Dreams (1990)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa
(more)

Writer:

Akira Kurosawa (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

The past, present, and future. The thoughts and images of one man... for all men. One man's dreams... for every dreamer.

Plot:

A collection of tales based upon the actual dreams of director Akira Kurosawa.

Plot Keywords:

Tunnel | Trees | Peach Tree | Ghost | Death

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Akira Terao	...	I
Mitsuko Baishô	...	Mother of 'I'
Toshie Negishi	...	Mother carrying child
Mieko Harada	...	The Snow Fairy
Mitsunori Isaki	...	'I' as a boy
Toshihiko Nakano	...	'I' as a young child
Yoshitaka Zushi	...	Pvt. Noguchi
Hisashi Igawa	...	Nuclear Plant Worker
Chôsuke Ikariya	...	The crying demon
Chishû Ryû	...	Old Man
Martin Scorsese	...	Vincent Van Gogh
Masayuki Yui	...	Member of climbing team
Tessho Yamashita
Misato Tate
Catherine Cadou
Mieko Suzuki	...	'I's sister
Mugita Endo
Ryûjirô Oki
Masaru Sakurai
Masaaki Sasaki
Keiki Takenouchi
Kento Toriki
Shû Nakajima	...	Member of climbing team
Tokuju Masuda
Masuo Amada
Sakae Kimura	...	Member of climbing team
Shogo Tomomori
Ryo Nagasawa
Akisato Yamada
Tetsu Watanabe
Ken Takemura
Tetsuya Itô
Shôichirô Sakata
Naoto Shigemizu
Hiroshi Miyasaka
Yasuhiro Kajimoto
Makoto Hasegawa
Nagamitsu Satake
Satoshi Hara
Yasushige Turuoka
Shigeru Edaki
Hideharu Takeda
Katsumi Naito
Masaaki Enomoto
Norio Takei
Eiji Iida
Koji Kanda
Hideto Aota
Kazue Nakanishi
Rika Miyasawa
Mika Edaki
Mayumi Kamimura
Sayuri Yoshioka
Teruko Nakayama
Sachiko Nakayama
Toshiya Ito
Takashi Ito
Motoyuki Higashimura
Yasuhito Yamanaka
Haruka Sugata
Noriko Hayami
Ayaka Takahashi
Yûko Ishiwa
Sachiko Oguri
Masayo Mochida
Miki Kado
Mika Ikeya
Sakiko Yamamoto
Mayumi Ono
Yumiko Miyata
Aya Ikaida
Megumi Hata
Asako Hirano
Chika Nishio
Yuko Harada
Tomomi Yoshizawa
Kumiko Ishizuka
Masumi Yoda
Hatsue Nishi
Michiko Kawada
Machiko Ichihashi
Yumi Ezaki
Chika Yamabe
Mayuko Akashi
Fujio Tohita
Michio Hino
Michio Kida
Noriko Honma
Haruko Tôgô
Reiko Nanao
Shin Tonomura
Junpei Natsuki
Shigeo Katô
Saburô Kadowaki
Goichi Nagatani
Shizuko Azuma
Yoshie Kihira
Yukie Shimura
Setsuko Kawaguchi
Kumeko Otowa
Machiko Terada
Umiko Takahashi
Harumi Fujii
Hiroko Okuno
Mon Ota
Akitoku Inaba
Kou Ishikawa
Tatsunori Tokuhashi
Yoshiko Maki
Hiroko Maki
Ryoko Kawai
Miyako Kawana
Miyuki Egawa
Megumi Sakai
Yôko Hayashi
Yuko Matsumura
Takashi Odashima
Mitsuru Shibuya
Kôichi Imamura
Wasuke Izumi
Sachio Sakai
Torauemon Utazawa
Yukimasa Natori
Tadashi Okumura
Kenzo Shirahama
Masato Goto
Sumimaro Yochimi
Jun'ichi Kubozono
Masami Ozeki
Yasuyuki Iwanaga
Akira Tashiro
Koichi Kase
Kenji Fujita
Hiroto Tamura
Osamu Yayama
Yûji Sawayama
Mitsuji Tsuwako
Masatoshi Miya
Maiko Okamoto
Nana Yamakawa
Yuka Kojima
Shizuka Isami
Mai Watanabe
Sayuri Kobayashi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ayako Honua

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa
Ishirô Honda		(segments "Tunnel, The" and "Mount Fuji in Red", prologue and epilogue of "Weeping Demon, The") (uncredited)

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(written by)

Produced by
Seikichi Iizumi	....	associate producer
Mike Y. Inoue	....	producer
Hisao Kurosawa	....	producer
Allan H. Liebert	....	associate producer
Steven Spielberg	....	executive producer: international version

Original Music by
Shinichirô Ikebe

Cinematography by
Takao Saitô
Shôji Ueda

Film Editing by
Tome Minami

Production Design by
Yoshirô Muraki
Akira Sakuragi

Art Direction by
Yoshirô Muraki
Akira Sakuragi

Set Decoration by
Koichi Hamamura

Costume Design by
Emi Wada

Makeup Department
Tameyuki Aimi	....	makeup artist
Yumiko Fujii	....	hair stylist
Yamada Katsura	....	hair stylist
Yamada Katsura	....	wigs
Sakai Nakao	....	hair stylist
Norio Sano	....	makeup artist
Shoshichiro Ueda	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Masahiko Kumada	....	unit manager
Kunio Niwa	....	unit manager
Teruyo Nogami	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vittorio Dalle Ore	....	assistant director
Kiyoharu Hayano	....	assistant director
Ishirô Honda	....	assistant director
Takashi Koizumi	....	chief assistant director
Naohito Sakai	....	assistant director
Tsuyoshi Sugino	....	assistant director
Toru Tanaka	....	assistant director
Okihiro Yoneda	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kyôko Heya	....	art assistant
Nami Ishida	....	props
Yoshiaki Kawai	....	props
Noriyuki Kondo	....	art assistant
Satoshi Ota	....	props
Yasuyoshi Ototake	....	art assistant
Yuzuru Sakai	....	props
Kazuharu Tsuboi	....	set constructor
Ichiro Utsuki	....	set constructor

Sound Department
Kenichi Benitani	....	sound
Soichi Inoue	....	sound assistant
Noriaki Minami	....	sound assistant
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Masatoshi Saito	....	sound effects editor
Masahito Yano	....	sound assistant

