Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams Movie Review (1990)
If we could all create feature-length films out of our actual dreams, would we? That’s what Akira Kurosawa did and it is an interesting experiment.
Dreams has been on my list for a very long time and sadly, I’d kind of forgotten to watch it. A movie that was written by – and directly out of the dreams of – Akira Kurosawa (of Seven Samurai fame, among many other films) with Martin Scorsese attached to it, what was this going to be??
Dreams is a literal collection of eight of Akira Kurosawa’s dreams put onto film. Some feel like fairy tales, like the one of the boy crying about the peach orchard that has been cut down as he is being admonished by the spirits of the trees who allow him to visit their essence one last time. Others are darker, like “The Tunnel,” where a man comes face to face with the ghosts of the men he sent into battle and died.
First and foremost, this film is stunning. The colors and cinematography leap off the screen and are different in each of the eight stories. Gorgeous flowers, a beautiful rainbow, amazing Japanese costuming, luggage strewn about, walking around painted brushstrokes on a canvas, a wooden bridge next to a rock with colorful flowers – absolutely beautiful.
Some of the dreams are much more interesting than others, though. There were a few where my attention waned and, I admit, I checked to see how much of the film was left.
What I started realizing is that this film is like a Baby Einstein video. We used to show them to my son when he was a baby and he was colicky. There is no organized rhyme or reason for what you are seeing on the television, just subjects, movements, colors, music, and words. And that’s pretty much what dreams are, but let’s be honest, a lot of our own dreams are much more interesting than other ones we’ve had.
One of the best of the vignettes was called “Crows” and had to do with Vincent Van Gogh, who spoke English (in this very Japanese film). Involving what looked like painted on makeup, paint on a canvas, and later, a man walking through the paint on the painting (full with thick and thinner painted brushstrokes), it wasn’t until I did a search to figure out how Martin Scorsese related to this film until I found out that he played Van Gogh. I still can’t see it, so I’m glad I looked! I never would have known.
While I think this was a fascinating attempt at a fascinating film, I found it fairly boring and unengaging. Some sections were better than others, but it’s not one I need to see again. That said, it is deemed a very special film by the cinephiles, so I’d love to know what you thought!
Runtime: 119 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG
Languages Spoken In The Film: Japanese, English, and French with English subtitles
Should You Watch It? Maybe, if you’re not looking for a solid story and enjoy visuals immensely
Did I Cry? No, not at all
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
