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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 |
 "Visual Treat"I read & heard so much about Akira's last masterpiece. I watched his earlier offering in the form of "Ran" & many of my friends told me that "Dreams" was heaps better as it's a more personal & heart-felt works of the Director. Compounded by the fact that this is also Akira's last work, I told myself that this is a must-have collector's item. When I watched this movie, I could understand why Steven Spielberg & Martin Scorcese liked Akira's work so much for its subtle & abstracted messages that screamed out quietly "Humanity". All the short stories were beautifully taken & at times, I would gaze at them with bewilderment. At times, the scenes seemed to drag on forever but perhaps, that's Akira's intention to captivate our attention through the protracted silence with anticipation. I found the experience exhilarating & puzzling at the same time. The only downside of this movie would be that the final four short stories all talked about the same topic, about our callous nature that eventually destroyed nature & civilisation. Furthermore, I questioned Akira's idea of using the same actor for different short stories. It's quite interesting to see Martin playing the part of Van Gogh instead of directing a movie. All I can say is that watch this movie with an open-mind. For visual treat, don't miss this but if you expect a fast pace & direct movie, you would be disappointed. A definite must-see for Akira's fan!  "A Brilliant Masterpiece!"A brilliant film. The movie is composed of eight dreams, however it flows very nicely, so there is never a sense of hesitation between each of the transitions. It was beautifully filmed and directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa and probably one of his best works ever. I highly recommend this film!  "Well filmed, but very heavy-handed"Dreams was very well filmed, but the message was horribly heavy-handed and not feasable. Being at one with nature is nice, but ignoring the realities of modern life and its luxuries is foolish. I was bored during the first half and offended during the second. "Powerful dreams"Eight dream-like stories that touches on everything from a childhood fantasy about a witnessing a fox wedding in the forest to post-apocalyptic nightmare of mutants and cannibals. Some very powerful stuff but a couple of episodes got too preachy when Mr. Kurosawa is exploring his nuclear-war anxieties. Some of my favorite pieces: The Tunnel: A weary Japanese officer is walking home from a POW camp at the end of WWII. On the road, he comes upon a dark gaping tunnel, from which the ghosts of his dead soldiers emerge and haunt his conscience. It is hard to forget the image and the sound of a platoon of dead soldiers marching with relentless military precision, gradually emerging from the inky depth of the tunnel like bad memories welling up unbidden. Sun Under the Rain: A boy ignores his mother's admonitions to stay in doors on a day when rain is falling on clear sunny sky. He ventures to the woods and witness an odd procession of fox spirits. It may sounds like fairy-tale yet the story takes a disquieting turn. The last images of a rainbow striding across a lush valley are beautiful almost beyond belief, but all that beauty is tempered by the uncertain fate of the little boy. Crows: An art lover step into Van Gogh's paintings. Your eyes will think they died and went to heaven. "A monumental waste of time"My first recommendation is to rent it first - undoubtedly it will not be what you expect, good or bad. This movie obviously has high production values, but the ultimate message of "one with nature" is really rather cheesily portrayed. The same characters are seen in all the different episodes, which lessens the effect, and the acting is on a low-budget level. Most of the time is spent watching people walk around and look around. The cinematography can be impressive, but so much time is spent on each scene, that after so many number of camera angles it isn't as effective. Some portions are so silly that I would be embarrassed to watch this with a group. For example, the "Fox wedding" has a bunch of people dressed up with "fox moustaches" and the like. Ultimately, the shortcomings make it too hard to enjoy and the whole effort is tiresome to sit through. |
