Amazon.com

Produced with assistance from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Dreams is an omnibus of eight short stories and parables that spell enchantment at every turn. The opening story, "Sun Under the Rain," emerges from director Akira Kurosawa's personal memories, as a child (whose house is modeled after Kurosawa's childhood home in Koishikawa) witnesses a fox's wedding ceremony in a magical forest. The Garden of Eden motif continues in "The Peach Orchard," while Lucas's ILM special effects group shines in the glorious "Crows" segment, in which an art admirer finds himself living within the paintings of Van Gogh (played with concentrated energy by Kurosawa enthusiast Martin Scorsese). In the idyllic closing fable, "The Village of the Watermills," a centenarian claims that "people nowadays have forgotten that they are also part of nature." The equally wise Kurosawa reinforces the old man's claim through these vivid but ultimately life-affirming tableaux. --Kevin Mulhall ... Read more

Reviews (90)

Breathtaking Beauty. Glorious and a Masterpiece!
I love this Film! It contains eight Dreams, Sunshine Through the Rain, The Peach Orchard, The Blizzard, The Tunnel, Crows, Mount Fuji in Red, The Weeping Demon and Village of the Watermills. Every Dream is unique, beautifull and Breathtaking.

The Dreams shows us how destructive humans are towards the nature and ourselves. Kurosawa criticizes the past, the presence and the future.

Kurosawa (not the real kurosawa) plays in every Dream, from when he was a child in Sunshine through the Rain to when he is old and visits the Village of the Watermills.

All in all This is the best film ever and my personal favorite Kurosawa film. Its Beauty is so splendid and I loved every single Dream. I encourage everyone in the world to watch this film. The Masters Masterpiece

Captivatingly beautiful
I am a huge Akira Kurosawa fan, I love all of his movies that I have seen. I am always impressed at his masterful story telling and cinematography. "Dreams" holds a special place in my heart because of it's breathtaking beauty. Beyond "eye candy", however, this film speaks intelligently of many things, life, death, solitude, guilt, redemption. This is one of those rare movies that can be discussed and analyzed and questioned for hours after viewing.

The Amazon.com review stated that this movie was "slow". How could one notice when one is busy looking at the amazing color, scenery, and imagery that is so masterfully created? "Preachy"? Perhaps, but they are good subjects to be preachy about - nuclear distruction, environmental distruction, not appreciating what one has... These complaints are the weak wingeing of shallow minds.

After every viewing of his films, I feel compelled to bow respectfully and say "Domo Arigato - Thank you very much".

One of Kurosawa's Best
I first saw this on TV and taped it. I was blown away by the visual beauty and terror of it all. The last story about the windmills? That is how I want my funeral. Music and joy, not tears and sadness. We all die, but it is how we live that really matters.

OK, really only for Kurosawa Die Hard Fans
The first short story was really cool. The others were Ok. Not really much to say. This was my first Kurosawa film. Wasn't too impressed. Was impressed with Hidden Fortress and Really impressed with 7 Samurai.
Rent-Maybe
Buy-No

Beautiful
In just eight "dreams," Akira Kurosawa managed to capture my attention and, most importantly, my heart. These many stories, some on the personal level individually and some on the personal level culturally, continue to evoke thought and emotion the whole way.

Amazingly, I can see these dreams in sections themselves. The first two, "Sunshine Through the Rain" and "The Peach Orchard" both involve a young Kurosawa (we can assume). While "Sunshine" may take a dark and very depressing turn, "Orchard" offers some hope in its symbolic ending of the lone orchard and the young boy going after the girl.

The third dream, "The Blizzard," seemed at first to me like a story all its own, but the book "The Films of Akira Kurosawa," by Donald Richie, explains it as the tale of an "adolescent Kurosawa," although I would prefer to guess it as a fictional "mountain man Kurosawa" as the next tale offers a fictional "officer Kurosawa." (again, to quote Richie) Lost in a snow storm, the adolescent Kurosawa sees a "yuki-onna," or snow-woman, who warms him until the storm lifts and it reveals their camp. When I first saw this tale I thought it was the slowest thing I had ever seen, but the second time it was far more fascinating. The sound affects are well done, and the shots of the pure white blizzard and dark shapes of the four struggling men became beautiful in a haunting manner. And, of course, the yuki-onna was a nice touch.

