Press Release Criterion Press Release: Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990) (4k UHD Combo) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​

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.

FILM INFO​

• Japan, United States
• 1990
• 120 minutes
• Color
• 1.85:1
• Japanese
• Spine #842
  
  

  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, Martin Scorsese, Hayao Miyazaki, 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
    
    August 8, 2023

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate, HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

See on Amazon

 

[bujaki]

And in 4K! Gorgeous film.

 

[jayembee]

I noticed at The Other Site that seven other Kurosawa titles have been, or soon will be, released on UHD in Japan by Toho. Dare we hope that they'll come out from Criterion in the foreseeable future?

Stray Dog, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, High and Low, Kagemusha

 

[titch]

I noticed at The Other Site that seven other Kurosawa titles have been, or soon will be, released on UHD in Japan by Toho. Dare we hope that they'll come out from Criterion in the foreseeable future?

Stray Dog, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, High and Low, Kagemusha

View attachment 183872 View attachment 183873 View attachment 183874 View attachment 183875 View attachment 183876 View attachment 183877 View attachment 183878

What I'd like for Christmas, is all these in a bumper Criterion box set.....

 

[B-ROLL]

One wonders what possible "restoration" work would need to be done to a movie/film made in 1990 - did the O-neg have an unfortunate meeting with a Samurai wannabe with a Ginsu(Tm) knife ... ?

 

[Stephen_J_H]

One wonders what possible "restoration" work would need to be done to a movie/film made in 1990 - did the O-neg have an unfortunate meeting with a Samurai wannabe with a Ginsu(Tm) knife ... ?

Remember that Criterion tends to have a very different definition of "restoration", and one that hews closer to the marketing definition of restoration.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Preorder lve. See post #2

 

[Bryan^H]

One of the best films ever made.

 

[Robert Harris]

One wonders what possible "restoration" work would need to be done to a movie/film made in 1990 - did the O-neg have an unfortunate meeting with a Samurai wannabe with a Ginsu(Tm) knife ... ?

Unfortunately, has the same forensic axe marks as found on Out of the Blue. I’m told that Keith Morrison is on the case. Look for a two-hour TV special.