TEN NIGHTS OF DREAM / TEN DREAMS [Lit.] (YUME JÛ-YA). Viewed on Streaming. Special effects = eight (8) stars overall; cinematography = seven (7) stars overall; lighting = seven (7) stars overall ; subtitles = four (4) to five (5) stars depending. This is a fascinating collection of shorts (each around 10 minutes in duration) derived from an early 20th Century anthology of the same name with 11 directors (some of whom wrote their own scripts and often used different cinematographers). Among other burning questions answered in this pot of photo-plays is what pigs dream of (and it's not flying!) as well as what silent movies might have come to look like if color and sound were never invented. Not surprisingly, these mini movies are linked in a number of ways including: similarities in dialogs; the dreamer is always a male; plot lines fixate on past events; and there is a shared fear (maybe hatred?) of children. (Director Atsushi Shimizu also tries to sort of tie things together in a brief prologue and epilogue.) These are more nightmares than dreams and, true to the form we all know well, start in the middle of things and end abruptly.
THE FIRST NIGHT (DAIICHIYA). Six (6) stars; Director = Akio Jissoji. At the end of a hundred-year marriage, a dying wife asks the dreamer to bury her with a pet goldfish recently deceased as a result of being dropped bowel and all.
THE SECOND NIGHT (DAINIYA). Three (3) stars; Director = Kon Ichikawa. A nothing burger (but with an interesting desk clock) shot silently in black and white complete with inter-title cards!
THE THIRD NIGHT (DAISANYA). Six (6) stars; Director = Takashi Shimizu. Scary with a child monster clinging to the back of the dreamer.
THE FOURTH NIGHT (DAIYONYA). Three (3) stars; Director = Atsushi Shimizu . A nothing burger involving children at play who seem a bit sinister, and a towel that refuses to change into a snake.
THE FIFTH NIGHT (DAIGOYA). Six (6) stars; Director = Keisuke Toyoshima (who is also credited as screen writer). A women riding bareback through the night racing to do, well, something before first light. (Nice horse.)
THE SIX NIGHT (DAIROKUYA). Three (3) stars; Director = Matsuo Suzuki (who is also credited as screen writer). A poorly choreographed music video well past it's "sell-by" date. Subtitles = two (2) stars; they are hard to see with white backgrounds due to poor choice of text color and font.
THE SEVENTH NIGHT (DAINANAYA). Two (2) stars; Directors =Yoshitaka Amano and Masaaki Kawahara. A pointless, amine with blurry drawings and total gibberish as dialog!
THE EIGHT NIGHT (DAIHACHIYA). Barely six (6) stars; Director =Nobuhiro Yamashita . The dreamer uses a mirror to watch events behind his back while searching for a goldfish seller.
THE NINTH NIGHT (DAIKYUYA). Six (6) stars; Director = Miwa Nishikawa (who is also credited as screen writer). The dreamer (in a dream told to him in a dream) as a child is tied with a leash to a temple pillar inside of which he catches glimpses of his father who died during WW I (or maybe it was WW II?).
THE TENTH NIGHT (DAIJUYA). Seven (7) stars; Director = Yuudai Yamaguchi (who is also credited as co-screen writer). Clarifies what pigs (especially female ones) long to literally devour (answer: overly handsome men!).
A mixed bag, but surreal fun overall. Recommended. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
6 Reviews
Stunning anthology
Onderhond17 October 2008
Ten Nights of Dream (or Jume Ju-ya) is based on a book written by Natsume Soseki, one of Japan's biggest writers. In honor of his prophecy - he claimed that 100 years after writing his book they'd still be unraveling his mysteries - Ten Nights of Dream was born. An eclectic group of directors was drawn to the project and they were each given one dream to work with. The result is 10 shorts spanning around 10 minutes each, bundled inside one anthology film.
