Original subtitles

This video was shot with multiple film and S-VHS video cameras

on the sets and locations of Akira Kurosawa is Dreams.

It was drawn from 190 hours of raw footage,

scenes from Dreams (Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution),

selections from storyboards drawn by Kurosawa himself,

and a dialogue between Kurosawa and Nobuhiko Obayashi.

One might say

it's a �making of� video,

one that freely imagines and reconstructs

�The World of Akira Kurosawa's " Dreams.�

- Nobuhiko Obayashi

What are films?

What makes them beautiful and powerful?

A film...

There's something you're trying to capture

in any given film,

and here and there it comes together...

but the film as a whole isn't there yet.

So you keep groping,

and some shots just click.

I can't explain it theoretically,

since I don't have a head for theory.

I just feel that chill down my spine

when a shot works completely.

That's the feeling I'm trying to capture.

Are you a demon?

I suppose I am.

But I used to be human.

He's human.

He's not really a demon.

Can you make him more human-like?

It looks good,

but it's too good.

Make him more human. Let's get rid of the makeup.

Hear that?

When dusk comes,

those big-shot demons howl in pain.

Their horns hurt like cancerous tumors.

Enough to make them yearn for a quick death.

Come, I'll show you.

KUROSAWA

Rolling!

You can't go out today.

The sun is shining, but it's raining.

Foxes hold their weddings on days like this.

They hate it if anybody watches.

Terrible things will happen if you do.

Let's set the dolly up here.

What's the matter? Does he have a fever?

No, no fever.

A cough, but no fever.

Just a cough.

How are the platforms?

You do like this, then like this.

Then like this, and like this.

Rolling!

Ready?

The wind changed direction.

- Smoke! - Get the rain ready.

The smoke's running out.

Cut! That won't work.

Cut!

Keep the smoke coming.

It went up too high.

Step forward.

Not enough smoke.

Make more.

Keep the smoke coming.

Stop! Don't go that way.

The sun's come out.

Look at the sun.

Where?

A cloud's blocking it now.

- Rain! - Smoke!

Don't let the smoke run out.

Rain!

Good morning.

This needs to be a little more...

The faces look very good.

Hare, let's set up here.

Ready?

Silence, everyone!

Ready, Hara?

Let's start with the back smoke.

- Slower! - Rain!

Don't run.

Walk slowly.

Think about the direction of the wind.

How was the last part?

Stop the smoke!

I'll stop the dry ice.

Stop the dry ice.

Maybe shoot now before it gets cloudy?

Don't let him trip or it'll be your fault.

You need to be in a tournament.

1,000 minus 10,000

minus one trillion minus ten quadrillion.

Smoke!

Smoke in front.

Dry ice.

Thicker in front.

Make it thicker in front.

Blend it with the smoke from in back.

- Come out now! - Not too close.

You ran off.

- How's the weather? - Stop the smoke.

- How's the weather? - There's not much smoke up there.

The weather's no good.

How's the weather?

Tell him about the smoke.

You need to let him know.

Stop the smoke.

The lower clouds

and upper clouds are moving in different directions.

Places, everyone!

Rolling!

Stand by!

Rain!

Smoke in front!

- Too much. - Less smoke in front.

It's not too much?

The red is a bit -

Too intense?

Maybe it's too much red.

It's easier for a fox to turn into a human

than for a human to turn into a fox.

Now run.

That was okay, right?

The turning around wasn't perfect.

But the rest was good.

How was B?

B was okay, C was okay.

This take was okay.

Put warm clothes on the boy.

He's done for today, right? He can go home.

You saw it, didn't you?

You saw something you shouldn't have.

I can't have such a child in my house.

An angry fox came looking for you.

He left this.

You're to atone by cutting your belly open.

Go quickly and ask their forgiveness.

You must go prepared to die for your sin!

Hurry now.

Until they forgive you,

I can't let you back in.

But I don't know where their home is.

Of course you do.

On days like this there's always a rainbow.

Their home is beneath the rainbow.

It looks just like the house I lived in as a child.

In Koishikawa.

That was our house in Koishikawa.

It was a little different.

You'd go through the gate,

but the path was a little longer.

And the right side had a second floor.

There was a garden inside the gate.

So you put the name �Kurosawa� on the plate -

Because it's my own story.

It's about my childhood.

Why not just put my own name up there?

I say this often...

but the imagination...

is rooted in memory.

Memory is the foothold,

and you imagine from there.

The novels I read - Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and so on -

I remember lots of different passages.

Those become the stepping stones

from which to create something new.

Even the sounds and music -

I tell the sound editors exactly what I want,

and they can put it in right away.

I have tons of records and CDs and such.

Yet I remember exactly which one is which.

My powers of recall

surprise everybody.

I find what I'm seeking right away.

The horse has to step forward.

A bit more.

That's it.

- How's the blue in the water? - Should we add more?

Let's add more.

The water's not turning blue.

You need to add more blue.

Can you make ripples over there?

There are no ripples where there should be.

Can you drop the rock over there?

Can you repeat that?

Do it again but much bigger.

It's hard to see if you're in the water.

It doesn't look right.

