Dreams

1. Foxes
There is a theme of childhood innocence, in that the child who went spying was curious, not really caring about the consequences. But there is also a theme of revenge, that the foxes want retribution for being spied on. But also a kind of rebellion turning badly, since his mother (?) told him not to go into the forest, and he didn't listen, leading to his demise.

The small child walking though the forest, so small against the large trees, the transitions between lightness and dark, the use of light to enhance the story. The sound, the quiet noise of raindrops and slow steady reedy music. The earthy colors repeat themselves, until the end, when there is both irony and hope in the rainbow he's walking into. The dark hills pass the rainbow, what the child is walking into, could show the change between where he was, the beautiful Field, the rainbow distance showing the allure of adulthood and the ominous mountains showing the actual use of nature.

2. Momo Blossoms

The dark lighting of the interiors of the house, the brightly lit branch of the peach tree as the boy walks towards it, the red light of the doll room, all show a darkness to the interior, while outside is brightly light and beautiful. The theme of respect, the message of treating the trees with kindness, along with greed, in that the trees were cut down but also the child's greed in the beauty of of the blossoms. The sunshine shining though the forest, yet again a transition though the world of reality to the realm of fantasy, were the dolls are able to come to life, dance in a slow sound of rhythm, beautiful in its painfully slow pace.

Showing the child what he missed, the peach trees, a final act of kindness, then when he got close, trying to chase the girl, they disappear and he's once again left with the emptiness. This scene could translate to adolescents, where the joys of childhood are gone, but the respect of adulthood still haven't happened.

The falling peach blossoms, the framing of the child's face on the brown ground, in his simple dark blue clothes, contrast beautifully with the elaborate faces and clothing of the living dolls. They are on a green background, making their beauty pop.

3. Blizzard

Courage is needed to make the final steps. The responsibility of the lives of the men climbing the mountain falls on the only one waking. Their ambition in making this climb. The rope is the tether tying them together, uniting them, but also a tie to life. There is terrible noise as the struggle to get up, the darkness of the surroundings, how the snow isn't pure white, how it flies around angrily. The snow becomes quiet as the women emerges, trying to lure the men to their death, lying saying the snow is warm and hot. The juxtaposition of the sparkly, furry blanket and the snow, how her face appears so serene when her victim is agreeing with her. Then her transformation, her hair flying up, her beauty replaced by demon-like features. The sound changes as she is fought up, as her hold is lost, and the man gains the courage to fight on. The sound of the flapping flag gives hope, growing louder as she flees. The men who didn't awaken the first time now can move on.


4. The Tunnel

Responsibility, and honor play in the heart of the only surviving solider. The dog barking showing what he will always walk with, this constant barking from those he sent on suicide missions, just like the dog. The solider telling him about the parents who still think there son is alive, who are in pain now that they lost someone they love. The blue skin of the platoon visually illustrates there death. The noise of echoing footsteps show he's alone, show he's doomed to walk this road alone. The appearance of the dead coming to the man show the slow trickling in of memories and guilt. First the dog, then the lone solider, then the entire battalion. The tunnel is also in reverse, since there is no bright light at the end, rather another version of hell.

5. Van Crows

The theme is ambition, transformation, of the life of an artist barely hanging on, relying on the pity of those around him. The use of Chopin's music, loud and meaningful. The young Kurosawa meeting withScorsase Van Gogh, show his own struggle in trying to regain his fame, although Van Gogh only had it in his death.

The visual transformation between black and whites of the real world then again into the brightly colored paintings, the use of vivid light like with the haystacks and rivers. The trainmetephor reinstates ambition, to keep climbing, to power and move and fight. The Crows at the end show the pointlessness in always living at full speed, of the fear of what will always be, of death.

6. Mount Fuji in Red
The fearful Japanese running off cliffs like lemmings into the see, because of the consequences of what they did to their enviorment. The use of mount Fiji, a volcano, but the destruction coming from man-made monstrosities around it.

The man cleaning his glasses as he calmly explains that even if they didn't die that second, it was so close, because the radiation would give them cancer, killing them slowly and more painfully. Then he throws the glasses down after they are perfect, showing a metaphor to how Japan reached that way, even though their was perfection, its pointless in the face of a holocaust. The family fighting away, flapping a jacket uselessly as the colored radiation reaches them and kills the parents and their small children.

7. The Weeping Demon

The theme is responsibility, of fear in the face of death. The irony is that there is nothing remaining after this nuclear disaster, that there are no bodies, but the buildings still stay in the background. There is noise to the shaking of the powerful winds. There is more to this, but the giant dandelions confuse the hell out of me, I guess the Buddhist metaphor makes more sense.

8. The Watermills
The Watermills show love and tradition, that its so much more slow then the rest of the dreams, showing the last stage of life, of peace that comes with acceptance of the end that will soon come.

The use of colors, so spectacular, the natural beauty, the water making beautiful noise. The slowing down, the power of the river dictating the noise, the style of life. The celebration of death shows the use of the acceptance ofenevatablity and once its accepted, it can be celebrated.

The entire village of tradition, of working with the environment rather then fighting it. This show a more peaceful time, a idyllic time, but when he talks about the pains of this lack of consonance, such as using cow dung for fuel.