Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
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Movie Reviews of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
Movie Review: Kurosawa's Dreams: Well meditated yet nearly perfect dreamlike narratives
Summary: 5 Stars
With the title, Kurosawa has blurred the distinction between "dreams" and "nightmares" in this ensemble. In fact, majority of what Kurosawa explores here are nightmares than dreams: the aftermath of nuclear explosions (twice), aftermath of a war, deforestation, and the likes. Some "dreams" have explicit messages (Nuclear Aftermaths, The Village of Watermills,) some have implicit messages or just good as first rate narratives (Sun under the rain, the Van Gogh dream - excellent use of CGI in the latter). Excellent cinematography.
What is consistently noticeable in all the narrations here is how quickly Kurosawa sets up the background and gets to the main theme, and how natural those backdrops are to the story! A violently barking dog, at the entrance of a dark tunnel and the General walking into it is the backdrop for the "Tunnel". In about five/seven minutes, this impeccable set up done, and Kurosawa rolls on with the episode. It is left to your imagination whether the dog went and got the dead solider who does not seem to believe he is dead, or that the soldier appeared on his own. Then the entire battalion of dead soldiers the General had ordered to the battle, all needing to be convinced that they are dead, arrive at the scene! When the General convinces them all that they are dead, and as the sound of their boots marching backwards fades into silence, you are left wondering whether the General actually saluted them or was he really apologizing to them for the stupidity of the war, the responsibility he bore for their death.
The dog appears barking at the General again - perhaps the soldiers, as it is their Tannysonean duty to not question the General, did not dispute the consequence of his order, but the dog has no such obligations and is judging the General without prejudice!?
This is yet another nightmare that Kurosawa calls a "dream"! This is one of the best in the collection.
On the downside, at places - though very few such instances abound - Kurosawa seems to lose control of the narration. For example, in the Watermills dream, the vocal narration (dialog) tends to drag on and overshadow the effect of the visuals. Even showing the old man and the visitor from different angles to capture the Nature around them would have added additional value. The nearly still camera adds to the monotony of the situation as the old man goes into a long conversation. "Village of the Watermills" is probably the lowest ranking one among all the episodes in the ensemble.
Some dreams seem to end prematurely - Kurosawa seems to deliberately not make statements where he easily could have. But then they are supposed to be dreams and the endings of dreams are abrupt! And with such strong story line backed up by such narration, he does not need separate statements - the narration is the statement!
Movie Review: One of the 10 best films of all time
Summary: 5 Stars
This is perhaps a tough film to review because it is highly personal in nature, being composed of the dreams of its author; however, being highly personal does not mean it lacks universality, in fact quite the contrary. Akira Kurosawa is widely recognised as one of the greatest film makers of the twentieth century, i.e. in film-making history. He himself described this film - and I paraphrase from memory - as the film he had always wanted to make, his ultimate and best film. I do not believe that this is because the particular story-lines in the film were so important but because using the medium of dreams, Kurosawa was able to delve into a level of storytelling far deeper than much of his previous work and explore further subtleties of texture, nuance, psychology, colour, mood and so on. That said, the themes and stories on the surface are of interest because they evoke quintessentially Japanese pre and post war issues, also the perceptions of childhood, of adulthood, of facing death, of nostalgia. However, using the medium of a dream, Kurosawa can penetrate deep into the heart of each vignette to give us unsurpassably lovely and profound entries into the heart of particular moods, for ultimately this is what each story is: a very profound, almost sub-consciously- inhabited mood piece. Both in esoteric buddhism and Shinto, with both of which Kurosawa was culturally familiar to say the least, moods can be regarded as the gateway into the central channel of enlightenment; in other words, rather than avoid feelings and passions in order to engender peace or purity, instead you dive into their turbulent waves to thereby enter the deeper, silent ocean of awareness beneath. This he does beautifully with each piece, and in fact once you connect with this dynamic, many of the stories lay open to fuller enjoyment, like a main course served up at a banquet. In nearly every piece there is an encounter with a world beyond the immediately perceived one, and yet linked in feeling, in mood, in terms of season, colour, surrounding, context and so on. And then the 'deity' of that particular landscape or situation emerges, either as the gods and goddesses of the peach tree orchard, the foxes in the forest, van Gogh, the ice storm deities or whatever, the deity being the quintessential expression of the mood freed from any burdens of being bound to everyday normalcy, function or timeframe - a pure expression. In essence, this film is a study - or teaching - in the union of awareness and emotion; as such it is incredibly precise, playful, artistic and profound. I urge anyone who has not seen it to do so. It is unquestionably one of the greatest masterpieces of cinematic art in history and will remain so for centuries, I suspect, long after many others have faded from memory.Movie Review: Kurosawa's Surreal and Deeply Personal Meditation
Summary: 5 Stars
Dreams is a profoundly personal film by a hugely significant filmmaker in the twilight of his career and life. Akira Kurosawa was a wonderful producer, director, and screenwriter who created great films for fifty years; including such classics as Ikiru and Rashomon. In fact, I would assert that there are arguably at least five films on Kurosawa's staggering resume that would be called masterpieces if created by even the most acclaimed filmmakers of today. Dreams was made in 1990 and was one of his last movies (his final film being Madadayo in 1993). It is important to note that I did not know who directed Dreams when I first saw it, but was just as impressed.