The sun's disappearing.

It looks great over there.

I hope that cloud keeps moving.

Let's wait for the sun to come out.

Do they need to use the bathroom?

Someone said Kumada caused the bad weather.

- You said the weather would hold. - Until 10:00.

Until 10100?

I guess it didn't make it.

If we get heavy rain, we'll have to redo it all.

It poured down the other day.

It was a big thunderstorm.

Lightning over there and heavy rain that way.

- Ban/our. - Are you going home?

No, not yet. Bonjour.

You're gonna fall!

Kame-san!

Monsieur van Gogh.

It's going to be a while. Perhaps we should eat now.

As soon as the food arrives.

Look.

The women just carry on a regular conversation.

When we say action, they start washing clothes.

Then the ripples start.

It's too loud.

Okay.

Do you know where Mr. van Gogh lives ?

If it's him you're after, he crossed the bridge

and went that way.

Thank you.

Be careful, sir.

He just got out of the lunatic asylum.

Matches perfectly.

The thing in front.

In front of that.

He found it.

That's good.

There's a pattern in the middle.

I can sprinkle more on top.

Continue like that.

Over here too.

Adjust the lights.

Center it more.

To the right a bit.

Can you move it forward?

Use the filter...

on the right side.

Too far.

That looks good.

Can you put it back?

Put in filters one and two.

Two, one.

Can you change the black to purple?

On the right...

use a strong filter behind that big thing.

I want to show this to Lucas.

It's okay if it looks a bit wrinkled.

This is Lucas-san.

It's going pretty well.

It will look like the man is walking

through Van Gogh's actual paintings.

Please watch and give us your comments.

- Shall we? - Rolling!

Okay. Good job.

We finished before noon.

We're starting.

We can't mess up,

so please don't stand there.

Watch from over here.

Let's begin.

You took off your hat.

Keep it on next time.

Rolling!

You're Vincent van Gogh, aren't you?

I have to hurry.

Time's running out. So little time left.

Hurry, everyone!

Rolling!

Throughout your films,

the use of music is really impeccable.

What's your musical background?

Did you excel at music in elementary school?

No, I wasn't good at it at all,

though I love music.

In elementary school...

I was made to sing as a class representative,

but I had no particular talent for it.

But I do love music.

I listen to music a lot.

More than most people, I think.

In terms of Dreams,

I watched the filmmaking process.

I thought it was interesting how, while editing the film,

you chose some classical music.

In the final version,

lkebe wrote original music expanding on those pieces.

You use Chopin's �Raindrop� prelude

in the scenes with Van Gogh.

Was that irreplaceable?

That's right. That couldn't change.

Abel Gance made a film called La roue,

a wonderful film whose title in Japanese

means White Rose of the Railway.

It's the story...

of a locomotive engineer.

His fate and his state of mind

were symbolized by a locomotive and wheels.

And for the music...

Abel Gance used the �Raindrop� prelude.

La roue...

really struck me as a great film.

I guess I was 18 at the time.

I saw how fascinating cinema could be.

It's right up there on the screen.

So I couldn't drop that music.

When you were young, you wanted to be a painter,

so what prompted you

to go into the film business?

Well...

I simply couldn't make a living...

as a painter.

And I realized that with paintings,

I couldn't say everything I was thinking.

There are so many things in the world

I want to say something about,

and I couldn't do that with paintings.

Can you face that way a bit more?

Yes.

We'll be out of this gully soon.

Sit kind of like this.

Kimura and Yui, from there to there.

Stretch out your hands and hold the rope.

It's hard to end a story properly.

It has to be the right order.

I'll use makeup here.

The snow is warm.

The ice is hot.

Thank you.

Thank you.

- Good job. - All done.

It was over too soon. I wanted to do more.

After six months of makeup tests,

the actual performance only took three days.

I'm left wanting more.

But I'll be an extra in the �Water Mills� episode.

In that episode

I'll be an extra, with my baby on my back.

You can do lots of things with the camera,

but first you have to create the character.

The character has to be established.

And it's not just a matter

of costumes and such.

It depends on the actor's performance.

A proper performance...

is necessary.

Only when you film that do things start clicking.

Some people

try to piece together a performance

with a bunch of cuts edited together.

You can't grasp the film that way.

You can't grasp it.

In Han...

Kaede comes in holding a helmet

and cut's Jiro's throat.

That's a single shot.

We rehearsed that scene every day for three months.

At first the scene ran about 15 minutes,

but finally it was down to around 9 1/2.

That's amazing.

We rehearsed every single day.

Was this set based on your house?

Yes, on our house in Akita.

I was only two or three.

Were there peach trees, or is that imaginary?

That's imaginary.

My sister used to play with me.

The Doll Festival scene...

One sister was named Momoyo. She died quite young.

She used to play like the girls in the scene.

That looks the same.

Exactly like that scene.

Does the boy who plays you

look like you when you were a boy?

Yes, he does,

and he's dressed almost the same.

You're directing your own childhood.

That's right.

Or recreating it.

Children really do understand.

To put it simply,

you mustn't treat them like children.

You have to speak to them as equals.

