To Sleep so as to Dream Blu-ray
'To Sleep so as to Dream' Director: Kaizô Hayashi (1986) Arrow Blu-ray | Staff Pick | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Two private detectives hunt for an actress trapped within the reel of a silent ninja film, in this magical double-handed cinephilic homage to the movie worlds of 1910s and 1950s Japan.
Drifting between illusion and allusion, To Sleep so as to Dream is chockfull of references to Japan's rich cinematic heritage and features cameos from a host of veteran talent and baroque sets created by Takeo Kimura, the Nikkatsu art designer fondly remembered for his flamboyant work with Seijun Suzuki in the 1960s.
Special features include:
- Audio commentary by Japanese film experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
- Audio commentary with director Kaizô Hayashi and lead actor Shirô Sano
- Brand new interview with the film's lead actor Shirô Sano
- Talking Silents: Benshi Midori Sawato Talks, a brand new interview on early Japanese film culture and the art of the benshi silent film commentator
- Midori Sawato Performs 'The Eternal Mystery', an exclusive benshi performance to the film within the film
- Featurette on the film's restoration
- Fragments from Japan's Lost Silent Heyday, a selection of scenes from silent jidai-geki films from the Kyoto Toy Museum archives
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
