Rating: 
Summary: Deeply personal film
Review: Although not the flawless masterpiece everyone claims it to be, Kurosawa's Dreams is a strong final statement from the brilliant Japanese director. Although he would continue to make films after Dreams, this is the closest Kurosawa came to creating a masterpiece that rivals his best work. Consisting of 8 segments, Dreams is almost like a series of interconnected short films using variations on a theme. Although the writing and all the performances aren't quite up to Kurosawa's best, they don't diminish the poetic power of this wonderful film. In many respects, the ruminations on man's place in the world, our finite existence and our poor understanding of our surroundings make this Kurosawa's most personal film. Often overlooked by film fans, Dreams is finally getting its due now that it has become available in the superior DVD format. The videotape couldn't do justice to the fine compositions and beautiful use of color. Kurosawa's strength as a director was always his carefully cultivated use of the visual as narrative. What we see and how we organize it visually, makes up the narrative of our lives just as strongly as what we say and do. The support of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (no matter how you feel about their films and careers)is what allowed Kurosawa to remain vital and creative towards the end of his life. When many in the Japanese film industry had turned their back on this master film director, Lucas and Spielberg (along with Scorsese)allowed him to make a number of minor and major films at the end of his career. Pick up Dreams -- you won't regret visiting Kurosawa's world.
Rating: 
Summary: The master @ his most intimate; his pleas to the world
Review: One of Kurosawa's strengths as a sensei/master of cinema is his political use of the medium. Dreams, while nothing short of visual spectaculars, gives us a moral perspective of the artist through his luscious dreams. There are anti-war ("The Tunnel") and anti-nuclear power vignettes ("Mount Fuji in Red", followed by "The Weeping Demon") and concerns about environtal conservation ("The Peach Orchard".) There are other goodies as well: Japanese folklores meet the wild imaginations of young Akira ("Sunshine through Rainbow"; the brilliant "Blizzard") and the preachy ideals of an old man most reviews here comment on ("Village of the Watermills.) What I treasure, as a Kurosawa fan for life, is the very personal glimpses the film allows into the older Kurosawa. It gives me terrible shudders to hear Van Gogh (an okay performance by Scorsese) say, "I don't have much time left to paint." But it is comforting to reach the film's end and listen with Akira Terao at the centenarian's suggestion of "happy funerals", if only to know that the sensei does not reject this life he so scrutinized with a critical eye in his art -- that he is at peace.
Rating: 
Summary: DVD Review
Review: Kurosawa's Dreams is a collection of short films that work as part of a whole, but like all collections some films are far inferior then others. The film is Kurosawa's most personal and several segments are a bit heavy handed and indulgant. The segments that worked for me were among the best of Kurosawa. The Peach Orchard with its mysterious mood and breathtaking color is a highlight. The Tunnel with a powerful performance by the actor playing the officer is a strong and simple reflection on war. Crows is a stunning segment that recreates and uses effects to lead its character through the paintings of Van Gogh. The weakest segment is Mount Fuji in Red which uses poor special effects to tell an awkward cautionary tale. The other segments are intermitantly interesting, but really aren't that striking. If it was anyone else the film would be a masterpiece, but for someone of the caliber of Kurosawa it is simply good. Video: If you enjoy the film or are a Kurosawa collector you are in for a treat with this stunning transfer of the film. It is very sharp and clean with good detail in the shadows. What knocked my socks off was the color which is rendered beautifully. It is absolutely gorgeous. A great transfer. Sound: Very good with nice separation and kick on the music and sound effects. Extras: Nothing not even a trailer, although there is a nice Kurosawa filmography with a cool menu. I would have liked to see a documentary on the making of the Crows segment. The package is poor, only a half plastic case with cardboard cover. The side clip leaves an idention and mark on the cover picture. This didn't get the Warner two disc packaging with slip case. The two disc Warner packages don't have a clip so the cover isn't damaged, too bad they don't package single discs like this.