I want to do it to Mr. Kurosawa's satisfaction.

That's what I've been trying to do.

Did you memorize your lines?

Yes.

Okay!

Let's make it shinier.

Everything matters during production.

If the floor is supposed to shine, we polish all the floors.

That's the good thing about cinema:

Everyone works together.

Honda's nickname is

�god of the wood grain.�

When sets are built,

he draws in the wood grain,

especially the spots to be filmed.

So people call him �god of the wood grain.�

Everyone worked very hard.

You can't do that

if you don't love film.

Does it make noise?

It's okay if it makes noise.

I'll add the sound of the kettle later.

- Nice work. - Thank you.

- How's it going? - Just fine.

- How are the children doing? - Very well.

Does the boy look like you when you were a child?

I don't remember clearly, but I think so.

Have you got a fever again?

Just a minute.

Can you look over there?

He goes that way.

When he goes that way, we don't see him.

The camera needs to be here.

Can you look at your brother

and act very surprised?

Be natural.

Everyone loosen up. Ready?

Stop acting so strange!

Now leave us alone.

That's good. Keep facing this way.

Weren't there six of you?

There were six of you before, so I brought six servings.

Look at the rice cakes.

You pass the dish and put it down.

What's next?

When you say...

�Weren't there six of you?�

you sit down and talk to your sister.

Don't look that way.

You open the door and look in that direction.

You come over here

He doesn't open it this far?

He does that first.

He does that first.

When he opens the door, he doesn't see that way.

You stand here, and you see her.

�She's there.� You come this way.

Don't look that way.

No, that's not right.

This is tough.

- She was right there! - That's the other part.

After that.

�Just tell me who she is.�

Just tell me who she is.

- She's there. - Who?

- I don't know who she is. - No one's there!

She was right there!

This is a tricky technique.

We can actually see her,

but with the lighting,

the children can't see her.

Maybe it's not possible.

We can see her.

It's in the script,

but it may not actually be possible.

I'll move towards the light. The shadow will stay in the frame.

Clappers.

Wait. Sorry.

Cut. Don't run away like that.

Just walk slowly over to that red thing.

Ready!

Move it forward a bit.

Clappers.

That was awkward.

If you don't do it right, the timing is off.

Do it in one breath.

Sometimes I shout a bit,

but don't be scared. It's just a habit of mine.

Ready?

- She's there! - Who?

- I don't know who she is. - No one's there!

She was right there!

We'll do one more, but let's keep that one.

Can you say that louder? �She's there.�

You're sort of mad.

Like when you're mad.

Otherwise your sister won't come over to you.

Sometimes when you have a fever...

you speak in a strange, high voice.

That's happened to me too!

Once more.

Clappers.

- Here, sis. - Thanks.

Weren't there six of you?

There were six of you before, so I brought six servings.

Stop acting so strange!

Now leave us alone.

- She's there! - Who?

- I don't know who she is. - No one's there!

She was right there!

Okay.

Make two copies.

Thank you.

There were a few ways of doing it.

They're looking in the girl's direction, but they can't see her.

The boy can see her.

She was really there.

But when he slides the door open, he can't see her.

So...

though the audience sees her,

the girls can't.

That was hard to get right.

So I thought that was the best solution.

Are you all right?

Wait!

Where are you going? You're not supposed to go out!

Anyone need a straw?

Cut! Stop!

Let's shoot the final sequence.

This is the last take. Do your best!

We have something to tell you.

Listen carefully.

We're never going to your house again.

Why not?

Your family cut down

all the peach trees in this orchard.

The Doll Festival is also a seasonal festival.

If you cut down the peach trees,

how can you hold a Doll Festival?

Let us not blame the boy.

He wept for us as we were being chopped down.

Because he'd get no more peaches!

You're wrong!

I love this place

and the peach trees that bloomed here.

I knew I would never see them again!

That's why I cried!

Very well. We understand.

He is a good boy.

Let us allow him to see

this peach orchard in bloom

one last time.

That was good. Thanks, everyone.

All done.

Good job.

I thought it worked well, freezing the frame like that.

I'm skipping lunch to watch the cameras.

Good morning.

Higher.

Can you lift that up?

I can't bend my arm.

Try biting me.

Not the other side.

Try walking around to get them dirty.

I'll see the dog over there.

What are you filming?

I didn't think the weather would be like this here.

The sun was out earlier.

It was getting brighter, so I hurried here.

But once I got through the tunnel, the weather changed.

It must have been miserable waiting in this weather.

At least it's not cold.

It was like this on Sanshiro Sugata.

We waited...

and suddenly it got windy and the sun came out.

But we don't want that kind of wind.

It's hard to know.

Gotenba was getting sunnier.

Is there something special about Gotenba for you?

No, it's just coincidence.

One of my first location shoots was in Gotenba.

I've been shooting here since I was 26.

The wall on the left is a stage set, right?

Yes. Without that wall, this stands in for the other side.

The other side won't work.

You don't want any fog today?

That's right. You can see it now.

The wind's blowing the fog in.

It depends on the dog.

Terao can go either way.

He goes around and looks that way.

At some point the dog stops.

- He stops there? - Yes.

