Ningen no jôken (1961)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Writers:

Zenzo Matsuyama (screenplay) &
Koichi Inagaki (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 August 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

Part three of a trilogy. After the Japanese defeat to the Russians in the last episode, Kaji, the Japanese soldier and humanist protagonist...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Japanese | Soldier | Manchuria | Soviet

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Kaji
Michiyo Aratama	...	Michiko
Tamao Nakamura	...	Hinannmin no Shôjo
Yusuke Kawazu	...	Terada Nitôhei (as Yûsuke Kawazu)
Chishu Ryu	...	Hinanmin no Chôrô (as Chishû Ryû)
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Tange Ittôhei
Kyôko Kishida	...	Ryûko
Reiko Hitomi	...	Umeko
Keijiro Morozumi	...	Hironaka Gôchô (as Keijirô Morozumi)
Koji Kiyomura	...	Hikita Ittôhei (as Kôji Kiyomura)
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Kirihara Gôchô
Fujio Suga	...	Nagata Taii
Tatsuya Ishiguro	...	Dôkutsu Taichô
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Kitagô Sôchô
Toshio Takahara	...	Chôsen e Iku Heichô

Also Known As:

A Soldier's Prayer
Ningen no jôken: Dai 5 bu - Shi no dasshutsu (Japan) (first part title)
Ningen no jôken: Dai 6 bu - Kôya no hôkô (Japan) (second part title)
Ningen no jôken: Kanketsu hen (Japan) (promotional title)
Ningen no joken V-VI
The Human Condition III (USA)

Runtime:

190 min | West Germany:143 min | Japan:104 min (part 2)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Mandarin | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | USA:GP

Company:

Ninjin Club

Trivia:

Is the first Japanese movie in stereo.

Movie Connections:

Follows Ningen no jôken (1959/II)

Possibly the greatest anti-war statement

When people think of anti-war films titles such as Platoon, All Quiet on the Western Front and Schindler's List almost immediately come to mind; such films have defined the genre in American culture. However very few directors have provided the perspective from the axis point of view, and fewer still were able to do so in a way that humanizes all countries, not just the protagonist's. Masaki Kobayashi, who is most well known for his samurai pictures such as Seppuku and Samurai Rebellion is able to form such a film, without even a hint of pretentiousness.

The series of films spans nearly ten hours, following a pacifist named Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), as he struggles to keep his principles during war times. First as an overseer of a P.O.W. camp, then as a soldier. Due to the length of the film, the level of character development and acting quality, we end up feeling his frustration, pain and triumphs, as each occasion leaves room for both a triumph of the human spirit and subjugation of it. Kaji despises both warfare and violence of all kinds, yet tries to rationalize it for the good of those around him. We become so attached to him and his struggle, that we begin to feel similarly, and as a result we are left with one of the most moving chronicles of the loss that war becomes. I won't spoil anything, but any viewer will be floored by the end, it left me utterly breathless.

So overall I recommend it quite highly, its one of the few great anti-war statements that has aged VERY well in the modern day, and possibly Kobayashi's greatest work. Never slow, yet at the same time never glorifying the action, it is a film that I eagerly await to see re-released.

10/10.