Village of Dreams

Rating:
Summary: memorable orientalia wasted on poor film stock!
Review: Being an Oriental I am fairly familiar with films released by our geographical neighbours, although not as extensive as standard Hollywood productions. With Japanese films, whether it was made by a Kurusawa or a more obscure artisan, I can fairly adjudged them on a whole as lethargic in pace, inconspicuously lacks background music/instrumentals, and are generally pressed on celluluid films that are simply comparatively substandard. Village of Dreams, while touted as an award winner is a glaring testimony of this stunted Japanese film-making characteristic. Review it yourself. The pace alone wantingly needs tighter editing. It was the same character that can be seen even in Kurusawa's Ran - a "highly acclaimed" work that in my case, I couldn't even view for the third time, because even its DVD resolution has a quality that can only be likened to the eye-view of a person who's suffering his earliest stage of creeping glaucoma. Village of Dreams is so "relaxed" as if the filmmaker expects people like me to have an available time that they enjoyed in 1940s Japan in an obscure countryside. At the very least, the straight narrative of this film is a consolation, but with RAN, the actions were so hard to follow, you'd be puzzled who was fighting and attacking whom. The most unforgivable quality of this DVD transfer is the poor film stock. The picture approximates that of a "third generation" recording of a VHS copy. This means that you'll be sorely dissapointed of having to get a VHS-quality copy COPIED, in turn, from another VHS copy which was copied from the original VHS "master tape". Of course, the DVD transfer is not at fault, its simply that the Japanese despite their touted techno prowess just couldn't give us a decent film stock, that could at least preserve their comparatively well-made gems. I bought this film despite its hefty price tag mainly because I'm a film collector. Its works like this that whets my appreciation for world cinema. Unfortunately, Village's poor resolution takes away gratifying cinematic enjoyment, as well as negating its "collectability" factor. This should have looked more glorious if it could approximate the celluluid quality of examples like What Dreams May Come or Dark City, but of course that's asking too much from those editing-challenged Japanese filmakers. I want to ask Amazon for a refund because this is not well worth its price value. I was compulsed to buy it because of its cover, I thought it was at least as exotically glorious-looking as KUNDUN, but it proved to be just a small, obscure production. Critics may raved about it, just like those Canadians did with BLACK ROBE, but the final word is that they're just run of the mill, albeit thoughtful, films.....

Rating:
Summary: A little slow but enjoyable
Review: In spite of the slow pace of this movie and not so great video quality, I still found it quite enjoyable. This movie reminds me a little bit of Ozu's "Good Morning", although it does not have the same masterful skill and witty touch. This movie is like a cup of Japanese tea which you do not you gobble like soft drinks. By the way, the sound the other reviewer referred to is "Cicada", not "cricket"

Rating:
Summary: A little slow but enjoyable
Review: In spite of the slow pace of this movie and not so great video quality, I still found it quite enjoyable. This movie reminds me a little bit of Ozu's "Good Morning", although it does not have the same masterful skill and witty touch. This movie is like a cup of Japanese tea which you do not you gobble like soft drinks. By the way, the sound the other reviewer referred to is "Cicada", not "cricket"

Rating:
Summary: "The thunder-god will steal your penises"
Review: So says their elder sister to Seizo and Yukihito, 8-year-old twin boys growing up in a Japanese farm village. 'Village of Dreams' relates one childhood year of the twins from the perspective of one of the brothers in middle age. It has something of a Japanese 'Little Rascals' air about it which may make it seem banal to those who've seen this sort of movie before from directors around the world. Nothing really traumatizes the boys; they only have the joys and sorrows of any child: the sexual curiosity, the friendships, the mysterious and frightening actions of adults, the illnesses, etc. The film is beautifully photographed, and it makes for a quiet two hours. The DVD has no extras at all. The medieval European background music by the Caterina Early Music Ensemble seems like a strange choice for such a purely Japanese film. Perhaps the lutes, shawms, psalteries, and recorders sound as exotic and eerie to Japanese ears as tradional Japanese music sounds to Westerners.

Rating:
Summary: Captures Childhood and the Heat of Summer
Review: Village of Dreams is simply enchanting. It vividly captures the heat of summer in postwar Japan as two identical twin brothers explore life in and around their village, get into all sorts of trouble with adults, and interact with each other. The viewer is soon swept into their world, a world where you are challenged in 112 minutes to listen for the crickets, smell the oppressive heat, taste their mom's cooking, and revel with them as they grow up sensing for the first time changes in themselves and their surroundings. Mieko Harada the actress who plays the twin's mother won the equivilent of an Academy Award for this portrayal. Many of us remember her as the villianess in Akira Kurosawa's RAN, what a different part this time. This film is highly recommended as an escape to another time, our lost childhood. Sit back, relax, let your senses envelope you, and enjoy VILLAGE OF DREAMS