The dog will move towards him.

Can you let me know when the dog should stop?

Yes. He can come a bit closer.

As long as the man can get into the tunnel.

I'll get the dog to focus on Mr. Terao.

- Do you want this? - Thank you.

It's better to see it bigger.

You see the shiny spot?

It's a bit out of frame.

Lower it a bit.

I know you consider yourself

rather impatient,

but your crew says you're very patient,

that you wait patiently until they're completely ready.

Some say that's what they like best about you.

But are you impatient by nature?

The studio is always telling you to finish quickly.

But as Mikio Naruse once said...

�No one's more anxious to finish than the director.�

That's true, isn't it?

But with some things you have to persevere.

A director can spot imperfections.

- What time is it? - It's only 3:00.

- It's so dark today. - We're in the mountains.

That doesn't make sense.

Let's wait another 20-30 minutes.

Stay on stand-by.

Is it raining?

It's starting to.

Today's Thursday. Friday, Saturday, Sunday...

We'll take Sunday off.

Let's move forward with the shot in Zushi too.

I don't want to put it off.

Let's shoot that on Monday.

You look like you're planning something.

So we'll call it a day.

Thank you, everybody.

And another thing, production department.

Listen, be careful.

There have been too many accidents on film locations recently.

People aren't paying attention.

So be careful going home. The roads will be icy.

You're portraying the character of Mr. Kurosawa.

How do you feel about that?

He told me to act naturally.

When I read the script,

instead of portraying Akira Kurosawa,

I decided I was playing the character of

Ever since then I've felt great, and I can act naturally.

Good morning.

What's on your schedule today?

I'm going to call Mr. Kurosawa.

Why don't you tuck it in?

I didn't want the shoelaces to get dirty.

My hands are so cold.

10,000 feet above sea level.

- Are you enjoying it? - Yes.

- Where did you come from? - I come from Italy.

- For what? - Assistant director to Mr. Kurosawa.

- I came here also for learning. - Have you seen some of his films?

- Oh, yes. - What kind of films?

- Well, almost all. - Almost all. In Italy?

- Is Kurosawa popular in Italy? - Yes.

What kind of films do you want to make? Like Kurosawa?

Well, I would hope so...

but it is very difficult.

He's very good.

I've never been a soldier, of course.

But our fathers fought in a war dressed in uniforms like this.

What do you think about?

Something ordinary... or not so ordinary.

I always find something.

When I'm performing,

I know what's going to happen in the end.

I have that in my mind.

Just yesterday Mr. Kurosawa reminded me...

that I shouldn't be thinking about that.

I've read the entire script,

so the end is already in my head

when I start acting.

So it's good to get that feedback...

and be reminded of that.

Today's shoot is canceled!

I'll work with the dog some more,

so hopefully he won't do that badly again.

Thank you.

- Much better today. - Which scene is first?

The tunnel scene.

- The man walking towards the tunnel? - That's fight.

- lsn't it too bright today? - We'll continue until nighttime.

Inside the tunnel will be very dark,

and it will be dark when he comes out of it too.

We changed the plan.

The director wants to differentiate

between going in and coming out of tunnel.

That's what I was told this morning.

This is how it goes.

Changes happen all the time, so we have to be flexible.

Now it's going to be night when he comes out.

There's a red light.

We have to be flexible every day

and do the best we can.

Difficulties help you find better ideas.

It's challenging.

I thought if it were night on the other side,

it would feel more like a dream.

And create a sense of distance too.

So let's wait until 4:00 to shoot this.

Yes, it's still too bright.

I want it to look like sunset.

It's pitch-dark in there.

- So we can start getting ready? - Yes.

Let's get ready.

Stand by.

The dog comes out of the dark.

Give him a go signal.

I'll have him stop and then move slowly forward.

Please don't bite my head.

Good boy.

When do I say stop?

He'll get better with practice.

Wait...

You follow the dog and then -

So the dog -

Keep the same distance as much as possible.

For a dog to get furious,

it really has to feel it.

It's hard to make a dog pretend.

The dog!

The snow worked well.

It made it more melancholy.

But too much of it melted. I wish there'd been more.

You have to be...

flexible.

You can't insist that things be a certain way.

If a solution meets your needs, you use it.

That opens up lots of possibilities.

Honda-saw.!

Before the third platoon does an about-face,

do they salute?

- No need. - They just about-face.

No salute before the about-face.

It's not necessary.

When dismissing them -

He starts to get emotional.

Then you hear the trumpet, and when that sound ends,

I want you to collapse.

Silence!

Yes, sir!

Was I really killed in action?

Platoon...

halt!

Platoon.

Platoon...

halt!

Salute the company commander!

Present...

arms!

What happened?

That 16-minute tunnel shot is probably a world record.

It's a 16-minute shot.

One magazine can only shoot ten minutes.

Then you have to reload.

The soldiers are coming out -

As they come out,

they have lights attached to their backpacks

to make the eyes of the soldiers in back shine.

When they do an about-face,

we had to pause, of course,

so I yelled �Cut!�

The soldiers stood still, and the crew took the lights off.

We changed the magazine.