The fourth dream is called "The Tunnel" and shows us an "officer Kurosawa" returning from the war. As he walks through a long tunnel he is revisited by his former comrades-in-arms...who had been lost in the war. This reflects the inner feelings of many Japanese soldiers returning from WWII, feeling as if they had failed their nation and their friends, and the agony of returning defeated with no gain in sight.

The next few films take a young adult Kurosawa in different dream-like circumstances, most often as observer. To me, these are the most fascinating ones, as the Kurosawa character in each is more of an observer, asking characters in his dream at what is happening and why. Starting with "Crows," Kurosawa actually ENTERS an Impressionist painting, heading off to meet Van Gogh in person. He continues to travel through different paintings as if they were real environments, which Kurosawa once explained in person he would often imagine himself doing when he looked upon great pieces of art. I have to confess that this sequence is a double-plus for me...not only is it done by my favorite film maker Akira Kurosawa, but Van Gogh is played by Martin Scorcese, another film maker I adore.

The next two sequences, "Mount Fuji in Red" and "The Weeping Demon" portray nightmares about a Japan that might be. The first is a more possible story about a nuclear fallout of Japan's nuclear power plants - which causes Mount Fuji to erupt and howl like an awakened god. Some consider this as nothing more than another anti-nuclear sentiment from Japan, but I believe it to be instead a classic Japanese nightmare of a horrible event happening on their island and they have no where to run to - a similar type of story was done in a 1960's about Japan sinking into the sea and no one offering any aide to the survivors. "Demon" tells the story of Japan after a nuclear war, combining apocalyptic storytelling with Japanese legend. The Kurosawa character comes across a deformed man with one horn, called an oni but in actuality a victim of radiation. Society has become nothing but demons who eat each other based on a class system, but every night howling in pain caused by their horns. The shot of the entire oni race howling and walking about as humanity's doomed future is perhaps one of the most frightening shots I've seen on film.

The final dream, "Village of the Watermills," is actually fairly positive after the last two. Kurosawa comes across a village of primitive people and has a chat with an old man fixing a new watermill. Much of it is the old man's philosophy on life and how society is going, including the efforts of science and technology.

While this film may not have the narrative storyline or be fast-paced enough for some, I have found this film to be very meditative. Some images, including the blizzard as well as the dance of the dolls, can be very hypnotic, and by the end of the film I even found myself watching during the credits to observe the plants in the water. Obviously this was a very personal work, but it is also a very moving one at that. It was also meditative in sense of emotion, for I feel so many different things watching this: I feel sadness in "Sunshine," I feel sentimental in "Tunnel," I feel horrified in "Demon," and hopeful in "Village." In being personal with himself, Kurosawa has made this film personal for the viewer. I am not Japanese, and I don't pretend to be, but I am also human - and human sentiment is what this film is all about. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Made in 1970, this film was nominated for an Academy Award for BestForeign Film in 1972. This is Kurosawa's first color film, and there seems to be an almost psychedelic overlay to his production palette. The story revolves around a collection of characters held together only by the frayed thread of poverty. Rokkuchan (Yoshitaka Zushi), a teenager with the mind of a boy, is obsessed with trolley cars. He draws them from every angle in vivid colors. His despondent mother (Kin Sugai) hangs them lovingly on the walls and windows of their simple home.

Every morning Rokkuchan goes out to his imaginary trolley car and makes his way through the surrounding slums. His neighbors include a humble man with a terrible limp and an unforgiving wife, two couples who color-coordinate their husband-swapping, and a sad derelict man with an adoring but doomed little boy. During the day, father and son pass the time building a dream house in their minds. At night they sleep in an abandoned car.

