Considering we spend around a quarter of our lives in bed asleep it's no wonder that the topic of sleep and dreaming often crop up in the movies. From blockbusters to surreal comedies, family favourites to horror films that will keep you awake with fear, directors have explored the realms of possibilities within dreamland for decades. Here's Polefit Bedding's top five movies about sleep and dreaming:
The Wizard Of Oz, 1939
Probably the most famous film to take place within a dream. The original Wizard of Oz novel by L. Frank Baum sees the character of Dorothy really transported to the magical land of Oz, however the movie producers of the 1939 classic believed audiences wouldn't accept the film as straight fantasy so re-worked the story as an elaborate dream sequence.
The Science Of Sleep, 2006
This beautifully twee romantic-comedy directed by French director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) is all about sleep and dreaming. The film explores the colourful dreamland of main character Stéphane Miroux played by Gael García Bernal. Stéphane prefers to be asleep where his vivid imagination can run riot and his inventions come to life in his dreams.
"I'll show you how dreams are prepared... a very delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key. First, we put in some random thoughts. And then, we add a little bit of reminiscences of the day... mixed with some memories from the past."
Sleeping Beauty, 1959
The Grimms fairy tale of the princess who falls into a 100 year slumber after pricking her finger on a spindle has been retold countless times but Disney's animated classic is without doubt the most famous.
The Nightmare Before Elm Street, 1984
In Wes Craven's Nightmare On Elm Street a group of teenagers try to stay awake to escape the iconic Freddie Kruger who can only hurt them in their dreams. The film which plays on the fear of nightmares becoming a reality is a classic horror movie but certainly not one to watch if you have trouble sleeping!
Inception, 2010
With all the action happening in Inception you'd be forgiven for forgetting that the majority of the film's plot takes place inside a dream reality. Chris Nolan's sci-fi blockbuster was well know for it's complicated plot as the action takes the character through dreams within dreams.
"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."