You can change it very quickly.

I yelled, �Action!� and they started again.

Third Platoon, about-face!

Forward...

march!

The psychological pressure

gradually begins to build.

The tension builds...

and slowly you start to feel the excitement.

But if you cut, you don't get that feeling.

You can't capture it.

Is there another example in the Japanese film tradition

of a director who rehearsed extensively before shooting?

There was Kenji Mizoguchi.

Theo Angelopoulos took that even further.

He studied Mizoguchi's method.

We all learned that from Mizoguchi.

Another dream sequence I really wanted to make...

but couldn't...

was the asura at Kofukuji Temple.

He walks out of the temple.

Everyone's startled to see him emerge through the temple gate.

He's standing by the pond

and doing like this with his arms.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion...

Kiyomizudera Temple, and so on -

he's juggling them all in a kind of whirlwind.

The asura has three faces,

and they're all arguing with each other.

�Don't be so rough!� and so on.

�This isn't rough at all!�

�This is unforgivable!�

At the end they say...

�Well, we came all this way.

Let's go see the moon at Mount Mikasa.�

I mean, Mount Wakakusa.

So they watch the moon rise.

But issues of the Kyoto temples

aren't global problems.

That was an obstacle too. But I really wanted to make it.

Even when I'm writing a script,

you see...

even a character I've created

sometimes doesn't listen to what I say.

I tell them to do this and that, to behave a certain way.

But once they've gained a certain presence, they say what they want.

The story doesn't always unfold the way I expect.

It has its own reality.

Generally, when writing a script,

you outline the plot first, right?

I've always said that's a stupid approach.

You're not a god.

You can't see the story from start to end.

So the way I write screenplays is

I fade in at the beginning

and follow the natural progression.

I have a vague idea of what the whole will look like.

But mapping everything out tightly in an outline

just isn't organic.

For example, maybe there's a conversation

that doesn't make sense.

Maybe one person calls another an idiot, and they fight.

So you don't really see where you're going.

You've cowritten screenplays with lots of people.

Well, I myself can only see things from one side,

so writing with others

allows me to see from different angles.

And I incorporate all of that.

When writing The Hidden Fortress,

you included a checkpoint the characters couldn't get past,

and you had your cowriters figure out how to get past it.

Well...

there was a checkpoint we couldn't get past.

We tried one thing that didn't work,

then another that didn't work.

I said, �They still have to get through!�

How many days did that take?

Everyone thought and thought.

Finally Oguni said, �I've got it!�

The character does something completely expected.

All of a sudden...

he pulls out a hidden piece of gold

and says �I found this!�

The guard sees it and makes a scene.

The character says, �Give it back!�

�Shut up and get out of here!� And off he goes.

That was Oguni's idea.

If you persevere, something will work out.

Haven't you heard?

The nuclear power plant exploded!

You're a little late.

Haven't you heard?

Sorry!

Haven't you heard?

The nuclear power plant exploded!

Everyone looks over.

I know that. We can't escape.

But we have to try.

You can't step back

because lots of people are pressing past.

- I need to stay by the edge. - You should look surprised.

- Can I pick up the child when we run? - Fine.

Listen...

some people can come from this direction.

People can stop here and turn around.

Some folks are resting there...

but when they see the huge crowd,

they get scared

and rejoin them.

That's the first scene.

I'll give you this so all of you can study it.

For the second scene,

the people stop walking.

When they stop, they look that way.

The people over there look.

The people resting stand up.

Some folks standing...

shift that way.

In the third scene,

I want everyone to rush all together.

That's the flow.

A few crew members familiar with the details

should join the crowd.

She's already in the film.

But take off the red jacket.

I'll be an old woman.

How about bicycles and motorcycles?

- We should have those. - They can be in the crowd.

Thirty bicycles and 10 motorcycles.

Ten motorcycles will fill up the space.

Add some luggage on the bicycles.

How about baby strollers?

Strollers are important.

The guardrail is blocking the view.

The guardrail is about this height.

It's in the way.

Better to come from the embankment side.

The crowd rushes through this way, and some go the other way.

Inside.

Further away.

Inside.

Frame in.

Pull back a bit...

to where you're standing.

Turn that way.

Make it chaotic. Bump into each other.

- Go up high there? - It'll be filled with people.

Put some luggage on the ground as a marker.

Honda-san isn't feeling well.

Let's send him home if we can.

Can you give him a ride?

He has a fever.

He's feeling really weak.

He needs his wife.

Male friends...

no matter how close, will always argue.

But Honda and I have never argued...

because he's so mild-mannered.

I'm sure I'm gotten on his nerves often,

but he keeps his cool.

I count on him for the second unit a lot.

He always shoots things

exactly the way I ask him to.

On one occasion

I had pneumonia and couldn't move,

so I asked Honda to take over.

I feel reassured when he's there.

There aren't many people like that.

Let's wait till the camera's in place.

You're so neat.

It's easy this way.

- I used to draw different shapes for fun. - Like a tortoise shell.

I think this will work.

Is this where they come up?

We can collaborate here.

You're pretty slow.

Wind the flag up.

There's an explosion, then an atomic cloud, black smoke, red fog...

