• Like many anthology films—Kurosawa’s eight part Dreams is uneven— the best sections are as good as anything he’s done since High and Low– but there are regrettable sections that may make you say “wow- this is bad” aloud.
  • It is in the title- but it this is surrealism- and Kurosawa is playfully inventive for the most part—the first chapter makes me think of Hayao Miyazaki and some of the visuals recall Alejandro Jodorowsky’s best work
  • Chapter one is the strongest— there are these gorgeous gargantuan trees. Kurosawa’s trademark depth of field composition (which we really haven’t seen much of since Red Beard in 1965) is here with the child foreground left, the tree in the middle (both screen center and depth) and the mysterious fox parade in the background right. This type of composition isn’t really repeated in the film but it is still a stunning one-off. It ends with the poster shot- a well-chosen- poster shot- the rainbow in the valley with flowers.

It ends with the poster shot- a well-chosen- poster shot- the rainbow in the valley with flowers.

Kurosawa’s trademark depth of field composition (which we really haven’t seen much of since Red Beard in 1965) is here with the child foreground left, the tree in the middle (both screen center and depth) and the mysterious fox parade in the background right– a stunning one-off shot

  • Chapter two is the next strongest sequence (could be an interesting debate as to the order Kurosawa arranged these—if you wanted to start or go out on a high note). There’s splendid shot of a doorway shot at 15 minutes with the girl like the white rabbit in Carroll’s Alice bringing the boy outside. The trees are in the background behind her. Then there is the large terraced hill set piece—fabulous set piece.

Then there is the large terraced hill set piece—fabulous set piece.

There’s splendid shot of a doorway shot at 15 minutes with the girl like the white rabbit in Carroll’s Alice bringing the boy outside

  • Needless to say after 20 minutes you feel you’re certainly watching one of the best films of 1990.
  • But then you move on and chapter three is a disaster. The blizzard. It is like Kurosawa is begging for a “glacial speed” or “stops the film cold” bad joke. Awful.
  • Chapter four is the tunnel—there is a jaw-dropper of a frame at 48 minutes—the tunnel creating a frame within the frame with the red light from the street light—Kurosawa’s 7th or 8th immaculate cinematic painting to this point in the film and one of the best. But it is dialogue didacticism after that.

Chapter four is the tunnel—there is a jaw-dropper of a frame at 48 minutes—the tunnel creating a frame within the frame with the red light from the street light—Kurosawa’s 7th or 8th immaculate cinematic painting to this point in the film and one of the best.

  • Chapter five is the van Gogh (played by Scorsese) section. Kurosawa’s works have always been painterly—but clearly this is his focus at his age (80 age the time of this release and 40 years after Rashomon)—he interested in images (this entire thing may have been better as a silent film actually like Fantasia). This is one of the stronger sections of the film as his character is moving through van Gogh’s work like Caligari.

Kurosawa’s works have always been painterly—but clearly this is his focus at his age (80 age the time of this release and 40 years after Rashomon)

dream number five is one of the stronger sections of the film as his character is moving through van Gogh’s work like Caligari

  • The next chapter is the Mount Fui in red nuclear holocaust – unremarkable and chapter seven isn’t good either- a man walking around in a fog—- again this is frustratingly uneven.
  • The eighth and final chapter is the village of the water mills. Kurosawa has the old Ozu actor – the great Chishū Ryū here- he gives a long sermon speaking in platitudes.
  • Recommend / Highly Recommend border