This film is a bit of an ordeal. One is led through a series of stories that have the qualities of dreams. That is, they teach lessons, thy fly off into surrealism, the characters often can't be controlled. There is a sense of "if I wake up, this will not be true. There are several environmental warnings. Death is nearly always on the borders. This is a wonderful film because each story captivates and pulls the viewer along. There are magnificent colors, fearful images, foxes who have come to kill little boys who do wrong, one of the most incredible funeral processions imaginable. There are things coming out of the fog, appearing on the sides of mountains, coming through tunnels. I am, like most people, nurtured on Kurosawa's samurai films, based on classical themes. This is a collection of wonderful tales, each of which we can interpret ourselves.