Special Effects by
Mark Sullivan	....	special effects supervisor
Peter Takeuchi	....	special effects producer
Michael Meier	....	pyrotechnician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Barbara Affonso	....	model supervisor
Jon Alexander	....	optical camera operator: ILM
Jil-Sheree Bergin	....	visual effects coordinator: ILM
Barbara Brennan	....	rotoscope artist: ILM
Charlie Canfield	....	matte camera operator: ILM
Jo Carson	....	matte camera operator: ILM
Wade Childress	....	matte camera operator: ILM
Terry Chostner	....	visual effects camera operator
Susan Adele Colletta	....	post-production coordinator: ILM
Michael Cooper	....	optical line-up
Jonathan Crowe	....	matte assistant: ILM
Jeff Doran	....	optical camera operator: ILM
Selwyn Eddy	....	visual effects camera operator (as Selwyn Eddy III)
John Gazdik	....	visual effects camera operator: ILM
Brian Gernand	....	model maker: ILM
Michael Gleason	....	visual effects editor: ILM
Reuben Goldberg	....	pyro technician: ILM
Caroleen Green	....	matte painter: ILM
Mutsuhiro Harada	....	photo composite processing
Robert Hill	....	visual effects camera operator: ILM
Takabuni Hirata	....	optical camera operator: Den Film Special Effects Unit
Peg Hunter	....	visual effects optical lineup: ILM
Paul Huston	....	matte camera operator: ILM
Mikio Inoue	....	photo composite processing
Brad Jerrell	....	head electrician: ILM
Randy Jonsson	....	visual effects camera operator: ILM (as Randy Johnson)
David Karpman	....	visual effects optical lineup: ILM
Takashi Kawabata	....	optical photographer: Den-Film Special Effects Unit
Takashi Kobayashi	....	optical photographer: Den-Film Special Effects Unit
Marghi McMahon	....	model maker: ILM
Taksuhiro Miyaguchi	....	matte painter: Den Film Special Effects Unit
Michihisa Miyashige	....	visual effects: Den Film Special Effects Unit
Craig Mohagen	....	cloud tank: ILM
Tim Morgan	....	electrician: ILM
Nancy Morita	....	assistant matte camera operator: ILM
Claudia Mullaly	....	visual effects art director: ILM
Dave Murphy	....	electrician: ILM
Minoru Nakano	....	visual effects: Den-Film Special Effects Unit
Makato Negishi	....	optical camera operator: Den-Film Special Effects Unit
Lori J. Nelson	....	visual effects optical lineup: ILM
Randy Ottenberg	....	model maker: ILM
Ken Ralston	....	visual effects supervisor
Chuck Ray	....	chief pyro technician: ILM (as Charles Ray)
Thomas Rosseter	....	visual effects optical lineup: ILM
Wesley Seeds	....	model maker: ILM
Eben Stromquist	....	model maker: ILM
Mark Sullivan	....	visual effects supervisor
Akio Suzuki	....	photo composite processing
Yoshiya Takahashi	....	photo composite processing
Peter Takeuchi	....	visual effects producer
Yusef Useugi	....	matte painter: ILM
Bruce Vecchitto	....	optical supervisor
Jeffrey Bassetti	....	vfx intern (uncredited)
Joanne Bloomfield	....	model builder (uncredited)
Richard Brooks Burton	....	high speed camera technician (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Yukio Choya	....	lighting technician
Hisanori Furukawa	....	lighting technician
Daizaburo Harada	....	still photographer
Hiroshi Hattori	....	assistant camera
Yuichi Horita	....	grip
Hidehiro Igarashi	....	assistant camera
Miyanobu Inori	....	lighting technician
Hideko Ioka	....	lighting technician
Hiroshi Ishida	....	assistant camera
Tadatoshi Kitagawa	....	lighting technician
Hiroyuki Kitazawa	....	assistant camera
Mitsu Kondo	....	assistant camera
Kenzo Masuda	....	lighting rigger
Kosuke Matsushima	....	assistant camera
Isanu Miwano	....	grip
Makoto Sano	....	lighting technician
Tetsuo Sawada	....	lighting technician
Yoshinori Sekiguchi	....	assistant camera
Sadanu Takahara	....	grip
Yukio Tanaka	....	lighting rigger
Satoshi Tsuyuki	....	grip
Kazushi Watanabe	....	assistant camera
Toshio Watanabe	....	assistant camera
Isao Yasui	....	lighting technician
Hiromasa Yonahara	....	lighting technician
Takeji Sano	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Yusunori Suzuki	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Akira Fukuda	....	wardrobe
Kazuko Kurosawa	....	wardrobe
Yoko Nagano	....	wardrobe
Mitsuru Otsuka	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Hideto Aga	....	assistant editor
Noriko Meharu	....	negative cutter
Tome Minami	....	negative cutter
Ryusuke Otsubo	....	assistant editor
Yôsuke Yafune	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ikudo Endo	....	musician: piano

Transportation Department
Toru Ikegaki	....	transportation
Masahara Komatsuki	....	transportation
Yasuhisa Serizawa	....	transportation
Takashi Takei	....	transportation
Kimihiko Tsurugaya	....	transportation
Keisuke Utsumi	....	transportation