Rating:
Summary: A circle of life--his own and everyone's
Review: Kurosawa's Dreams consists of all his worries about the world and human beings. Since it's one of his last works, his mentality of filming "the Dreams" differed from films such as Seven Samurai in the zenith of his filming career. Instead of presenting the fierce fighting scenes, which he had excelled in, he put more effort into the internalized understandings of human beings, expressing naivete, confusions, struggle, losses, enthusiasm, despair, anger, fear and ultimately internal tranquility¡ªthe natural way of life. It is like a life circle. If you look at Kurosawa's life, these dreams actually imply his own mentalities from childhood and youth to old. The young artist in the movie, who experienced the Crows, Mount Fuji in Red, the Weeping Ghost, and the Village of the Watermills, is himself. As a young man, Kurosawa majored in Western Art, and was greatly influenced and fascinated by Western artists such as Van go. His obsession with art at that time is obvious as "he" was running through the Van go's works. When I was watching the Crow, I was amazed by the setting of the scenes and his capability of shooting, making every aspect look exactly like Van go's work! Kurosawa is a truly versatile director, surely among the rare ones that have such grounded foundation in fine arts. Comparably, he is not as versed in music as in art. I'm especially amazed by his nuanced choices of color in his colored films. (I will talk about the use of color in Ran later, hopefully.) During the precarious time in Japanese history with wars and political movements, as an aspiring educated young man, who witnessed so many human disasters and stupidities, he got somewhat frustrated yet more angry. The characters in many of his "dreams" condemned the inhumanity brought by H-bombs and nuclear missiles¡ªthe big disaster took place in Japan during WW II. It reminds me of his other movie "I Live in Fear". If we look back on his earlier movies, we can see that the main string of Kurosawa's Dreams is a retrospect of ups and downs of his life as well as a summary of many topics in his other movies. In the end, Kurosawa presents to us an ideal word, out of any form of industrialization, out of any artificial intentions and religions. The world he describes in the village of watermills, a village without a name, (since names themselves are artificial), is the world that is believed in Zen¡ªa belief that was greatly influenced by Taoism (the path) originated in China believing that human beings should live in a harmony of nature and keep of mood of harmony. "End the thinking (unnatural intention), end the pain," is commonly cited in Zen. This revelation of living life as its original form is where Kurosawa found his internal tranquility¡ªin peace. This is also a sincere advice from an experienced old man. The last scene, as the water wheels goes round and round, life goes on and on as an endless circle.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking Beauty. Glorious and a Masterpiece!
Review: I love this Film! It contains eight Dreams, Sunshine Through the Rain, The Peach Orchard, The Blizzard, The Tunnel, Crows, Mount Fuji in Red, The Weeping Demon and Village of the Watermills. Every Dream is unique, beautifull and Breathtaking. The Dreams shows us how destructive humans are towards the nature and ourselves. Kurosawa criticizes the past, the presence and the future. Kurosawa (not the real kurosawa) plays in every Dream, from when he was a child in Sunshine through the Rain to when he is old and visits the Village of the Watermills. All in all This is the best film ever and my personal favorite Kurosawa film. Its Beauty is so splendid and I loved every single Dream. I encourage everyone in the world to watch this film. The Masters Masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: A look inside Kurosawa
Review: To the average movieviewer, Dreams would seem like it was created by a completely insane person. Who knows, maybe Kurosawa was going crazy during the end of his career. Even so, he still had something to say from this movie, despite many of the disturbing scenes and confusing moments. This film is an over-exageration regarding the many problems, and positive aspects, of the human race. With contrasting settings and open expression, I believe that no other work by Kurosawa has been this personal. Moreover, it has to be his best film later in his career, right next to Red Beard. Despite other unsuccessful films, (Ex. Do Des Ka Den) Dreams is Kurosawa's last stand at making such an emotional and valuable film. My hat is off to this master who is no longer with us.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best foreign films ever...
Review: This has to be one of the best foreign films that I have ever seen in my life. Kurosawa made a magical film that will stay with me forever. I will never forget "Sunshine Through the Rain" or "Crows". I loved these two the most. Some of it is almost Lynchian in the way that dream logic is used, but of course, this IS a film about dreams so that is to be expected. Martin Scorsese even has a cameo where he plays Vincent Van Gogh, and he's not all that bad. All in all, I loved this film. I will be adding it to my collection very soon. HIGHLY recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: In just eight "dreams," Akira Kurosawa managed to capture my attention and, most importantly, my heart. These many stories, some on the personal level individually and some on the personal level culturally, continue to evoke thought and emotion the whole way. Amazingly, I can see these dreams in sections themselves. The first two, "Sunshine Through the Rain" and "The Peach Orchard" both involve a young Kurosawa (we can assume). While "Sunshine" may take a dark and very depressing turn, "Orchard" offers some hope in its symbolic ending of the lone orchard and the young boy going after the girl. The third dream, "The Blizzard," seemed at first to me like a story all its own, but the book "The Films of Akira Kurosawa," by Donald Richie, explains it as the tale of an "adolescent Kurosawa," although I would prefer to guess it as a fictional "mountain man Kurosawa" as the next tale offers a fictional "officer Kurosawa." (again, to quote Richie) Lost in a snow storm, the adolescent Kurosawa sees a "yuki-onna," or snow-woman, who warms him until the storm lifts and it reveals their camp. When I first saw this tale I thought it was the slowest thing I had ever seen, but the second time it was far more fascinating. The sound affects are well done, and the shots of the pure white blizzard and dark shapes of the four struggling men became beautiful in a haunting manner. And, of course, the yuki-onna was a nice touch. The fourth dream is called "The Tunnel" and shows us an "officer Kurosawa" returning from the war. As he walks through a long tunnel he is revisited by his former comrades-in-arms...who had been