although there is a nice Kurosawa filmography with a cool menu. I would have liked to see a documentary on the making of the Crows segment. The package is poor, only a half plastic case with cardboard cover. The side clip leaves an idention and mark on the cover picture. This didn't get the Warner two disc packaging with slip case. The two disc Warner packages don't have a clip so the cover isn't damaged, too bad they don't package single discs like this. |