The first short was directed by Akio Jissoji, no small fry as he is famed for his work on Ultraman. Not long after finishing his short he died at age 69 of stomach cancer, but his age never really shows in his work. It starts of pretty normal but slowly stage effects start creeping through the cracks of the film and not long after that we are on the stage itself, watching the actors go about their work. Thumbs up for some awesome lighting effects and the level of involvement he remains to hold even when the audience is pulled out of the film time and time again. A very worthy opener. 4.0*/5.0*
Second short was in the hands of Kon Ichikawa, another Japanese oldie that died not long after this film was released. As opposed to the first short, his contribution does show his age as the black and white visuals are quite classical both in form and editing. It does go well with the "silent" treatment and intertitles his short houses, but looking back it's one of the most faceless contributions to the anthology. Apart from the atmospheric music there's little to catch ones attention. 3.5*/5.0*
The third short brings us in more modern waters, as horror icon Takashi Shimizu himself picks up the controls. He treads in familiar water with the third dream and consequently doesn't really surprise, though the effect is there alright and his short contains some creepy segments. Not really the thrill scares but much closer to his work in Rinne. 3.5*/5.0*
Up next is another Shimizu who's slowly making a name for himself by picking the right projects. Atsushi Shimizu was one of the few that could manage the low budget in the Umezu Kazuo anthology and proves again that he knows how to take care of limited means. The CGi isn't technically accomplished but he makes sure it doesn't hurt the atmosphere of the short and uses his 10 minutes remarkably well to build up a mysterious whole. His short is probably one of the most solid inside this anthology. 4.0*/5.0*
Concluding the first "normal" part of the anthology is Keisuke Toyoshima, setting his short in the same field as the work of Takashi Shimizu but giving it a creepier swing. The shrouded figures are pretty whacked-out, the tale dark and strange and the effect of the short is all-round weird. A good and atmospheric short with a marvelous ending that makes a clean bridge to the weirdness displayed in the second part of the anthology. 4.0*/5.0*
When Matsuo Suzuki takes the stage things are about to get real fun. Shot as though the short is 50 years old, it features a Kurosawa-like setting of farmers gathering to watch a mysterious wood carver. It's all pretty vague until some 90s dance music starts playing and our wood carver starts doing a robot dance. From there on, the weirdness goes completely off the scale. All the dancing leads up to a mystical single blow to a block of wood. Suzuki's short is in black and white and with the dance music playing it does resemble the early work of Sogo Ishii and Shinya Tsukamoto a fair bit, though the effect is a lot tamer and more focused on humor. Pretty cool short though. 4.0*/5.0*
Definite eye catcher of this anthology is Yoshitaka Amano's piece. A mixture of 2D and 3D, for the first time his artwork really comes to life on the big screen. Even though this is not the first time his artwork is used on animated projects, it never felt as much as Amano as it does in this film. Sadly the English voice acting is terrible and the character animation is pretty bad, but the colors and designs are so overwhelming it's easy to forget about the negative points. One of the best visual artists out there, and I can only hope to see his work evolve in this direction on the big screen. Simply stunning. 4.5*/5.0*
Nobuhiro Yamashita is another young director making a name for himself, dabbling in comedy and drama. It's hard to say much about this short as there was no way at all I could make sense of it. As a dream it works wonders but the difference in style and tone made me lose track a couple of times in these short 10 minutes. A fun short and probably the one that stays closest to its dream roots, but it completely lost me after only a short time. 4.0*/5.0*
Miwa Nishikawa is the only director of the bunch that goes for a purely dramatic approach and succeeds quite well. Her short features a nice tale of a family shred to pieces by war, with all pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together. Nothing quite original as many Asian "horror" tales end as a simpler, down-to-earth tragedy,but Nishikawa pulls it off rather convincingly within the little time she has. 4.0*/5.0*
Closing off the anthology is cult-favourite Yûdai Yamaguchi. The man is nothing short of a madman genius and from the moment his weird tale of pig mutation starts there's no holding back the weirdness. Yamaguchi is one of the few that has the flair to bring typical manga and anime elements to live action cinema and again he succeeds with passion. 4.5*/5.0*