Don't laugh as you run.

It's fun, but no laughing. You're acting.

It's a hopeless situation.

There'll be multiple explosions.

INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC SFX CREW

The real Mount Fuji will be composited with the miniature in this scene.

The miniature will be used for scenes such as explosions,

melting snow, steam, and Mount Fuji melting from the heat.

The scenes will be divided into parts for shooting.

That's good!

You begin to see

explosions over there.

Clouds start clashing with each other,

so I call it the �battlefield of clouds.�

It actually happens.

I saw it from my house once.

I thought it had started to erupt.

It shot up like this.

When this bank of clouds pushes that way

and wins the battle, the sky is cleared.

Of course, they were just clouds.

It's not ready, right?

When you get there, take off your hat.

There's an explosion behind Mount Fuji in this scene.

Let's get moving.

Good luck, everyone.

Ready?

This way.

Cut!

Cut!

Another thing:

You're evacuating. You should run faster.

It's not a picnic.

You're running around in a panic,

so run as fast as you can.

Do your best!

Everyone understand?

Let's get going-

Don't show your teeth!

Stop! Too fast!

Everyone should run at the same time.

Too fast? I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

Ueki...

three people went too soon.

The other side wasn't ready yet,

so wait a little bit.

Do your best!

Ready over there?

Yori, watch the front!

Let's roll it.

Do your best!

Cut. Stop slowly.

Okay, thanks everyone.

Well done!

Very exciting.

Less than an hour.

The first rehearsal took an hour.

I'm good at shooting this kind of scene quickly.

Cheese!

Ready?

It's worse than that!

Haven't you heard?

The nuclear power plant exploded!

There are six reactors.

They're exploding one after another.

How's your position?

Mommy's here!

Mommy's waiting here.

- How is it? - Okay.

Rolling!

This is terrible!

Haven't you heard?

Cut already?

Terao, you have to come in sooner.

There was no one to say my line to.

This way!

I'm moving this.

I want to tell everyone something.

When I say �Look,� stop and look at Mount Fuji.

Did you all get that?

My voice is the easiest to hear,

but Honda's voice was even louder.

Assistant directors in the old days were trained that way.

We didn't have bullhorns back then.

Now people use them, so their voices get weak.

The easy way isn't always the best.

Not using an electronic device,

but your own natural voice.

Are we ready?

Haven't you heard?

The nuclear power plant exploded!

Look!

Run!

Run!

This is Japan. There's nowhere to run.

I know that. We can't escape.

But we have to try. We have no choice!

This take was good.

Good job!

Good job, Sayuri.

We can't go any farther.

But...

what happened?

Where did all those people go?

Where did they run to?

They're at the bottom of the sea.

Those are dolphins. Even they're trying to escape.

Lucky them.

They can swim away.

It makes no difference.

The radiation will get them soon enough.

Here it comes.

The red is plutonium-239.

One ten-millionth of a gram will give you cancer.

The yellow is strontium-90.

It collects in your bone marrow

and causes leukemia.

The purple is cesium-137.

It accumulates in the gonads, causing genetic mutations.

There's no telling what you'll give birth to.

People are such fools!

Radiation was dangerous because you couldn't see it,

so they found a way to dye it.

But that only confirms you're going to die.

It's just Death's calling card.

Now, if you'll excuse me...

Wait!

Radiation doesn't kill you right away, so maybe -

Maybe nothing! A slow death is even worse.

Death is one thing for adults who've lived their lives.

But children haven't even begun to live yet.

Waiting to die from radiation poisoning isn't living.

They told us, �Nuclear energy is safe.

The danger lies in human error,

not in nuclear energy itself.

We won't allow any mistakes, so don't worry.�

It's unforgivable!

Those bastards better hang for this

or I'll never die in peace!

Don't worry. The radiation will see to that.

Please forgive me.

I'm one of those who ought to hang.

I would rather do

one long take from beginning to end.

You have three rolls of film starting at the same time.

When you're combining that footage,

you don't take out any frames.

I look at the first, then the second, then the third.

I take parts from each and put them together.

That's how I do it.

Occasionally I leave one camera out altogether.

There was a disagreement with an editor once

where you said the rolls weren't lined up,

but the editor said they were.

It looked like an actor had jumped from one spot to another,

but actually that was how it was filmed.

I remember your saying

that you wanted to somehow use

that discrepancy in the film.

Depending on positioning, sometimes an actor

seems to jump from one spot to another.

Sometimes...

it's a dolly shot,

and the camera captures something I didn't really ask for

because the timing was late.

So I notice something amiss.

I notice the discrepancy.

So while the three cameras are running,

are you editing them together in your head as you watch?

I think so, yes.

When all three cameras are on dollies,

I'm aware of the position and movement of each one.

Somehow I can see everything.

A simple example:

If there are three people interacting,

I ask myself whose face the audience wants to see.

Whose face does the viewer want to see at that moment?

The way I see it...

right now...

films...

are -

How should I put it?

Where does the film come alive?

It's not -

For example, you have a sequence,

and the gap between that sequence and the next.

It's in those gaps between one scene and the next

that the film comes alive.

