Unfolding in a series of mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa brings eight of the beloved directorâs own nighttime visions, informed by tales from Japanese folklore, to cinematic life. In a visually sumptuous journey through the masterâs unconscious, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic visions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of art, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawaâs Dreams is both a showcase for its makerâs imagination at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.
Supplements
New audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince
Making of âDreamsâ (1990), a 150-minute documentary shot on-set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
New interview with assistant director Takashi Koizumi
New interview with production manager Teruyo Nogami
Kurosawaâs Way (2011), a fifty-minute documentary by director Akira Kurosawaâs longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Theodoros Angelopoulos, Bernardo Bertolucci, Clint Eastwood, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bong Joon-ho, Abbas Kiarostami, Hayao Miyazaki, Martin Scorsese, Julie Taymor, Shinâya Tsukamoto, and John Woo
Trailer
A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and Kurosawaâs script for a never-filmed ninth dream, introduced by Nogami