Dream a dream

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is about what dreams are supposed to be, vivid contradictions and clashing ideologies. There is ambiguity of time and logic, stories mangled in a muddle of imagery and sound.

Apparently inspired by Kurosawa’s actual dreams, they tell the tale of hope and despair, the past and future. It personifies a grotesque glimpse of tomorrow infused by the actions of today. The social message is very clear, man is exploiting nature for his immediate gain and is about to reap annihilation.

The dreams are an octet some entirely disconnected, some woven in time and space. Not surprisingly, my most favoured story was ‘Crows’, where the artist jumps into Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings and meets him in person. Martin Scorsese plays the freakishly enthused Vincent who claims to work his body like a locomotive. Another dream worth mentioning is “blizzard’, slow and surreal, it seems endless to the point of imbuing sleep.

The sensibilities of the film are Japanese, music and dance very spontaneously carry the narrative with beautiful rhythm. The color palette varies vividly based on the storyline. I like the way Kurosawa lingers on the shot a little longer than usual, letting you gather your thoughts on the story so far.

Over all, it is a visual abstraction of his mind, which undoubtedly is genius supreme.

P.S. 1. There’s an interesting line in a film called ‘Paprika’ which goes “Don't you think dreams and the Internet are similar? They are both areas where the repressed conscious mind vents.”

2. The image associated with this blog post is a depiction of my dreams and nightmares, I call them “Monstrosities out of nothing”.

Lust for life

Based on a novel by Irving Stone, Lust for life follows the life and trepidations of Vincent Van Gogh, the genius Dutch post impressionist.

Although it is never possible to show a person’s life completely, the storyline makes a sincere attempt to portray the events which shaped Vincent.

A man tormented by heartbreaks and loneliness, art is the only thing which keeps him going. Highly erratic in his behavior, he finds love and support only from his younger sibling Theo.

Having already read about Vincent, never have I dreaded the reality so much, dreaded the end and the pain that follows. I was choked up all throughout the film. There is a Vincent in all of us, misunderstood, toiling with beliefs and principles, searching for the self and purpose. Tortured by self doubt, this genius seeks a deeper meaning through his art.

For the first time, I can see Vincent, not his thoughts, not his brush strokes, not his million dollar paintings, the yellow hues, but Vincent in flesh and blood. His agonies, his pain, his constant squabble with life itself. In his thirty seven years of living, he fervently paints life, peasant folk, emotions, hard work and toil.

The more he degrades himself, the better his art becomes, and this is the eternal irony of his life, which he eventually throws away himself. If only Vincent would ever know how he has shaped the face of modern art.

Not for a moment in the film does the actor Kirk Douglas make himself visible, just Vincent, his art and his lust for life.

Does one endure so much anguish in life to achieve genius, one can only wonder....

See Vincent’s brilliant work here.

Don Mclean has written a brilliant song as homage to Vincent Van Gogh called “Vincent” inspired by a painting called Starry Night. See it here.