This can get very technical,

but there's a subtle breath from one scene to the next.

That gap between scenes

is where the meaning comes through.

That's where a sudden shift occurs.

That's where the shift is created.

The best example of that...

is in Ikiru.

Kanji Watanabe starts to work hard.

Then we suddenly out,

and the narrator says he died on such-and-such a date.

It's that gap.

No matter how much you write in the screenplay

about how hard he worked,

the reader won't be moved.

It was winter when we wrote that,

and we were sitting there

not knowing what to write next.

We thought about it for days.

Then I remembered

that Kajiro Yamamoto

had shown me a book and said, �This is how films work.�

It was an essay

by a scientist or mathematician. KAJIRO YAMAMOTO

He wrote that he'd gone

to the botanical garden in Koishikawa.

His wife was collecting acorns

like a little girl.

She was tucking them in her sleeves

as he sat on a bench, smoking cigarettes

and just watching her.

Then, after some empty space, it said...

�lt's been X number of years since she died.�

�This is it!

This is how films work!�

I suddenly remembered that while working on Ikiru.

When the main character dies,

there's a gap before the next scene.

The producer Shingi Morita, who gave me my start,

would often say...

�Let's have a fine play!�

So that was a �fine play� in filmic form.

That's not in the script.

It's in those connecting points that you can say things clearly.

With Dreams, the structure changed a lot

from the first version of the script.

Was that because of those connection points too?

Yes. While filming it...

in the beginning I didn't know where it was going,

but then it gradually came together in my mind.

And at the end I didn't think too much.

It just took that form.

Yet it feels like it was that way from the start.

That's right.

Move your bodies!

Get suddenly louder!

What's the name of this village?

It doesn't have one.

We just call it �the village.�

Is there a festival today?

No, that's a funeral.

Do all the villagers live around here?

What do you do for light?

Isn't it dark at night?

Night is supposed to be dark.

We'd be in trouble if night were as bright as day.

As much as possible,

we try to live

the natural way, like people did in the past.

These days...

people heve forgotten they're a part of nature too.

They can't live without nature,

yet they meddle with it and destroy it.

They always think they can create something better.

Especially scientists.

They may be smart...

but so many of them are completely deaf

to the beating of nature's heart.

They work so hard

inventing things that make people unhappy

and then pat themselves on the back for it.

You've made lots of thatched roofs for film sets.

That's right.

- For lots of Kurosawa films. - Yes.

How long have you been working for Mr. Kurosawa?

Since Seven Samurai.

The most important things for human beings

are clean air and clean water

and the trees and grass that produce them.

But folks pollute everything,

and it's lost forever.

The polluted air and water

go on to pollute people's hearts.

Let's roll it!

The sun's good.

Good day.

Ah, good day.

By the way, how old are you?

Me? One hundred plus three.

A pretty good age to leave the human race.

Listen, people go on about how hard life is,

but that's just a lot of talk.

Honestly, it's good to be alive.

It's a lot of fun.

The lady being buried today

died peacefully at the age of 99.

In fact, I must go now and join the procession.

Please excuse me.

To tell you the truth,

she was my first love.

But she broke my heart

and married another guy.

�It's good to be alive. It's a lot of fun.�

I heard that in middle school.

What's that plant called? Nobiru?

Yes, that's it. Nobiru.

In Akita we called it hirokko.

There was this man eating nob/ru and sipping sake,

and he said to me...

�Akira-san...

I live in this dirty house and eat humble food.

It probably doesn't seem very exciting to you.

But just living is a lot of fun!�

Honestly, it's good to be alive.

It's a lot of fun.

I really got it at that moment,

coming from an old man like that.

He worked hard every day

and enjoyed his humble supper.

And his words just popped out in that scene.

When painters live past 80...

that's when they produce their best work,

like Umehara did.

After the painter Tessai Tomioka turned 80,

it was like a flower bursting into bloom.

He started painting these astonishing paintings:

vivid, with beautiful colors.

And I think that's possible with film as well.

You just have to make a lot of films.

You make a lot of films,

accumulate a lot of experience,

and at some point it all comes to flower.

So I worked bit by bit, working toward that goal.

At the end of the day...

good directors

make a lot of films.

Mizoguchi, Ozu, Naruse -

they all made a huge number of films.

They made film after film

and accumulated so much experience.

So I think it's essential to make a certain number of films.

The thing I keep foremost in my mind...

is to always do things naturally.

I have a lot of things in my mind I want to do.

But at a given point in time,

the state of the world or something around me

allows a particular story to develop.

So I let it grow naturally. I work with it.

Put simply...

my concern is why people don't try to be happy.

It's surprising how people end up...

in such difficulties and such sadness.

To put it simply,

that's the theme I've tackled again and again.

It occurred to me that in Scandal...

and High and Low...

the same lines appear:

�lt's amusing to make the fortunate taste the misery of the unfortunate.�

The rage you feel against that sentiment -

It's always that way.

People never actually try to be happy.

They deliberately choose the path leading to misery.

I always wonder why that is.

One reason is we never take the simple path.