The film is apparently based on various dreams that Kurosawa had throughout his life. The first is Sunshine through the Rain and follows a young boy who witnesses a kitsune wedding. The second is called The Peach Orchard and takes place during Hina Matsuri or the Doll Festival. A boy's family cuts down their peach blossoms before the festival and dolls from his sister's collection become animated. The Blizzard follows snowbound survivors on a mountain whose will to live is tested by a mysterious female spirit. The Tunnel tells the story of a dead soldier returning from war. The Crows includes an appearance by Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh. This stunning vignette follows a Kurosawa-like character that travels in and out of Van Gogh's paintings. The nightmarish sequences include the apocalyptic Mount Fuji in Red and The Weeping Demon, which both no doubt touch on crucial cultural anxieties regarding nuclear technology. Finally, Village of the Watermills ends the film with death, but also with jubilant celebration of life in general. I'm tempted to assume this is just Kurosawa's subconscious literally translated to the screen.
The images in Dreams are carefully symbolic and although they don't form one message at large, it does provide broad lessons and general wisdom. It also provides some absolutely gorgeous cinematography. I found it refreshing, even for Kurosawa, that the film's primary mode of communication was its visuals. These images are beyond words but so few masters execute this medium flawlessly enough to actually pull that off. This is not for everyone but I highly recommend it to anyone anyway.
Movie Review: Some of Kurosawa's best late-period work
Summary: 5 Stars
Late in his life and career, Akira Kurosawa, whose star might have faded altogether were it not for the intervention of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola (both ardent fans), gained a new audience and a new respect with a series of visually stunning colour films. From 1975's saving grace "Dersu Uzala" to 1980's stunning "Kagemusha," 1985's harrowing "Ran", we arrived at this gem in 1990. Though I've long been a Kurosawa fan--starting with "Kagemusha"--I somehow missed this one at the time, perhaps because the concept just didn't grab me.
17 years later and a recent rental through Netflix, I'm sorry I blew this one off before. Other reviewers here have complained of the slowness of Kurosawa's work, long waits for any action. Sorry it's not some bit of Jackie Chan or Jet Li chop-socky, guys; this is true cinematic art, which requires patience and tenacity (both of which are ultimately rewarded). You want action, watch the "Die Hard" movies. You want art, this is where you need to be.
These eight segments are some of the most colourfully vivid Kurosawa ever committed to celluloid--one of my favourite moments is in the first segment, right at the end where the little boy stands in the field of flowers under the rainbow and the mountains. Nature's blooms in all their glory make up some of the most beautiful scenery anyone could photograph, and for Kurosawa's direction, that goes double. Correspondingly, the sequence with the dead soldiers' souls addressing their still-living commander in the tunnel in the mountains is dark and grim, echoing the commander's state of mind at being confronted by old ghosts who are unable to accept that they are, in fact, dead and are trying to go home again. "Crows" brings Van Gogh's art to life brilliantly (and significantly, includes one of only two examples in Kurosawa's body of work to feature dialogue not in Japanese--"Dersu Uzala" was Russian, this sequence features spoken French and English--and Van Gogh himself is played unfailingly by Martin Scorsese); "Mount Fuji in Red" is genuinely frightening, the scenario of all Japan's nuclear reactors exploding at once the stuff of nightmares, as well as the following sequence with the mutant sunflowers and the horned demon-men whose punishment is to never die but suffer eternally. The final sequence, "The Village of the Watermills," brings it all together with its lush greenery, the philosophical old man, and the joyous funeral procession--its moral, to remember to respect nature, tradition, and live in peace with your fellow man.
A gorgeous masterpiece.
Movie Review: Visions of Harmony
Summary: 5 Stars
I was advised by a friend that "Akira Kurosawa's Dreams" were just a series of pretty pictures without much meaning. I was prepared to just enjoy the cinematography but I came away with an appreciation of a kaleidescope of vision that tells of harmony with nature and one another. I don't necessarily concur with the whole concept expressed in the movie but I'd rather watch this than "An Inconvenient Truth" any day.
There are eight seemingly independent vision (dreams) that subtly tie together to give the director's vision clarity and impact. The first story tells of the dangers of disobeying the laws of nature; even those we totally depend on cannot always help us when we break this taboo. The second tells of the danger of destroying natural things that not only benefit our lives but improve the quality of it as well. Once destroyed, natural treasures may only be found in dreams. The third story tells of how man is helpless against the powerful forces of nature. The fourth episode reminds us of humanity's self-destructive nature.
In a break in the logical process, the fifth episode reminds us of humanity's ability to create and understand beauty and harmony. The path shown, in other words, can be altered within our own capabilities. The sixth episode returns to the potential self destruction of humanity and the seventh shows how that same self-destruction can not only destroy ourselves but all of nature as well. The final episode leads us back to a beginning point where, with a new attitude, the predicted doom and gloom need not happen.
All scenes are exceptionally well created on film. The color, the impressionism, the gloom, all underscore Kurosawa's message. Indeed, if you don't care for the message, don't skip this film. Watch it to appreciate the technical talents of Kurosawa and his cameramen, artists, set designers etc.. Whether one is an adherant to the theory of Global Warming or other theories of apocalypse, it is hard not to appreciate the beauty of one man's artistic effort to make his statement. It is coherent and profound unlike the politcal cacaphony of all sides of these issues.