#378: ICHIKAWA, Kon: Fires On The Plain (1959)
ICHIKAWA, Kon (Japan)
Fires On The Plain [1959]
Spine #378
DVD
DVD
An agonizing portrait of desperate Japanese soldiers stranded in a strange land during World War II, Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain is a compelling descent into psychological and physical oblivion. Denied hospital treatment for tuberculosis and cast off into the unknown, Private Tamura treks across an unfamiliar Philippine landscape, encountering an increasingly debased cross section of Imperial Army soldiers, who eventually give in to the most terrifying craving of all. Grisly yet poetic, Fires on the Plain is one of the most powerful works from one of Japanese cinema's most versatile filmmakers.
104 minutes
Black & White
Black & White
Monaural
in Japanese
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2007
Director/Writers
Original story by Shohei Ooka.
Screenplay by Natto Wada.
Kon Ichikawa was 44 when he directed Fires on the Plain.
Other Ichikawa films in the Collection:
#379: The Burmese Harp (1956)
#912: An Actor's Revenge (1963)
#155/#900: Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
#567: The Makioka Sisters (1983)
The Film
Other Ichikawa films in the Collection:
#379: The Burmese Harp (1956)
#912: An Actor's Revenge (1963)
#155/#900: Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
#567: The Makioka Sisters (1983)
The Film
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
Twenty-four page booklet featuring an essay by Chuck Stephens.
Commentary
None.
Video introduction
60
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Twenty-four page booklet featuring an essay by Chuck Stephens.
Commentary
None.
Video introduction
By Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie.
Vide piece
Vide piece
Featuring director Ichikawa and actor Curtis.
Extras Rating (0-40):
Extras Rating (0-40):
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