Takao Saito was the primary cinematographer for Dreams, and had a long working relationship with Kurosawa, which meant they knew how to get things done together. Shoji Ueda also contributed photography to Dreams, though it’s not clear which segments featured which photographer’s work.
What matters most, though, is the richness of the visuals on display here, and that’s why you need a really good projector to make the most of Dreams. This was intentional, as every segment has a unique color palette, and one openly references Vincent Van Gogh and his fields of sunflowers. Van Gogh is even played by Martin Scorsese, a close friend of Kurosawa.
We don’t want to spoil the plots of each dream, but they’re extremely varied and have a lot to do with regrets of the past and fears of the present and future. Almost all of them feature regular Kurosawa cast member Akira Terao in a lead role.
Post WWII Japan gets referenced in the dark dream The Tunnel, worries about nuclear power manifest in the fire-dominated Mount Fuji in Red, while The Blizzard is all about snow, ice, and white color schemes. Then The Peach Orchard and Village of the Watermills pay tribute to nature, and have so many colors in them they’re almost impossible to describe.