Yume, Yume No Ato (partially lost Japanese/French fantasy film; 1981)

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Yumecover.jpg

Poster for the movie.

Status: Lost


Yume, Yume No Ato is a Japanese/French fantasy movie directed by fashion designer Kenzo Takada and released on January 24, 1981. The film is most noteworthy for its soundtrack, which was composed by the American rock band Journey. This soundtrack was released in 1980 under the English-translated name of Dream, After Dream, and was met with generally positive reviews from American rock critics.[1] However, while the album was released internationally and is quite easy to come by,[2] the film that it was created for has fallen into obscurity, and has not resurfaced since its initial release.

Plot

The movie is a fantasy-romance, which centers on the quest of an unnamed young man (Enrico Tricarico). A wise fortuneteller (Léo Campion) advises the man to head south, which he does, with the intention of finding happiness. After traveling a long way, this man arrives at an ancient castle housing two mysterious women, named Tsuki (Anicée Alvina) and Yuki (Anne Consigny). Both of these women fall in love with the man, causing them to transform into birds, as true love has freed them from their artificial human forms. Afterwards, the young man is left by himself “to face his destiny”.[3]

Little else is known about the plot, or about the cryptic meaning of the ending description, though the film is said to take place in a dream-like environment. Supposedly, the movie also features a governess character played by Liliana Gerace, but it is not known how this character fits into the story. The film has a runtime of 101 minutes.

Production

The project was announced at a press conference on June 16, 1980, and shooting for the film began in Morocco in July of that year.[4] The film was a Japanese/French collaboration, as the cast is made up entirely of French actors while the known crew members are a mix between the two. In addition to directing, Kenzo Takada also scripted the movie alongside Xavier De Castella. Other production credits include Hiroaki Fuji and Tatsuo Funahashi as producers, Tatsuji Nakashizu as set designer, Senji Horiuchi and Julien Cloquet as sound designers/recordists, and Setsuo Kobayashi as cinematographer.[5]

Journey became involved with the film after they were approached by CBS/Sony. Takada had requested the company to find a popular group willing to produce the soundtrack, and Journey was chosen so that the movie would increase the band's popularity in Japan. The band, who agreed to the proposal, wrote and recorded the music while in Japan for their Fall 1980 tour after Takada granted them complete creative control over the soundtrack.

Status

In addition to the film’s theatrical run in Japan, it was also released in France under the name of Rêve Après Rêve.[6] However, outside of these screenings, the film has not resurfaced in any capacity. The movie has aired on Japanese television in the past, but no recordings have found their way online, and it has not been released on VHS or DVD (possibly due to Kenzo Takada being against such a release).[7] Despite this, a number of production stills, as well as the contents of a program pamphlet, have been found, which serve as the only visual evidence of the film’s existence.

Gallery

References