Fires on the Plain (1959 film)
| Fires on the Plain | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Kon Ichikawa |
| Produced by | Masaichi Nagata |
| Written by | Natto Wada |
| Based on |
Fires on the Plain by Shōhei Ōoka |
| Starring | Eiji Funakoshi Osamu Takizawa Mickey Curtis |
| Narrated by | Eiji Funakoshi |
| Music by | Yasushi Akutagawa |
| Cinematography | Setsuo Kobayashi |
| Edited by | Tatsuji Nakashizu |
| Distributed by | Daiei Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Fires on the Plain (野火 Nobi?) is a 1959 Japanese war film directed by Kon Ichikawa, starring Eiji Funakoshi. The screenplay, written by Natto Wada, is based on the novel Nobi (Tokyo 1951) by Shōhei Ōoka, translated as Fires on the Plain. It initially received mixed reviews from both Japanese and international critics concerning its violence and bleak theme. In following decades, however, it has become highly regarded.
Fires on the Plain follows a tubercular Japanese private and his attempt to stay alive during the latter part of World War II. Kon Ichikawa has noted its thematic struggle between staying alive, and crossing the ultimate low.
In February 1945, the demoralized Imperial Japanese Army on Leyte is in desperate straits, cut off from support and supplies by the Allies, who are in the process of liberating the Philippine island. Private Tamura has tuberculosis and is seen as a useless burden to his company, even though it has been reduced to little more than a platoon in strength. He is ordered to commit suicide if he is unable to get admitted to a field hospital. A sympathetic soldier gives him several yams from the unit's meager supplies.
On his way, he notices a mysterious fire on the ground. When he reaches the crowded hospital, he is judged not sick enough to treat. He joins a group of other rejectees outside. When the Allies start shelling the area, the medical staff abandon the patients and run away. The hospital is hit and destroyed. Tamura flees as well; looking back, he sees many bodies strewn around, but chooses not to go to the aid of any who may still be alive.
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