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I remember all the brouhaha over Lynch's Mulholland Drive recently. After two or three viewings, many claim to have cracked the code, to have finally gotten to the core of Lynch's bizarre and deliciously indecipherable filmic apple. And then there are those who think it's all pretense and no payoff, with nothing behind the curtain but a horny film director who likes watching Naomi Watts get it on with chicks. But I've always been of the mind that Mulholland Drive made perfect sense, as do dreams if you pay attention. In such a state there is no limit to our visionary potential. One could be walking around with chickens for feet and Cameron Diaz's head for a purse, or maybe one becomes a sail barge burning French philosophy as fuel. The sky is the limit. But the great thing about dreaming, as anyone who relishes the experience will tell you, is that everything makes sense in its own way. It is only when one is awake, attempting to decipher the nuances, that things become increasingly cloudy. But while it's actually happening, when those dreams flash behind one's closed eyes, they always maintain their own integrity.

Like Mulholland Drive, Akira Kurosawa's Dreams follows its own internal dream-logic, and continues to be unfairly maligned because of it. Dreams is a film in eight parts, each segment investigating a visual universe or tonal idea that Kurosawa meditates upon for ten or fifteen minutes, then leaves behind in pursuit of a wholly different concept. The film has both its celebrators and its detractors: Even among Kurosawa fans there are many who claim it is nothing more than a genius craftsman indulging in cinematic masturbation, abandoning his typically multi-layered narrative conventions for an uninvolvingly simplistic, almost childish display of imagery. Then there are those who find that his audacious photography and narrative exploration liberating, allowing him to pursue themes unattainable in a more rigorously conventional work.

It is understandable that some could feel cheated, since Kurosawa leaves so much unexplained. But few could argue it is not visually stunning, even if there is little narrative closure, But like the best films, it is polarizing and inspires intense reactions. Those who love it adore it, and those who find it redundant will likely consider this long-in-coming DVD a boring cinematic curio. The work of a madman or a genius? I highly recommend finding out for yourself.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Stellar. The film's original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio is preserved here in anamorphic widescreen, and it is often stunning in its clarity and precision. Color reproduction is supple and striking - perhaps moreso because my old videotape is so worn out that I couldn't do anything but literally sit slack-jawed? Warner has struck a new print that is in overall excellent shape, although there's still a bit of dirt noticeable - one misses the super-clean work Criterion routinely does on titles like this - but otherwise there are no major anomalies present aside from a bit of dust and a scratch or two. Blacks are near-perfect, with detail sharp and strong and above-average shadow delineation. Some caveats aside, this transfer is wonderful.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Retaining the film's original Japanese Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack, it doesn't sound as if it was truly restored but works just fine. It would have been nice to get a new 5.1 remix, which certainly would have widened dynamic range and allowed the ethereal atmospheric sounds to be more enveloping. As it is, Kurosawa uses the film's dream imagery as a nice springboard for an array of sound effects that make good use of the high and low end. Separation across the front is nice for a 2.0 surround mix, although again the surrounds are rather dull.

Also included are English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Thai and Korean subtitles, as well as English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Pretty skimpy. We get some director film highlights, as well as list of the awards Kurosawa has amassed. Pretty minimal, and no trailers.

DVD- ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts