Dreams (1990)

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

Directors:

Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda (uncredited)

Writer:

Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

This is essentially eight separate short films, though with some overlaps in terms of characters and thematic material - chiefly that of man's relationship with his environment. 'Sunshine Through The Rain': a young boy is told not to go out on the day when both weather conditions occur, because that's when the foxes hold their wedding procession, which could have fatal consequences for those who witness it. 'The Peach Orchard': the same young boy encounters the spirits of the peach trees that have been cut down by heartless humans. 'The Blizzard': a team of mountaineers are saved from a blizzard by spiritual intervention. 'The Tunnel': a man encounters the ghosts of an army platoon, whose deaths he was responsible for. 'Crows': an art student encounters 'Vincent Van Gogh' and enters the world of his paintings. 'Mount Fuji in Red': nuclear meltdown threatens the devastation of Japan. 'The Weeping Demon': a portrait of a post-nuclear world populated by human mutations. 'Village of the ...

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Plot Keywords:

japanese boy | japanese woman | japanese mother | mother son relationship | sandal | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

Japanese French English

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams

Filming Locations:

Daio Wasabi Farm, Azumino, Nagano, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,963,207

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Akira Kurosawa USA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Dreams" was the first film Kurosawa had written by himself without a collaborator since "Those Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail" forty five years earlier.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

References Ran (1985)

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Soundtracks

In the Village
(from "Caucasian Sketches, Suite for Orchestra Op. 10, No. 2")
Music by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (as Ippolitov-Ivanov)
Conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev (as Vladimir Fedoseev)
Performed by Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra

User Reviews

Beautiful…

Truly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. I saw this film for the first time in 1993 and it was placed forever in my mind as one of my greatest cinematic experiences. I agree with what another reviewer said about this film, that it is not for everyone. It is very artistic in that the cinematography carries a lot of the story and some may become bored with it. Hollywood has a way of brainwashing a lot of viewers into needing a lot of dialog or action. If that's what you're after, you wont find it here. You have to use your brain for this one. This movie is Japanese and what little dialog there is, is in subtitled for the American viewer. So you may need to do a little reading. This is not simply a movie; it is several short, amazing stories that stem from the mind of Akira Kurosawa (a genius in my book). One is like a beautiful fairytale and another is a nightmarish fable and still another is a terribly haunting ghost story, there are others but all are done very well. This film needs to be seen in the letterbox format as it was intended. The cinematography, as I said earlier, contributes so much that it should be viewed completely. I really don't know what else to say about this movie except that if you have an artistic streak and like to see how movies can become art I would highly recommend Yume (Dreams).