While visually compelling, the film lacks connection between the characters, which leaves the viewer feeling disjointed and somehow lessens the emotionalimpact of these tragic stories. But as a slice-of-life look at how people maintain simple dignities in the face of great hardship, it is definitely a film worth seeing. --Luanne Brown ... Read more

Reviews (8)

First colour film by Kurosawa is sadly underrated work
If I were living like any of the people of the Tokyo slums in Akira Kurosawa's first colour film, Dodes'ka-den, like them, I'd be living in illusion and imagination to counter the squalid conditions. Living for them, but in my case, it'd be drowning. That's the premise of this movie, a testament to the human spirit and how it keeps on going despite adversity.

There's no plot in this film, as it tells of the various people living in the slums, some in coloured tin corrugated roofs, others in dirty, dingy travesties of huts, and in the case of an oddball boy who pretends he's a streetcar conductor and spends all day shuffling to who knows where. He goes through the motions, putting on his cap, pushing the buttons, pulling levers, and muttering the words "Dodes'ka-den." Which leads to the title. It's a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a train makes on the tracks. Roughly translated, it's like clackety-clack. The smaller kids who see him throw pebbles at him and cry out "trolley crazy."

My favourite characters are the bedraggled derelict and his young son who live in a beaten up, wheelless VW bug. The son goes out at night and gets scraps from a friendly sushi shop man. During the day, the father discusses their dream house, and we see his designs, from the gate, fence, and house, come alive, with dramatic sounds and colour. He must have been an architect or designer, and he escapes his squalid condition by envisioning a dreamhouse. There's a vivid example of colour cinematography at work, when standing under glaring yellow sky, we see the eerie blue light cast on him and his son, ill from food poisoning.

The drunken buddies who swap wives are two of the most colourful, but there's an interesting theme. Both couples are colour coordinated, clothes, house, even wash basins. And at times, they swap wives. The yellow husband is so drunk, he stays at his buddy's red house and with his wife, while his buddy goes to his house. Wonder how many bottles of sake they drink after work. But the wifeswapping has dual meaning, an escape from the ordinary, but also a lack of symmetry that is restored when both yellow-coded husband and wife are reunited and the same with the red-coded couple.

Then there's Tamba, the druggist, a man in his seventies or early eighties who's a wise, sage, and compassionate character. The way he defuses a violent sword-wielding drunk is amazing! I won't get into specifics but he shames the drunk into going to bed. He also helps a man wanting to commit suicide a reason to go on living. He seems to represent the face of an older and uncomplicated Japan, experienced by the past, living as he can in the present.

Hei is the most haunting, and his eyes are that of a dead man. He never says a word in the movie, and it's clear that he has been deeply traumatized by something in his past, which we learn later. It's as if his soul has been drained. A character looks at a tree and wonders what kind of tree it is, before saying "it's no longer a tree when it's dead." Substitute man for tree and we get Hei. Oh, and me as well.

Shima is a salaryman who's nice enough, but he has a funny walk nearly like the Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks man and a facial tic that drives him into a brief fit, complete with snorting. The tic represents that there's more to a person than a mere flaw.

Some of the info we get from the gossiping circle of women who spend the day doing the laundry in the slum square, including a sensuous long-haired woman who seems to know it all, and witnessing the parade of life.

This was Kurosawa's first of seven colour films and its failure culminated in him attempting suicide. Understandable, as despite its being panned, it's actually a sober, at times depressing, but ultimately hopeful look at people. Very underrated film that's deeply in need of reappraisal.

the beauty inside
Dodeskaden portrays the beauty inside the struggle and pain of human existence.The images will never leave me. This and Itami's " Tampopo " are my all time Japanese cinema favorites.

and one fourth of a star.
Along with the Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen, this is one of my favorite "faith" movies of all time. Dont get me wrong, Im not even attempting to compare it to Baron...just to say they brought about similar changes in my teenage years, a time when I was contemplating suicide. Cant be that dramatic anymore.This and Mishima really helped just for that day...watching it at the library. Its too bad Mishima is so much money, but owning Dodes Ka-Den is enough. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

And now for something really different...
Kurosawa's first color film originally came in at 244 minutes and the studio executives were aghast. They quickly cut it to about 140 minutes and reportedly destroyed the original negative in so doing. This along with the lack of public and critical acceptance at the time drove the great genius to a suicide attempt. In it's original form it could well have been Kurosawa's great masterpiece. As it is, it's a little quixotic and hard to follow, but a stunning piece of movie making. The children's train drawings shown during the prayer scenes were collected by Kurosawa from children all over Japan for this film. It is pointless to recap the story, but I just say to you see it and you'll never forget it. Perhaps Criterion could find the orignal version when it comes out on DVD, let's hope so!

