★ 9 / 10
One of the best spins on the evolution of man since 2001: A Space Odyssey
rooprect
"Dreams" is one of the greatest puzzles to hit the screen since Tetris. If you're up for the challenge, you should definitely give it a try. Here Kurosawa…
"Dreams" is one of the greatest puzzles to hit the screen since Tetris. If you're up for the challenge, you should definitely give it a try. Here Kurosawa presents us with 8 fragments which may seem confusing at first, but ultimately they tell a powerful story of man's evolution beginning at childhood in a traditional setting, taking us through adulthood, war and waste, to a postapocalyptic future that could be called "scifi", and ultimately capping the story with a stunning piece I won't ruin for you.The story loosely follows a character called "I" as he grows up in his dreams. He is presented as merely an observer, almost like the faceless interviewer in "Citizen Kane," or for you literature fans he may remind you a lot of Dante in the epic "Divine Comedy". That is, he observes humankind through its sins. Aye, don't be fooled by Kurosawa's gorgeous, bright, uplifting visuals; this is perhaps Kurosawa's darkest tale.The 8 stories are: 1) As a young child, he inadvertantly disrupts a secret ritual of foxes in the forest. 2) Still a child, he meets the ghosts of trees that his family destroyed. 3) Now a young adult, he is the leader of an ill-fated mountain expedition visited by a mysterious spirit. 4) Older yet, past the age of youthful fire, he is a soldier returning from a terrible war and haunted by ghosts of his battalion. 5) Now a middle aged artist, he encounters the ghost of Vincent Van Gogh. 6) Abruptly he finds himself in the middle of a (deliberately) insane disaster flick. 7) The scifi segment where he wakes up in a postapocalyptic future full of cannibal demons (yes, Kurosawa made a zombie flick). And ultimately 8) The one I won't mention because it's for you see how it all ends.All 8 stories follow the same theme of "I" meeting ghosts who tell of man's sins. Worthy of note is our hero's passivity which is itself one of the failings of man. As "I" grows up and faces increasingly devastating consequences for humankind's shortsightendess, we realize Kurosawa's poignant message. Each "dream" is a stark warning.If you watch this film, I suggest paying close attention to 1 subtle but important thing. Notice Kurosawa's use of "special effects" because that is the key to a deeper message. In the beginning when "I" is a child, the special effects (forest spirits) are merely people dressed up in elaborate masks--a very childlike way of perceiving fantasy. In the young adult segments, the special effects (ghosts of soldiers) are disturbingly realistic yet stylized. In middle age, the excellent Van Gogh segment, the special effects are magnificently overwhelming, literally engulfing the entire screen. Then for the 2 climactic "scifi" segments, suddenly the effects are almost absurd like a cheesy disaster flick (this was deliberate. Kurosawa even enlisted the assistance of his friend Ishiro Honda who directed a few Godzilla flicks). And we end on the 8th magical segment which has no special effects at all.Kurosawa was telling us a story through the evolution of visuals, just as much as he was telling us a story of sequential events. If you can follow these and other clues that are peppered throughout, you'll realize that "Dreams" has a very clear path and a very cryptic but powerful story. So put down your sodoku; this is the real deal.
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★ 7 / 10
Touching and beautiful, but also preachy and slow
gbill-74877
Sentimentally I love this film, made by Kurosawa when he was 80 and one of his last. The great director gives us eight vignettes that often seem more like…
Sentimentally I love this film, made by Kurosawa when he was 80 and one of his last. The great director gives us eight vignettes that often seem more like messages than dreams, speaking to the danger of nuclear power, damaging the environment, and senseless death in war. Guilt is a recurring theme, and as the film covers childhood to old age, it seems very personal to Kurosawa's own life. The images are often beautiful, and I absolutely loved dream #5, "Crows," where an art student runs through Van Gogh's paintings and meets him. The highlighted work, "Wheatfield with Crows" is so profoundly meaningful to the end of Van Gogh's life that seeing it here in the elderly Kurosawa's work gave me goosebumps. I didn't mind the preachiness that's in several of the other dreams too much, though it did take away from the film's surreal feeling, but the bigger issue was pace, which was almost always too slow. It's a must-watch film for fans of Kurosawa and I'm glad I saw it, but it needing paring down.
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7.7/10
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