Dreams (1990)

50% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(15,164 ratings)

Following up on his critically acclaimed, blood-splattered epic Ran, master director Akira Kurosawa looks inward with this collection of eight brightly colored dreams. The first section centers on a young boy (Mitsunori Izaki), who witnesses a forest wedding procession of fox spirits in spite of his… More Following up on his critically acclaimed, blood-splattered epic Ran, master director Akira Kurosawa looks inward with this collection of eight brightly colored dreams. The first section centers on a young boy (Mitsunori Izaki), who witnesses a forest wedding procession of fox spirits in spite of his mother's (Mitsuko Baisho) warning. The second section concerns the same lad who converses with peach-tree spirits after the trees have been cruelly cut down. This is followed by a party of mountain climbers struggling to make it back to base camp in the midst of a terrible blizzard. The fourth dream deals with a man (Akira Terao) -- a Kurosawa stand-in complete with the director's trademark floppy white hat -- who encounters ghosts of Japan's militaristic past in a forlorn tunnel. In the following dream, the same man ventures into a Van Gogh painting called The Crows and meets the artist himself (Martin Scorsese). The sixth and seventh dreams venture into nightmare territory -- one deals with a nuclear meltdown that threatens Japan while the other concerns post-nuclear mutants. In the final dream, Kurosawa meets a 103-year-old man (played by Ozu regular Chishu Ryu) in a utopian rural village. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 59 min.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda
Written By: Akira Kurosawa
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: May 1, 1990 Wide
On DVD: Mar 18, 2003

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
In the uneven career of Akira Kurosawa, two limiting factors were sentimentality and preachiness, and both come to the fore in this 1990 collection of eight dreams.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
It's something altogether new for Kurosawa, a collection of short, sometimes fragmentary films that are less like dreams than fairy tales of past, present and future. The magical and mysterious are mixed with the practical, funny and polemical.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Dreams will knock your eyes out without ignoring the mind and heart.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
It's dreamy only in one respect: It's a snooze.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
A magnificent, immensely absorbing experience.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
I wish I could say that every segment is fantastic, but just like so many other "short story films", it's a mixed bag.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Beautiful to look at but a rather empty fantasy film.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Only during a final procession does the old Kurosawa magic get a brief look-in, but by then the hackneyed moralising and dramatic languor have ensured that, despite the well-meaning message, it's hard to care.
Derek Smith, Apollo Guide
Worth seeing if you are a fan of the director, but for anyone else I'd suggest first seeking out his more famous films of the 1950s and '60s.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Visually stunning, but dramatically pretty lacking.
Aaron Hillis, Premiere Magazine
'Deserving enough of wall space at the Museum of Modern Art.'
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Each [of the eight shorts] is beautifully photographed, and as eye candy alone, they are phenomenal. Unfortunately, several are sluggishly paced.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
The almost-complete lack of extra material disappoints, but the film's color-rich glory looks great
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Perhaps the biggest and most painful vanity project ever put to film.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
It is a satisfying summation of a well-spent career.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...somewhat disparate and unfocused, but...highly provocative and visually stimulating.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...brief, moral tales emphasizing visual splendor, imagery, and imagination over conventional characterization and narrative.

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Chris W

One of Akira Kurosawa's final films, this is a collection of eight short films, presented as dreams that were presumably dreamed by Kurosawa himself. All of them have something to do with life, death, human nature, and things like that, and have various themes such as… More
One of Akira Kurosawa's final films, this is a collection of eight short films, presented as dreams that were presumably dreamed by Kurosawa himself. All of them have something to do with life, death, human nature, and things like that, and have various themes such as environmentalism. While most are dreams, some are more like nightmares. None of them however, are lacking in wonderful imagery and gorgeous cinematography. You could watch this with the sond off and it might be just as effective, but would lose the nice music. Overall, I think this is a rather impressive film and the visuals blow me away. Storywise, I'm not quite as impressed because some of the segments aren't as good as the others, and the stories, while not bad, didn't really seem as strong as the visuals and costumes. I enjoyed watching this, and it gives the viewer a lot to think about, but it starts to drag and the pacing might be too slow for many. I don't feel I can be too hard on this though, as Kurosawa was 80 when he made it, and not in the best of shape. However, it might be the weakest film of his that I've seen so far. Even then though, it's still far better and more creatvie than most dreck that comes out these days, so take this as a small recommendation. Also, Martin Scorsese putting in an appearance as Vincent Van Gogh (complete with a decent makeup job) is a curious joy in its own right.
Stella D

it's a visual feast and ephemeral as dreams. i felt it fell off a bit in the second half
El Hombre I

