Movie Description
Akira Kurosawa's DREAMS consists of eight short films based on actual dreams of the director. The first sequence, "Sunshine Through the Rain," features a young boy sneaking off into the forest on a rainy day to watch a procession of enchanted foxes. In "The Peach Orchard," a slightly older boy witnesses tree spirits performing a delicate dance. Weary travelers in "The Blizzard" face the elemental wrath of a snow enchantress, while "The Tunnel" finds a military officer haunted by the ghosts of his dead regiment. In "Crows," an art aficionado literally walks into the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh (played by Martin Scorsese). "Mount Fuji in Red" and "The Weeping Demon" are both fantastical cautionary tales about the hazards of nuclear power. Finally the gentle "Village of the Watermills" brings the film to a quiet, pastoral end.
A highly personal project, DREAMS evinces its labor-of-love atmosphere in every sequence. As with all Kurosawa productions, each short film is meticulously designed and beautifully photographed. While many of the middle sequences are eerie and surreal, the first two films and the finale ("Sunshine Through the Rain," "The Peach Orchard," and "Village of the Watermills") are gorgeously lush and serene.
| Credits | | Cast: | Akira Terao, Chishu Ryu, Martin Scorsese, Mieko Harada |
Notes
Theatrical release: May 15, 1990.
DREAMS was the first film Akira Kurosawa wrote entirely by himself. He was 80 years old at the time of filming.
Directors Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg assisted Kurosawa in getting Warner Brothers to fund DREAMS. In addition, Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic provided certain visual effects, and Spielberg served as the film's executive producer.
Ishirô Honda, the creator of Godzilla, served as a creative consultant on the film. When Honda passed away in 1993, Kurosawa delivered his eulogy.
Director Martin Scorsese plays Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh in the "Crows" sequence. Oddly enough, Scorsese portrays Van Gogh while speaking in English with a New York accent.
DREAMS was initially conceived with 10 episodes in mind. However, only eight were eventually shot for the finished feature. One of the unfilmed sequences involved flying and was rejected as being "unrealizable."
In the "Village of the Watermills" episode, 84-year-old actor Chishu Ryu was made up to look 103 years old.
Editorial Reviews
"...[Kurosawa's] swansong..."
Le Fanu
"...AKIRA KUROSAWA'S DREAMS contains some of the most beautiful images ever conceived by the man who is widely regarded as the world's greatest living director..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (08/24/1990)
"...[The tales'] awesome visual beauty encourages a degree of patience that's usually well rewarded..."
Entertainment Weekly - Mike Flaherty (03/21/2003)
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
