Message from bbrown

[Anonymous]

This 1990 film by Kurosawa is one of my favorite films of all time. It touches several different feelings in me. Because of it's short story format, it has also proved to be a valuable resource in the classroom. Kurosawa made this film from 8 of his personal dreams. There are 3 nightmare segments. The stories are seemingly disconnected but I have been able to find at least 2 connecting threads in the film. There are several images that follow my own dreams/nightmares and thoughts. One segment I use a lot in class is "Crows" where a japanese art student enters one of Van Gogh's paintings which hangs in a museum. He looks for and finds Van Gogh (interestingly played by Martin Scorses). There are several folk tale style stories with allegory. A couple of the stories feature young boys ("Peach Orchard" and "Sunshine Through the Rain"). "The Tunnel" deals with soldiers, war, and survival guilt. Nuclear energy is examined in "Mt Fuji in Red". But my most haunting thoughts come from "The Blizzard" about mountain climbers and a spirit who is perhaps the mountain herself luring the climbers into peaceful sleep/death. There are many more moments to this film. I thoroughly enjoy this film each time I watch. It is useful in the classroom because the segments can be used with lessons in one class period -- most films must be shown over several days. There is a website -- free encyclopedia -- at which you can find more information about the film. It is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurosawa's_Dreams.