Surrealist nightmares

List creator: postmod Created on: October 15, 2003 - 4:04 PM PDT Description: A supplement to zarran76's Sleep Optional list--a few more films (and some non-films) with exceptional dream sequences...

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	Wild Strawberries (Criterion Collection) (1957)
Dream sequences are central to this, Bergman's masterpiece, but the standout is the nightmare sequence taking place in the emptied city.
	Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde (1997)			Not Rated
I hate stand-ins too, but this will have to do until the brilliant Dreams That Money Can Buy, with segments directed by the leading Surrealists of the era, comes out on DVD.
	Spellbound (Criterion Collection) (1945)			Not Rated
The film's famous dream sequence was the creation of no less than Salvator Dali--hampered by the studio's low budget, it's still visually stunning.
	Vertigo (Special Edition) (1958)
The central nightmare sequence upon which the movie turns isn't as flashy as that of Spellbound, but the living portrait and the flamenco music from hell are terrifying.
	The Big Lebowski (1998)
Both a takeoff of and nothing at all like the film noir symbolist sequences in Murder My Sweet and Spellbound...and of course, amazingly funny.
	The City of Lost Children (1995)
It's the first sequence that still gets me...Christmas, and one Santa comes down the chimney, then another, and another...
	Labyrinth (1986)
So it may not be up to par with the other films on this list...as a wee young thing seeing this movie all I wanted to be was a princess, or David Bowie (not necessarily mutually exclusive) and it seemed pretty damn great to me.
	I Know Where I'm Going! (Criterion Collection) (1945)			Not Rated
The very funny travel/daydream sequence involves, among other things, plaid hills.
	The Twilight Zone: Vol.7 (1959)
"Perchance to Dream" has a man with a heart condition being haunted in his sleep by a seductive and ultimately dangerous woman who seems intent on killing him with excitement.
	Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4 (Disc 6 of 6) (1997)			Not Rated
"Restless" is one of the best things Joss Whedon has ever done, and what a strange and wonderful season finale. The fears and insecurities of four main characters are revealed as they are stalked in their dreams.
	The Ring (2002)
I'm including the American rather than the Japanese version because it has a more direct relation to the Surrealists, both in terms of the video itself and the eye imagery. Speaking of dreams, this film left me sleepless for weeks.
	The Cell (2000)
Imperfect, manipulative, and sometimes a lot like a lengthy music video, but there are some unforgettably beautiful images
	Kundun (1997)
There is a provocative and disturbing dream sequence where the Dalai Lama is surrounded by hundreds of dead monks.
	Rosemary's Baby (Criterion) (Disc 1 of 2) (1968)
Sex with Satan isn't just a topic for bad metal bands, you know.
	Living in Oblivion (1995)
Dream sequences figure large, but the best one is a hilarious stab at David Lynch in the movie they're making--"'Oh make it weird, put a dwarf in it!' Everyone will go, 'Woah, this must be a fuckin' dream, there's a fuckin' dwarf in it!'"