"Do-des-ka-den" Reverberates Through the Years
I saw this film more than 25 years ago and it still makes me smile when I ride a trolley or train. It takes very little imagination for me to convert the sounds of steel wheels on rails into the simple do-des-ka-den cadence. And with the conversion of sound comes an alteration of vision as through the trolley windows, I see Pittsburgh's urban humanity through the compassionate lens Kurosawa's uses to show his brave characters. This was my first experience with Kurosawa, and I always imagined this film as his version of "Cannery Row". ... Read more

Description

The film follows the last 2 decades in the life of Hyakken Uchinda, a writer and teacher who retires in the war years of the early 1940's. His students venerate him in his old age, and join him and his family each year for a ritual birthday party, asking "are you ready?" to which he answers, "not yet," acknowledging that death may be near, but life still goes on.

Kurosawa is considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and this, his final and touching film, is the perfect ending to a lifetime of cinematic achievements. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A fine curtain call
Kurosawa's last film, while maybe not a "powerful" film like "Ran" or "Seven Samurai" does still pack a wonderful emotional punch as a study of the last decades of an old professor's life, starting from his retirement to his death. The title "Madadayo" is Japanese for "Not yet" and is the response given by the professor when asked "Mahka kai?" ("Are you ready?") at his birthday celebrations, meaning whether or not he is ready for death.

This film, like many of Kurosawa's works, is a character study. The old man has many admirers from former pupils and old friends, and he is full of wit and wisdom. The film chronicles many interesting aspects from his life's last years, including the loss of a favorite cat and the gain of another. If you can enjoy a film for its fascinating characters, then you can enjoy this film.

Many film makers have died with a film that barely holds up as even a classic. Kurosawa, thankfully, has left us a final film that asks questions about life, death, and the time we have on earth. It certainly deserves to be considered a milestone.

Kurosawa's final film -- a quiet masterpiece
This was Akira Kurosawa's final film, and appropriately it fell into the camp of his quieter, more reflective films. It is the story of a full life that takes place after most would say that life is over, the story of a teacher's experiences after retirement -- filled with drama, heartbreak, tragedy, joy and the love and devotion of his former students, who care for the aging man and his loyal wife, giving him a birthday party each year in which part of the ritual becomes the cry and response of his students chanting: Maadha Kai (ready?) and his reply: Madadayo (not yet!) -- he is not ready to die.

In the film's final scene, several students watch over the professor as he sleeps. He has been ill and they wonder what he is dreaming about. We become privy to the dream -- the professor is a young boy playing hide-and-seek. The children are waiting for him to hide, calling out Maadha Kai (are you ready?) and as he searches in the hay piles for a place to hide, he replies Madadayo (not yet), until he is distracted by the beautiful sky, and pauses to look at the surreal swirling clouds.

One cannot see this film without thinking of Kurosawa himself, surrounded by those who loved and respected him, enjoying life, looking back and dreaming of his past (Akira Kurosawa's Dreams had come out two years before). A lovely film which will be appreciated most by Kurosawa fans.

DVD extras include a trailer, filmographies and 6 beautiful watercolor storyboard illustrations. The film is in Japanese with optional English subtitles.

Deeper than it seems
As a fan of Kurosawa, I knew that I had to see his last film. The mixed reviews concerned me a bit. After viewing it, however, I am convinced it is one of his greatest works.

On the surface, this is a story about a beloved and somewhat child-like (in a positive way) professor in the autumn of his life. It is a touching and at times seemly overly sentimental story. There are some laugh out loud moments--the scenes with the horse, the professor's attempts to foil robbers and a student doggedly reciting all of the train stops along an extremely long route come to mind. The professor is quick-witted and warm, the acting exceptional.

