To Sleep so as to Dream is the first film by Japanese director Kaizo Hayashi and it’s a knockout. Sometime in the late 50’s, an ageing actress from the silent film era hires a detective to rescue her kidnapped daughter. What she is really searching for is her lost youth and the unknown outcome of her first film, `Eternal Mystery’. It was never completed because of a puritanical backlash against women playing women’s roles. Moving back and forth between the 20’s and 50’s, from silent to sound, this is one of the most original films in years: a detective story with a really satisfying ending.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
300528
Language
Japanese
Audience classification
PG
Subject categories
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Detective and mystery films
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Kidnapping
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)