Dreams (1990)
Movie Info
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Cast
as Vincent Van Gogh
as I
as Mother of `I'
as The Snow Fairy
as 'I' as a boy
as Old Man
as `I' as a Young Child
as `I's' Sister
as Pvt. Noguchi
as Child-carrying Mother
as Power Station Worker
as The Demon
as Member of climbing team #1
as Member of climbing team #2
as Member of climbing team #3
News & Interviews for Dreams
Critic Reviews for Dreams
All Critics (23) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (9) | DVD (7)
There's greatness in the film's first hour.
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.
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.
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.
Dreams will knock your eyes out without ignoring the mind and heart.
It's dreamy only in one respect: It's a snooze.
Audience Reviews for Dreams
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.
Super Reviewer
it's a visual feast and ephemeral as dreams. i felt it fell off a bit in the second half
Super Reviewer
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.
Super Reviewer
Dreams Quotes
| 103-year-old Man [Village Of The Watermills]: | Some say life is hard, but that is just talk. It is good to be alive, it is exciting! |
| Vincent Van Gogh [Crows]: | Yesterday I was trying to complete a self portrait. I just couldn't get the ear right, so I... cut it off and threw it away. |