Dreams

This may be the most beautiful film ever made. The surreal visuals are matched only by the real ass shit that was being said throughout the movie. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams is a collection of eight short films with different content. Each film is a dream - in fact a story, an event that brings experiences, lessons that, according to Akira Kurosawa's narration, are what happened in different parts of his life. Kurosawa has experienced these things and now, in his very own cinematic language, he tells the story of his life, the life of a Japanese man. If I had to pick my favourite out of the 8 dreams it would have to be 1. Crows: This dream features Martin Scorsese playing a Vincent Van Gough close to death. We follow the protagonist as he begins, looking at the works of Van Gough. We are then lead to a scene of the protagonist searching for and finding Van Gough, who hurriedly gets all philosophical and shit then leaves. The protagonist tries to follow but gets thrown into a stunning, trippy art world and arrives back at the Van Gough Museum. 2. The Tunnel: This dreams opens with the commander walking down a deserted road at dusk, on his way back home from fighting in the Second World War. He comes to a large tunnel, from which a barking and snarling anti-tank dog emerges. The commander walks through the dark tunnel and comes out on the other side. He is followed by the yūrei (ghost) of one of his soldiers, Private Noguchi, who had died of severe wounds in the commander's arms. Noguchi's face appears blue with blackened eyes. Noguchi seems not to believe that he is dead. Noguchi points to a light emanating from a house on a nearby mountainside, which he identifies as being his parents' home. He is heartbroken, knowing he cannot see them again, even while he remains respectful to the commander. Following the commander's wish that he accept his fate, Noguchi returns into the tunnel. The commander's entire third platoon, led by a young lieutenant brandishing an officer's sword, then marches out of the tunnel. They come to a halt and present arms, saluting the commander. Their faces too are colored blue. The commander struggles to tell them that they are dead, having all been killed in combat, and says that he himself is to blame for sending them into a futile battle. They stand mute in reply. The commander orders them to turn about face, and salutes them in a farewell as they march back into the tunnel. Collapsing in grief, the commander is quickly brought back to his feet by the reappearance of the anti-tank dog. 3. Village of the Watermills: This dream begins as we see a man meet an elderly, wise villager who is fixing a broken watermill wheel. The elder informs the younger man that residents of the village simply refer to it as "the village", and that outsiders call it "the village of the watermills". When the younger man inquires about the lack of electricity in the village, the elder explains that the people of his village decided long ago to forsake modern technology, and laments the notion of modern convenience and the pollution of nature. The younger man asks the elder about the stone which children were placing flowers on. The elder tells him that, long ago, an ailing traveler died on that spot. The villagers buried him there and placed the rock there as a headstone. Ever since, it has become customary in the village to offer flowers there. The younger man and the elder hear the sounds of a funeral procession for an old woman nearby. Rather than mourning her death, the people in the procession celebrate joyfully the peaceful end of her long life. The elder goes to join the procession, and the younger man leaves flowers on the stone before departing the village. Kurosawa's works made me admire the traditional ideas expressed so vividly as if they were ingrained in his flesh and blood and then transmitted through each scene. His dedication to displaying an incredibly diverse variety of people from ancient to modern Japan is fascinating, from skilled samurai and bandits to past kings and modern businessmen. I honestly think this should be rated higher than seven samurai, one of the most complex, meaningful movies ever made