The first short was directed by Akio Jissoji, no small fry as he is famed for his work on Ultraman. Not long after finishing his short he died at age 69 of stomach cancer, but his age never really shows in his work. It starts of pretty normal but slowly stage effects start creeping through the cracks of the film and not long after that we are on the stage itself, watching the actors go about their work. Thumbs up for some awesome lighting effects and the level of involvement he remains to hold even when the audience is pulled out of the film time and time again. A very worthy opener. 4.0*/5.0*
Second short was in the hands of Kon Ichikawa, another Japanese oldie that died not long after this film was released. As opposed to the first short, his contribution does show his age as the black and white visuals are quite classical both in form and editing. It does go well with the "silent" treatment and intertitles his short houses, but looking back it's one of the most faceless contributions to the anthology. Apart from the atmospheric music there's little to catch ones attention. 3.5*/5.0*
The third short brings us in more modern waters, as horror icon Takashi Shimizu himself picks up the controls. He treads in familiar water with the third dream and consequently doesn't really surprise, though the effect is there alright and his short contains some creepy segments. Not really the thrill scares but much closer to his work in Rinne. 3.5*/5.0*
Up next is another Shimizu who's slowly making a name for himself by picking the right projects. Atsushi Shimizu was one of the few that could manage the low budget in the Umezu Kazuo anthology and proves again that he knows how to take care of limited means. The CGi isn't technically accomplished but he makes sure it doesn't hurt the atmosphere of the short and uses his 10 minutes remarkably well to build up a mysterious whole. His short is probably one of the most solid inside this anthology. 4.0*/5.0*
Concluding the first "normal" part of the anthology is Keisuke Toyoshima, setting his short in the same field as the work of Takashi Shimizu but giving it a creepier swing. The shrouded figures are pretty whacked-out, the tale dark and strange and the effect of the short is all-round weird. A good and atmospheric short with a marvelous ending that makes a clean bridge to the weirdness displayed in the second part of the anthology. 4.0*/5.0*
When Matsuo Suzuki takes the stage things are about to get real fun. Shot as though the short is 50 years old, it features a Kurosawa-like setting of farmers gathering to watch a mysterious wood carver. It's all pretty vague until some 90s dance music starts playing and our wood carver starts doing a robot dance. From there on, the weirdness goes completely off the scale. All the dancing leads up to a mystical single blow to a block of wood. Suzuki's short is in black and white and with the dance music playing it does resemble the early work of Sogo Ishii and Shinya Tsukamoto a fair bit, though the effect is a lot tamer and more focused on humor. Pretty cool short though. 4.0*/5.0*
Definite eye catcher of this anthology is Yoshitaka Amano's piece. A mixture of 2D and 3D, for the first time his artwork really comes to life on the big screen. Even though this is not the first time his artwork is used on animated projects, it never felt as much as Amano as it does in this film. Sadly the English voice acting is terrible and the character animation is pretty bad, but the colors and designs are so overwhelming it's easy to forget about the negative points. One of the best visual artists out there, and I can only hope to see his work evolve in this direction on the big screen. Simply stunning. 4.5*/5.0*
Nobuhiro Yamashita is another young director making a name for himself, dabbling in comedy and drama. It's hard to say much about this short as there was no way at all I could make sense of it. As a dream it works wonders but the difference in style and tone made me lose track a couple of times in these short 10 minutes. A fun short and probably the one that stays closest to its dream roots, but it completely lost me after only a short time. 4.0*/5.0*
Miwa Nishikawa is the only director of the bunch that goes for a purely dramatic approach and succeeds quite well. Her short features a nice tale of a family shred to pieces by war, with all pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together. Nothing quite original as many Asian "horror" tales end as a simpler, down-to-earth tragedy,but Nishikawa pulls it off rather convincingly within the little time she has. 4.0*/5.0*
Closing off the anthology is cult-favourite Yûdai Yamaguchi. The man is nothing short of a madman genius and from the moment his weird tale of pig mutation starts there's no holding back the weirdness. Yamaguchi is one of the few that has the flair to bring typical manga and anime elements to live action cinema and again he succeeds with passion. 4.5*/5.0*
Entertaining if strange anthology
ChungMo5 March 2008
Based on a series of short stories written by Japanese author Natsume Sōseki in 1908, this film doles out each story to a different director for a short 7 to 13 minute film.
The stories are very dream-like with a logic structure from dreams so it's hard to explain the "plot". In one a writer's wife announces she is leaving after living with him for a hundred years. Another has a samurai being taunted by a drunk monk. Another has a man carve a block of wood by dancing before a motley crew of weirdos. And it goes on.
