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.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Shoji Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince
- Feature-length documentary from 1990 shot on set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Interviews with production manager Teruyo Nogami and assistant director Takashi Koizumi
- Documentary from 2011 by director Akira Kurosawa’s longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Hayao Miyazaki, Martin Scorsese, and others
- Trailer
- 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
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Shoji Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince
- Feature-length documentary from 1990 shot on set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Interviews with production manager Teruyo Nogami and assistant director Takashi Koizumi
- Documentary from 2011 by director Akira Kurosawa’s longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Hayao Miyazaki, Martin Scorsese, and others
- Trailer
- 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
- Assistant director
- Takashi Koizumi
- Cinematography by
- Takao Saito
- Cinematography by
- Shoji Ueda
- Lighting by
- Takeji Sano
- 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
- Sound by
- Kenichi Benitani
- 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
