Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams

Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker’s artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.
Special Features
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Shoji Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- New audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince
- Making of “Dreams” (1990), a 150-minute documentary shot on set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
- New interview with production manager Teruyo Nogami
- New interview with assistant director Takashi Koizumi
- Kurosawa’s Way (2011), a fifty-minute documentary by Kurosawa’s longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese, Hayao Miyazaki, and others
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and Kurosawa’s script for a never-filmed ninth dream, introduced by Nogami
Cover painting by Akira Kurosawa
Special Features
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Shoji Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- New audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince
- Making of “Dreams” (1990), a 150-minute documentary shot on set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
- New interview with production manager Teruyo Nogami
- New interview with assistant director Takashi Koizumi
- Kurosawa’s Way (2011), a fifty-minute documentary by Kurosawa’s longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese, Hayao Miyazaki, and others
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and Kurosawa’s script for a never-filmed ninth dream, introduced by Nogami
Cover painting by Akira Kurosawa

Cast
- Akira Terao
- “I”
- Mitsuko Baisho
- Mother
- Mieko Harada
- Snow Woman
- Toshie Negishi
- Woman carrying a child (“Mount Fuji in Red”)
- Mitsunori Isaki
- “I” as an adolescent (“The Peach Orchard”)
- Toshihiko Nakano
- “I” as a young boy (“Sunshine Through the Rain”)
- Yoshitaka Zushi
- Private Noguchi (“The Tunnel”)
- Hisashi Igawa
- Power plant worker (“Mount Fuji in Red”)
- Chosuke Ikariya
- Weeping demon
- Chishu Ryu
- Old man (“The Village of the Water Mills”)
- Martin Scorsese
- Vincent van Gogh
- Kiku-no Kai Dancers
- Fox wedding dancers
- Misato Tate
- Peach Fairy
- Mieko Suzuki
- Sister (“The Peach Orchard”)
- Masayuki Yui
- Member of the climbing team (“The Blizzard”)
- Shu Nakajima
- Member of the climbing team (“The Blizzard”)
- Sakae Kimura
- Member of the climbing team (“The Blizzard”)
- Tessho Yamashita
- Second lieutenant
- Members of the 20-ki No Kai
- Third platoon
Credits
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Written by
- Akira Kurosawa
- Produced by
- Hisao Kurosawa
- Produced by
- Mike Y. Inoue
- Executive producer
- Steven Spielberg
- Creative consultant
- Ishiro Honda
- Production manager
- Teruyo Nogami
- Cinematography by
- Takao Saito
- Cinematography by
- Shoji Ueda
- Art direction by
- Yoshiro Muraki
- Art direction by
- Akira Sakuragi
- Production design by
- Yoshiro Muraki
- Production design by
- Akira Sakuragi
- Costume design by
- Emi Wada
- Music by
- Shinichiro Ikebe
- Film editing by
- Tome Minami
- Visual effects by
- Industrial Light & Magic
- “Sun Shining Through the Rain” fox parade choreographed by
- Michiyo Hata
Trailer for Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams




