Dreams (DVD, 2009)

Although not the flawless masterpiece everyone claims it to be, Kurosawa's Dreams is a strong final statement from the brilliant Japanese director. Although he would continue to make films after Dreams, this is the closest Kurosawa came to creating a masterpiece that rivals his best work. Consisting of 8 segments, Dreams is almost like a series of interconnected short films using variations on a theme.

Although the writing and all the performances aren't quite up to Kurosawa's best, they don't diminish the poetic power of this wonderful film. In many respects, the ruminations on man's place in the world, our finite existence and our poor understanding of our surroundings make this Kurosawa's most personal film. Often overlooked by film fans, Dreams is finally getting its due now that it has become available in the superior DVD format. The videotape couldn't do justice to the fine compositions and beautiful use of color. Kurosawa's strength as a director was always his carefully cultivated use of the visual as narrative. What we see and how we organize it visually, makes up the narrative of our lives just as strongly as what we say and do.

The support of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (no matter how you feel about their films and careers)is what allowed Kurosawa to remain vital and creative towards the end of his life. When many in the Japanese film industry had turned their back on this master film director, Lucas and Spielberg (along with Scorsese)allowed him to make a number of minor and major films at the end of his career.

Pick up Dreams -- you won't regret visiting Kurosawa's world.

Akira Kurosawa is a director whose body of work will stand the test of time and be a monument to his greatness. Dreams is a collection of eight different episodes and each is visually stunning. Though beautiful, Dreams is rather slow paced and definately not for everyone. You come away with images, but little else as the film lacks cohesiveness and substance. This anthology is not the format that allows Kurosawa to not only paint a beautiful picture, but to tell a compelling story which is Dreams' inherent weakness. I am an adoring fan of Kurosawa and would give my highest recommendation to "Ran" which may be the greatest film of the 20th Century.