To Sleep So as to Dream (1986) Film Screening
Oct
26
-
Alice Cinema (L01), Humanities Quadrangle
320 York St, New Haven CT, 06511
Directed and written by Kaizô Hayashi
Japanese with English subtitles.
81 minutes.
Two private detectives hunt for an actress trapped within the reel of a silent ninja film in TO SLEEP SO AS TO DREAM—the dreamlike debut of Kaizo Hayashi (ZIPANG). The film is a magical cinematic homage to the movie worlds of the 1910s and 1950s. Among the most impressive and critically regarded Japanese films of the 1980s, TO SLEEP drifts between illusion and allusion, chock full of references to Japan’s rich cinematic heritage and featuring sets created by Takeo Kimura—the Nikkatsu designer fondly remembered for his work with Seijun Suzuki in the 1960s (AmericanGenreFilm.com).