lost in the war. This reflects the inner feelings of many Japanese soldiers returning from WWII, feeling as if they had failed their nation and their friends, and the agony of returning defeated with no gain in sight. The next few films take a young adult Kurosawa in different dream-like circumstances, most often as observer. To me, these are the most fascinating ones, as the Kurosawa character in each is more of an observer, asking characters in his dream at what is happening and why. Starting with "Crows," Kurosawa actually ENTERS an Impressionist painting, heading off to meet Van Gogh in person. He continues to travel through different paintings as if they were real environments, which Kurosawa once explained in person he would often imagine himself doing when he looked upon great pieces of art. I have to confess that this sequence is a double-plus for me...not only is it done by my favorite film maker Akira Kurosawa, but Van Gogh is played by Martin Scorcese, another film maker I adore. The next two sequences, "Mount Fuji in Red" and "The Weeping Demon" portray nightmares about a Japan that might be. The first is a more possible story about a nuclear fallout of Japan's nuclear power plants - which causes Mount Fuji to erupt and howl like an awakened god. Some consider this as nothing more than another anti-nuclear sentiment from Japan, but I believe it to be instead a classic Japanese nightmare of a horrible event happening on their island and they have no where to run to - a similar type of story was done in a 1960's about Japan sinking into the sea and no one offering any aide to the survivors. "Demon" tells the story of Japan after a nuclear war, combining apocalyptic storytelling with Japanese legend. The Kurosawa character comes across a deformed man with one horn, called an oni but in actuality a victim of radiation. Society has become nothing but demons who eat each other based on a class system, but every night howling in pain caused by their horns. The shot of the entire oni race howling and walking about as humanity's doomed future is perhaps one of the most frightening shots I've seen on film. The final dream, "Village of the Watermills," is actually fairly positive after the last two. Kurosawa comes across a village of primitive people and has a chat with an old man fixing a new watermill. Much of it is the old man's philosophy on life and how society is going, including the efforts of science and technology. While this film may not have the narrative storyline or be fast-paced enough for some, I have found this film to be very meditative. Some images, including the blizzard as well as the dance of the dolls, can be very hypnotic, and by the end of the film I even found myself watching during the credits to observe the plants in the water. Obviously this was a very personal work, but it is also a very moving one at that. It was also meditative in sense of emotion, for I feel so many different things watching this: I feel sadness in "Sunshine," I feel sentimental in "Tunnel," I feel horrified in "Demon," and hopeful in "Village." In being personal with himself, Kurosawa has made this film personal for the viewer. I am not Japanese, and I don't pretend to be, but I am also human - and human sentiment is what this film is all about.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best foreign films ever...
Review: This has to be one of the best foreign films that I have ever seen in my life. Kurosawa made a magical film that will stay with me forever. I will never forget "Sunshine Through the Rain" or "Crows". I loved these two the most. Some of it is almost Lynchian in the way that dream logic is used, but of course, this IS a film about dreams so that is to be expected. Martin Scorsese even has a cameo where he plays Vincent Van Gogh, and he's not all that bad. All in all, I loved this film. I will be adding it to my collection very soon. HIGHLY recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A circle of life--his own and everyone's
Review: Kurosawa's Dreams consists of all his worries about the world and human beings. Since it's one of his last works, his mentality of filming "the Dreams" differed from films such as Seven Samurai in the zenith of his filming career. Instead of presenting the fierce fighting scenes, which he had excelled in, he put more effort into the internalized understandings of human beings, expressing naivete, confusions, struggle, losses, enthusiasm, despair, anger, fear and ultimately internal tranquility¡ªthe natural way of life. It is like a life circle. If you look at Kurosawa's life, these dreams actually imply his own mentalities from childhood and youth to old. The young artist in the movie, who experienced the Crows, Mount Fuji in Red, the Weeping Ghost, and the Village of the Watermills, is himself. As a young man, Kurosawa majored in Western Art, and was greatly influenced and fascinated by Western artists such as Van go. His obsession with art at that time is obvious as "he" was running through the Van go's works. When I was watching the Crow, I was amazed by the setting of the scenes and his capability of shooting, making every aspect look exactly like Van go's work! Kurosawa is a truly versatile director, surely among the rare ones that have such grounded foundation in fine arts. Comparably, he is not as versed in music as in art. I'm especially amazed by his nuanced choices of color in his colored films. (I will talk about the use of color in Ran later, hopefully.) During the precarious time in Japanese history with wars and political movements, as an aspiring educated young man, who witnessed so many human disasters and stupidities, he got somewhat frustrated yet more angry. The characters in many of his "dreams" condemned the inhumanity brought by H-bombs and nuclear missiles¡ªthe big disaster took place in Japan during WW II. It reminds me of his other movie "I Live in Fear". If we look back on his earlier movies, we can see that the main string of Kurosawa's Dreams is a retrospect of ups and downs of his life as well as a summary of many topics in his other movies. In the end, Kurosawa presents to us an ideal word, out of any form of industrialization, out of any artificial intentions and religions. The world he describes in the village of watermills, a village without a name, (since names themselves are artificial), is the world that is believed in Zen¡ªa belief that was greatly influenced by Taoism (the path) originated in China believing that human beings should live in a harmony of nature and keep of mood of harmony. "End the thinking (unnatural intention), end the pain," is commonly cited in Zen. This revelation of living life as its original form is where Kurosawa found his internal tranquility¡ªin peace. This is also a sincere advice from an experienced old man. The last scene, as the water wheels goes round and round, life goes on and on as an endless circle.
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