Anthology films are by nature a mixed bag but this one is very even in term of quality. None of the segments are terrible or even just bad. Some are better but the worst is still very good. Each director brings their own style to their segment. Some are spooky, some are funny and some are just plain weird. Of particular note is the very strange first segment by director Akio Jissoji, one of his last directorial jobs. The beautiful animated seventh dream by Final Fantasy designer Yoshitaka Amano and the final darkly comic dream by cult director Yudai Yamaguchi are standouts as well although other segments are noteworthy in their own ways.
One of the best anthology films I've seen recently. If you are looking for a storyline go elsewhere but for a rewarding walk in dreamtime this is an excellent choice. Recommended.
The stories are very dream-like with a logic structure from dreams so it's hard to explain the "plot". In one a writer's wife announces she is leaving after living with him for a hundred years. Another has a samurai being taunted by a drunk monk. Another has a man carve a block of wood by dancing before a motley crew of weirdos. And it goes on.
Anthology films are by nature a mixed bag but this one is very even in term of quality. None of the segments are terrible or even just bad. Some are better but the worst is still very good. Each director brings their own style to their segment. Some are spooky, some are funny and some are just plain weird. Of particular note is the very strange first segment by director Akio Jissoji, one of his last directorial jobs. The beautiful animated seventh dream by Final Fantasy designer Yoshitaka Amano and the final darkly comic dream by cult director Yudai Yamaguchi are standouts as well although other segments are noteworthy in their own ways.
One of the best anthology films I've seen recently. If you are looking for a storyline go elsewhere but for a rewarding walk in dreamtime this is an excellent choice. Recommended.
Brilliant
broen991 April 2010
This is one of those films that is extremely Japanese. From my western perspective I would put it in the same field as Izo.
The only section i didn't like was the animated bit. Which was extremely on the nose in its symbolism and metaphor. It kind of felt like I was watching something a depressed high-schooler would make in A/V class. The rest of the film is refreshing in its weirdness. The first film especially got me excited for what was ahead. The use of lighting and even the filming of the set exterior were marvelous. Giving the feel that this was not just a story but an ever recurring drama. the characters are not actors but the constant and immovable forces which inhabit the land of tears.
The only section i didn't like was the animated bit. Which was extremely on the nose in its symbolism and metaphor. It kind of felt like I was watching something a depressed high-schooler would make in A/V class. The rest of the film is refreshing in its weirdness. The first film especially got me excited for what was ahead. The use of lighting and even the filming of the set exterior were marvelous. Giving the feel that this was not just a story but an ever recurring drama. the characters are not actors but the constant and immovable forces which inhabit the land of tears.
Ikebana with ten different flowers
sobot9 October 2018
Such variety of styles, paces, technical devices... Everyone who is not looking just for cheap fun should be able to find something for himself, yet I am sure nobody will like all the segments. On the other hand, every segment will be a favorite for someone...
I read the Soseki book just before watching the movie and I highly recommend this order of moves. Each story is only a few pages long. However only the Ichikawa segment is more-or-less straight adaptation of the second story; others use the stories only to begin with and develop their own visions of them. The eight segment is another extreme: at least I could not make any connection with the barbershop story.
Some segments are creepy, some just funny. What is common to all stories/segments is that they are philosophical, each addressing one universal topic of the human life.
Weird but well made with striking imagery
samxxxul11 August 2020
"'Ten Nights of Dreams " is a compilation of 10 short films based on stories by Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki and it includes the penultimate work from master Kon Ichikawa and Akio Jissoji. In a representative way, they revolve around insanity and dreams. Like almost all collective works, somewhat irregular; but there is a very macabre and fascinating unity in the whole. The funny thing about these short films is that they have weird protagonist and the story revolves around their dreams, fears and anxieties. The animation segment by Yoshitaka Amano-Masaaki Kawahara was possibly my least favourite of the 10 tales; it felt a little deflated by the end with the English dialogues. The last tenth segment by Yudai Yamaguchi, which is a pig spectacle and the was definitely the best one, with the remaining 8 falling somewhere in Good to decent graph. Nobuhiro Yamashita's fish segment and Nobuhiro Yamashita's rag monster needs to be mentioned for being super weird. All the short films in " Ten Nights of Dreams " seemed very good to me. Each story explores a different area of Japanese cinema and although each director gives it their unique style, they mesh very well as a single movie. The group of directors, writers, and wonderful cast make this one of the best short film anthologies I've seen in a long time.
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