There are effectively bootleg copies of Dream, After Dream (aka Rêve après Rêve {France}, aka Yume, Yume, no ato {Japan}) floating around from when it was first broadcast on TV in Japan. This film can be viewed from these various poor quality VHS recordings made in the 80s.
Unfortunately, these home recordings of this film are apparently the only recordings that have survived and are not great in quality. Note that the TV broadcast in Japan was, like most TV film broadcasts, modified and edited to fit the time allotted. However, the TV edit version is still sufficient to understand the story behind this film.
The film's story is fairly simplistic and is ultimately a fairy tale. I'd have suggested that instead of live action filming this tale, Kenzo Takada should have opted to turn this story into animé, in similar form to the shorts featured in the Heavy Metal film released the same year.
If Dream, After Dream had been filmed as animé, the transformation sequence, which occurs about 2/3rds the way through the film, could have been much more grand and nuanced than the weak practical effects used (feathers glued to a costume)... which ultimately didn't sell the idea well. The effects were potentially one big reason the film didn't go over well, along with its rather short story and long musical interludes.
This story opens with a sequence of a young man sitting on a ledge recounting a story from his past.
After a few moments, we begin a flashback sequence of a young man (remains nameless) who receives a prophetic message from a soothsayer, where he is sent across a desert in search of a castle. Crossing that desert nearly depletes him. When he is found ailing and passed out in the sand, he is brought back to health at a castle. When he wakes, he is greeted by a pretty young girl (Tsuki) who takes a fancy to him quickly and gives him clothes to wear.
While strolling the castle, this young man sees another young woman (Yuki) who fascinates him. He asks Tsuki about her, when Tsuki becomes quite jealous and storms out.
After several back and forth sequences of the girls fighting over him, a governess steps in to offer a stern warning. The governess who runs the castle and who understands the castle's secrets knows exactly what happens if both of these girls take a fancy to this young man. The governess tells Yuki to carry out her fate or face consequences.
In fairy tale form, a curse had been visited upon these two young girls earlier who, if one of them doesn't take the life of any young man who happens along, will transform irrevocably.
At this point in the film, it is explained that these two girls were visited by an incredibly powerful lightning storm which ultimately killed these two girls much earlier on. Two birds had taken pity on the girls' deaths and gave up their own lives to bring the girls back to life, but with one big drawback. They must remain alone and celibate. If the girls ever have any relations with any men, they will transform back into the birds who gave them their lives. Thus, any men who visit the castle must die by one of these girl's hands.
At this point, after the governess prods Yuki strongly to do the deed, Yuki refuses to kill this young man as she had done so many times before (note an earlier scene where the young man stumbles into a graveyard of bones).
By not killing him, Yuki transforms into a bird. Tsuki also refuses to do the deed, likewise also transforms into a bird. These transformations happen right before the young man's eyes. He then realizes what and who he had just lost.
At this point, the movie flashes forward where we see the young man sitting on a ledge (just as in the opening of the film), recounting his time at this castle and all that had happened there. As he wanders off, the film ends.
Overall, the film isn't horrible, but it's also not great. Journey provided the soundtrack music for the scenes. There are also large swaths of this film that feel like MTV interspersed with storytelling segments. For example, the scene of the young man crossing the desert entirely consisted of a full length Journey song played along side it. It felt like watching an MTV music video of a guy wandering in the desert.
There are several long music sequences just like the desert scene above, where the story stops to play a seemingly long MTV musical interlude. I kinda half expected to see MTV music credits appear each time. This story wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't excellent. As I said, this story would have been better served as an animated short in Heavy Metal than as a standalone live action film.
I'm giving this film 6 stars because Journey's musical segments did help carry this film tremendously. Overall, though, the story was really about 30 minutes of story stretched into a 101 minute movie runtime... with too much of that runtime filled with MTV-style music video interludes.
Unfortunately, these home recordings of this film are apparently the only recordings that have survived and are not great in quality. Note that the TV broadcast in Japan was, like most TV film broadcasts, modified and edited to fit the time allotted. However, the TV edit version is still sufficient to understand the story behind this film.
The film's story is fairly simplistic and is ultimately a fairy tale. I'd have suggested that instead of live action filming this tale, Kenzo Takada should have opted to turn this story into animé, in similar form to the shorts featured in the Heavy Metal film released the same year.
If Dream, After Dream had been filmed as animé, the transformation sequence, which occurs about 2/3rds the way through the film, could have been much more grand and nuanced than the weak practical effects used (feathers glued to a costume)... which ultimately didn't sell the idea well. The effects were potentially one big reason the film didn't go over well, along with its rather short story and long musical interludes.
This story opens with a sequence of a young man sitting on a ledge recounting a story from his past.
After a few moments, we begin a flashback sequence of a young man (remains nameless) who receives a prophetic message from a soothsayer, where he is sent across a desert in search of a castle. Crossing that desert nearly depletes him. When he is found ailing and passed out in the sand, he is brought back to health at a castle. When he wakes, he is greeted by a pretty young girl (Tsuki) who takes a fancy to him quickly and gives him clothes to wear.
While strolling the castle, this young man sees another young woman (Yuki) who fascinates him. He asks Tsuki about her, when Tsuki becomes quite jealous and storms out.
After several back and forth sequences of the girls fighting over him, a governess steps in to offer a stern warning. The governess who runs the castle and who understands the castle's secrets knows exactly what happens if both of these girls take a fancy to this young man. The governess tells Yuki to carry out her fate or face consequences.
In fairy tale form, a curse had been visited upon these two young girls earlier who, if one of them doesn't take the life of any young man who happens along, will transform irrevocably.
At this point in the film, it is explained that these two girls were visited by an incredibly powerful lightning storm which ultimately killed these two girls much earlier on. Two birds had taken pity on the girls' deaths and gave up their own lives to bring the girls back to life, but with one big drawback. They must remain alone and celibate. If the girls ever have any relations with any men, they will transform back into the birds who gave them their lives. Thus, any men who visit the castle must die by one of these girl's hands.
At this point, after the governess prods Yuki strongly to do the deed, Yuki refuses to kill this young man as she had done so many times before (note an earlier scene where the young man stumbles into a graveyard of bones).
By not killing him, Yuki transforms into a bird. Tsuki also refuses to do the deed, likewise also transforms into a bird. These transformations happen right before the young man's eyes. He then realizes what and who he had just lost.
At this point, the movie flashes forward where we see the young man sitting on a ledge (just as in the opening of the film), recounting his time at this castle and all that had happened there. As he wanders off, the film ends.
Overall, the film isn't horrible, but it's also not great. Journey provided the soundtrack music for the scenes. There are also large swaths of this film that feel like MTV interspersed with storytelling segments. For example, the scene of the young man crossing the desert entirely consisted of a full length Journey song played along side it. It felt like watching an MTV music video of a guy wandering in the desert.
There are several long music sequences just like the desert scene above, where the story stops to play a seemingly long MTV musical interlude. I kinda half expected to see MTV music credits appear each time. This story wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't excellent. As I said, this story would have been better served as an animated short in Heavy Metal than as a standalone live action film.
I'm giving this film 6 stars because Journey's musical segments did help carry this film tremendously. Overall, though, the story was really about 30 minutes of story stretched into a 101 minute movie runtime... with too much of that runtime filled with MTV-style music video interludes.
