Akira Kurosawa's Dreams - Criterion Collection (BLU-RAY)

Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved directors own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the masters 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 Kurosawas Dreams is both a showcase for its makers artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.