Still on the fence about which Kurosawa-era I enjoy more, his black and white world or the films in color that are some of the most impressive. Made of 8 short tales, each one presumably dreamt by Kurosawa, they are arranged in chronological order from childhood to old age. Themes… More
Still on the fence about which Kurosawa-era I enjoy more, his black and white world or the films in color that are some of the most impressive. Made of 8 short tales, each one presumably dreamt by Kurosawa, they are arranged in chronological order from childhood to old age. Themes range from childhood fears, sorrow of war, and accepting one's own mortality. Highlights include Village of the Watermills and Scorsese's portrayal of Van Gogh. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=facing.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/facing.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
danny d

pretty fulfilling movie. this is actually a series of 8 short films that average around 15 minutes each. they are short films about the actual dreams of kurosawa. george lucas and martin scorcese helped make this film and a variety of actors starred in the various short films.… More
pretty fulfilling movie. this is actually a series of 8 short films that average around 15 minutes each. they are short films about the actual dreams of kurosawa. george lucas and martin scorcese helped make this film and a variety of actors starred in the various short films. ultimately 4 of these films were fantastic, 2 were just ok, and 2 werent very good, but overall it is worth a watch for any die hard kurosawa fan so that we can get inside of his head a little. blizzard and watermill village were the most profound of these. if you arent into kurosawa, you might not like this film much at all.
Megan S

some of it was better than others. it was a collection of eight short films. the colors in it were beautiful and i loved the way he used the sounds and music. in this one short one i didnt particularly like they said the best thing. they were talking about how a nuclear plant had… More
some of it was better than others. it was a collection of eight short films. the colors in it were beautiful and i loved the way he used the sounds and music. in this one short one i didnt particularly like they said the best thing. they were talking about how a nuclear plant had exploded and all these colored clouds were coming down a mountain and another guy was talking about what kind of radiation each one was and what exactly it did to kill you. then he said, "radiation used to be colorless, so they dyed it. but that only lets you know which one kills you."
Steve B

To quote Agent Cooper, "wonderful and strange..."
Luke B

The master of all cinema releases this compilation film of some dreams he has had. All expertly handled, and beautifully shot. It loses marks as the overall quality is inconsistent. Some dreams just aren't as good as others. Other dreams become a bit too preachy in their message.
Kyle M

Very, very good. A visual delight and wonderfully atmospheric. Delves into light and dark and all between. Not to be forgotten, I feel as though 'Dreams' is very unique and cherish-able.
Tom S

My favorite was the tunnel.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Akira Terao as "I"

            Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh [Crows]

            Mitsunori Isaki as "I" as a Boy [The Peach Orchard]

            Chishu Ryu as 103-year-old Man [Village Of The Watermills]

            Mieko Harada as The Snow Fairy [The Blizzard]

            Yoshitaka Zushi as Pvt. Noguchi [The Tunnel]

            Mitsuko Baisho as Mother of "I" [Sunshine Through The Rain]

            Chosuke Ikariya as The Demon [The Weeping Demon]

            Hisashi Igawa as Power Station Worker [Mt. Fuji In Red]

            Toshihiko Nakano as "I" as a Young Child [Sunshine Through The Rain]

            Mie Suzuki as "I's" Sister [The Peach Orchard]

            Takashi Odajima as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Sachio Sakai as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Yuji Sawayama as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Naoto Shigemizu as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Tetsu Watanabe as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Haruko Togo as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Toshie Negishi as Child-carrying Mother [Mt. Fuji In Red]

            Akisato Yamada as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Osamu Yayama as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Masayuki Yui as Member of climbing team [The Blizzard]

            Toshiya Ito as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Fujio Tokita as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Reiko Nanao as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Shoichiro Sakata as [Village Of The Watermills]

            Shizuka Isami as [Village Of The Watermills]
See full cast

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