Many reviewers have already given more details on the plot, so I invite you to watch and look deeper. Although I am not one given to finding allegory everywhere, there are many subtleties here that I assume are completely intentional. A director as great as Kurosawa does not randomly throw in images. So consider...The country of Japan has been torn by war, and so has the professor. We see the results of air raids--the Professor's own home and much of his town has been destroyed. The American occupation is causing changes in the Japanese way of life. Although there is no open criticism, the brief scenes involving Americans and their influences (watch for them!) show you that the Japanese characters find them incomprehensible and aren't sure what to make of them. Additionally, as the film progresses, there is a subtle influx of Western influences-more English words, American customs etc. The Professor is caught between the old Japan and the new. The scene between the kindly neighbor and the callous new landowner illustrate this.

Nowhere is this conflict apparent than in the scene with the missing cat. At first, I thought that it was a little ridiculous to devote so much of the film the the search for a missing cat, and I thought it was over the top in sentimentality. But then, we are shown a few scenes of the professor imagining his lost cat trapped in a bombed-out ruin. Although the war has been over for a few years, the ruins are still smoldering-as if the bombs were recently dropped. The cat is trying to get home, but is confused and frightened. I realized the lost cat must be an symbol for Japanese people caught in the turmoil of a war-torn country in transition. What ultimately saves the Professor is the love and devotion of his students as well as his innate zest for life. When the Professor recovers from his depression, the once destroyed buildings in the background have been rebuilt. Can't be an accident!

There are so many other subtleties here. Watch for the changing role of women, the use of English and German words, the clothing styles, the role of children, music etc. I believe you'll agree this is a great film.

Kurosawa's last film -- a quiet masterpiece
This was Akira Kurosawa's final film, and appropriately it fell into the camp of his quieter, more reflective films. It is the story of a full life that takes place after most would say that life is over, the story of a teacher's experiences after retirement -- filled with drama, heartbreak, tragedy, joy and the love and devotion of his former students, who care for the aging man and his loyal wife, giving him a birthday party each year in which part of the ritual becomes the cry and response of his students chanting: Maadha Kai (ready?) and his reply: Madadayo (not yet!) -- he is not ready to die.

In the film's final scene, several students watch over the professor as he sleeps. He has been ill and they wonder what he is dreaming about. We become privy to the dream -- the professor is a young boy playing hide-and-seek. The children are waiting for him to hide, calling out Maadha Kai (are you ready?) and as he searches in the hay piles for a place to hide, he replies Madadayo (not yet), until he is distracted by the beautiful sky, and pauses to look at the surreal swirling clouds.

One cannot see this film without thinking of Kurosawa himself, surrounded by those who loved and respected him, enjoying life, looking back and dreaming of his past (Akira Kurosawa's Dreams had come out three years before). A lovely film which will be enjoyed by many but appreciated most by Kurosawa fans.

DVD extras include a trailer, filmographies and 6 beautiful watercolor storyboard illustrations. The film is in Japanese with optional English subtitles.

Grow old in peace and love
"Madadayo" is an unflinchingly sentimental film, in the same vein as "It's a Wonderful Life." It is a story that only an old man could have told, dealing with the love of growing old, and being surrounded by people who love you. There is no bitterness in the Professor's growing old, only the satisfaction of a life well lived, that is not over yet. It is an incredible, moving piece of art.

The story is so simple, and deeply personal that connection is easy. Starting at age 60, when the Professor is "officially an old man," his former students through him a birthday party. At the party, two things happen. First, he must drink a very large glass of beer in one breath. Second, his students ask him "Maadha kai?" ("Are you ready?"), and he sings back "Madadayo" ("Not yet.") Not yet ready to die.

Like the characters in the story, I too loved the professor, and felt that something would be missing from the world, the day "Madadayo" does not come ringing back in response. There are no villains, no life or death struggles, no sharp pains. Just wonderful people being excellent to each other, and making the best out of their brief time alive.

"Madadayo" is also deeply rooted in Japanese culture and sympathies, and this is the first Kurosawa film that I have seen where I feel I have a deeper understanding due to my time spent living in Japan. The enkais, the scenery, the values, it is all familiar. And familiarity and nostalgia are largely what "Madadayo" is about. ... Read more