Dreams

“Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” Akira Kurosawa

The name Akira Kurosawa may not ring a bell to an ordinary moviegoer but for film enthusiasts, Kurosawa is not a stranger. He was a celebrated Japanese film director, screenwriter and producer whom outstanding American film makers like Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola cited as a primal influence in film making. Akira Kurosawa had 31 movies to his credit, 3 Oscars, and various awards earned in film competitions abroad.

In 1990, he wrote and directed a movie entitled Dreams. Critics raved over the film’s rich visual imagery and thought provoking insights. Consisting of eight episodes, the film explores the futility of war, the danger of nuclear power, our affinity with nature and the responsibility to preserve the ecological balance of the environment. The cast is composed mostly of Japanese actors who have already appeared in some of his previous films.

Each of the eight episodes is presented in a form of a dream and runs approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cinematography is superb and narrative is mostly visual and less dialogic.

The movie is a very good tool for discussion because of its thought-provoking insights. The eight episodes, although interconnected in theme, tell different stories.

I have seen this film on video a few years back and have been really struck by its beautiful presentation. I was fascinated by the work of this man but did not really get interested until recently when I saw the video again and read about his death in September 8 this year.

Kurosawa was regarded as the “world’s greatest living director” in his lifetime. He started directing his first movie at the age of 33. He got his first Oscar award in 1952 for his movie Rashomon.

In 1993 all of Kurosawa’s 31 movies were released on laserdisc and video.