This film's original title was �I Had the Following Dreams...�

The title is Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams",

with �dreams� in a larger font.

Since there's this dream, then that dream,

it's like Soseki Natsume's Ten Nights of Dreams.

I thought that would work well.

Since you might say essentially all films are dreams,

it almost sounds like this film is your trump card.

Yes, in a sense...

they're all film directors' dreams.

But in the Japanese context, �dreams� sounds a bit frivolous,

like being lost in a dream or -

I know that in Japanese �dream� sounds simpleminded.

I didn't want that.

At first I didn't want to call it �Dreams.�

But for Westerners it has a different nuance.

True. It suggests a sense of volition or determination.

It's a powerful word.

Speaking of power,

your films have been called very masculine.

The images are very dynamic,

as is the editing, and people love that power.

But watching this film all the way through,

it seems to have a feminine lyricism too.

I love the gentleness of it.

Does that make it feminine?

It seems your films don't have a lot to say about women.

But you see...

I was told so often

that I wasn't good at portraying women

that I lost the confidence to even try.

But look at the women in John Ford's films.

That's right.

But in My Darling Clementine he gets it right...

for a man.

People may say you aren't good at it,

but in Japan it's usually women's sexuality that gets represented.

Well, for example...

with No Regrets for Our Youth, many critics complained

that Setsuko Hara's character wasn't believable as a woman.

That's absurd.

There are strong women in this world.

I go to extremes.

I want to portray amazing women.

Or cute, lovable girls.

Those are the only two types I can write.

But in Japan they said, �That's not a real woman!�

They said Setsuko Hara's character was like a man.

Well, yes, in Japan most women

are raised not to express themselves.

But in No Regrets for Our Youth, from the beginning,

in scenes where Setsuko Hara appears,

she's certainly beautiful, but her proportions

were never as beautifully revealed as in that film.

You start with that shot of her calves.

She's such a graceful young woman.

It makes me think you're actually peerless

when it comes to portraying women.

If you put it that way...

No one really knows Setsuko Hara very well, do they?

She's a fascinating person.

It was so much fun working with her.

She's completely different from how she appears.

The way she adjusts Akitake Kono's cap

was very feminine.

When she appeared in The Idiot,

she played a non-traditional Japanese woman,

which provoked criticism.

So one type of female character

is the cute girl with a beautiful spirit.

Quite a few such examples of maidenhood appear.

They're naive.

- Naive? - Naive.

Such as Yoshiko Kuga in Drunken Angel

and Yoko Katsuragi in Scandal,

but...

Terumi Niki in Red Beard

can't be called naive.

She's a paragon of innocence.

Speaking of lovable girls,

The Most Beautiful is a very lovable film.

You think so?

I've forgotten all about it.

I have the video, but my late wife's in it,

so it's too painful to watch.

None of the girls wears makeup, and they're so full of life.

The reason...

is that those actresses

rid themselves of anything

that might have been �actress-like.�

They do things like walking around with a marching band

in actual city streets.

And after the film was finished...

though their work was praised, they all got married.

Basically, they went back to being ordinary girls.

They all got married.

Your films are often called examples of humanism,

and people really are beautiful with their true face.

In truth...

people who live honestly are beautiful in so many ways.

Thank you.

I couldn't do it without all of you.

Ms. Harada, you're really here!

He slept through most of it.

Thank you.

Thank you!

Come see the film when it's done!

I almost gave up today,

but it went well.

Thank you.

Please give my regards to everyone.

I'll do that. Thank you very much.

Mr. Kurosawa's crying.

Where?

He watches performances intensely.

He looks like the weeping demon.

Let's overlap those images.

Enough to make them yearn for a quick death.

Come. I'll show you how they howl.

Man becomes a demon...

That explains it all.

Then go to the scene of Sunshine Through The Rain.

- Do you like movies? - I guess so.

- What do you like more than movies ? - TV.

I was more nervous than on a TV shoot.

Have you ever seen Mr. Kurosawa's films?

I started watching Han,

but I'm afraid it was too difficult for me.

Have you seen Mr. Kurosawa's films?

Yes, I watched Han.

- What did you think ? - Powerful.

I watched Han.

Do you know his older films, like Seven Samurai?

I've seen it on TV.

The sets were amazing.

I was impressed with that.

- I saw one on TV yesterday. - Which one?

Let me think...

- Can you describe it? - It was very old.

- A period drama ? - It was really old.

I was very impressed.

- Throne of Blood. - Really?

And Seven Samurai.

And the recent one

that won the Grand Prix... Han.

Were you in that one too?

You're a regular!

He was wonderful to me.

He was kind and warm

and helped me with my performance.

He was always smiling,

and he shared lots of stories with me

about both Japanese and world film history.

It was much more interesting than reading it in a book.

He just had a birthday.

He's really quite old now,

yet he can direct so many people...

with his incredible vitality.

But his good health has something to do with that.

I hope he stays healthy and strong.

You have to make it really dirty.

Does it look good on me?

When I listen to Mr. Honda,

he sounds very scientific.

He seems like the moon to me.

But you're different.

You're like the earth, or actually the universe.

I'd say you're like the sun. - Oh, my!