Other crew
Kazutami Hara	....	photography collaborator
Michiyo Hata	....	choreographer
Yasuhiko Higashi	....	production publicity
Ishirô Honda	....	creative consultant
Shushin Hosoya	....	production assistant
Hiroko Idetsu	....	production accountant
Tadao Kanzeki	....	mountain climbing advisor
Tetsuji Maezawa	....	coordinator: HDTV
Shuji Matsumoto	....	production accountant
Tokiko Mochizuki	....	dance instructor
Tonio Onata	....	ebr processing
Magosaka Osada	....	location supervisor
Shizuo Osada	....	location supervisor
Donald Richie	....	subtitler
Satoshi Shimozawa	....	production assistant
Tadashi Shishido	....	subtitler
Izuhiko Suehiro	....	production coordinator
Takaya Takizawa	....	ebr processing
Kazutoshi Wadakura	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (as Warner Bros.)
• Akira Kurosawa USA

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1990) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Toho Company (1990) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1990) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (????) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Den Film Effect (composite technology)
• Den-Film Special Effects Unit
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
• Ohira Special Effects (explosives)

Other Companies

• Hayakawa Productions  group cast members
• Gekidan Himawari  group cast members (as Himawari Theatre Group)
• Inagawa Motoko Office  group cast members (as Motoko Inagawa Office)
• Tanba Dojo  group cast members
• Kokugakuin University Mizutamakai  group cast members
• Akira Kurosawa Film Society  thanks
• Engineer Lighting  lighting
• Kodak Japan  raw stock supplied by
• Lee Colortran International  grip and lighting equipment
• Nippon Shinpan  support
• Nippon Shomei  vehicles
• Ohira Special Effects  explosives
• Sanwa Cine Equipment  camera equipment provided by
• Sony PCL  HDTV technology
• Sony  technical cooperation
• Takatsu Movie Decoration  props
• Temporary Center  support
• Tisman Service  sound equipment
• Toho E.B.  art department
• Toho Recording Center  recording studio
• Tokyo Concerts  music production
• Tokyo Isho  wardrobe
• Toyo Onkyo Kauove  sound effects
• Tristone Entertainment Inc.  vehicles
• Yasuda Seimei  support

Also Known As:

"Akira Kurosawa's Dreams" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

Japanese | French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mother of 'I':You're staying home. The sun is shining but it's raining.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lost in Translation (2003)

Soundtrack:

In the Village

So I'm not the only one with weird dreams

Going back to what made Akira Kurosawa a star, Dreams is a film driven by a completely original concept. Like Rashomon, this is something that had never been done before. To my knowledge, nobody since has had the skill or guts to make a movie that accurately captures the spirit of........ bizarre Dreams. These stories are filmed and written just like real dreams. They're full of strange events that most of the time make no sense, yet everyone in the story totally believes it to be normal.

My favourite segments are "The Tunnel", as story where a former military commander encounters the ghosts of all the soldiers who died under his command. The Commander explaining why his soldiers died is hands down the best acting in the movie. My second favourite wold be "The Peach Orchard". This is about a young boy that finds a group of living dolls in the fields. The dolls are furious that the boy's family have destroyed all the peach tress in the Orchard. This segment was the most dreamlike. My third favourite would be "Mount Fuji In Red". In that there is a nuclear meltdown. Panic spreads and a few survivors contemplate whether or not to end their lives.

In traditional Kurosawa fashion, this movie is visually breathtaking. Kurosawa films don't just look great, they look unique and interesting. The visuals in Dreams helps create the hypnotic dream-like state. In the "Crows" story, a man enters the world of a Van Gogh painting. Parts of the scenery here are natural landscapes, and parts are made to look like a painting. In "Blizzard" mountain climbers are on the verge of death. They're rescued by a snow spirit. The blinding snow and the sort of slow motion effect when you see the Snow Fairy makes this segment perhaps the most hypnotic images Kurosawa has ever produced.

I wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that this is just a bunch of unconnected segments. Several characters appear in various segments, and some are meant to play back to back. I have to say that Dreams may not be for everyone. I'd recommend everyone alive check it out, though. Some may love it, some may not understand it. I'm on the side of this being one of the last brilliant works of the World's greatest Director.