Fires On The Plain

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Nobi Japanese: 野火 Release Date: 1959 Director: Kon Ichikawa Netflix Link IMDb Link

I just finished reading the book, so I watched the movie. I’m really torn as to which I prefer. The book is packed with subtle humor and delectable phrasing which is mostly lost in the movie. However, I love the fact that Ichikawa toned down a lot of the religious references in the book and I really liked his ending better. The ending of the book drags on for a chapter or two where it doesn’t need to. Granted, the book is a supposedly true story so it couldn’t have ended the same way as the film. As usual with movies adapted from books I’ve just read, I’m not sure it would be as clear having not read the book first. I think it probably would be since it’s a rather straight forward, linear narrative. Either way, it’s a good read and a good watch. It’s one of Ichikawa’s finest films.

Ivan’s Childhood

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Ivanovo detstvo Release Date: 1962 Director: Andrei Tarkovsky Netflix Link IMDb Link

Every single frame in Ivan’s Childhood is specifically chosen to get the most visual benefit. This film is a monochromatic feast. At a brief 95 minutes, Ivan’s Childhood makes the best possible use of every scene. You could watch this film just for the cinematography alone, but not only is it beautifully filmed, the story is compelling as well. While it’s not as critical of the Soviet era as some Russian post-war films, it is just as bleak and heartfelt. Ivan is a strong character even though he is just 12 years old. The only time he seems to be childlike is when he’s left alone with nothing to do. The rest of the time, he is undaunted by the war all around him and acts nothing like his age. Even though Tarkovsky was not the original director of the film, Ivan’s Childhood looks like a Tarkovsky film through and through. He took this film and made it entirely his own. If not Tarkovsky’s finest film, Ivan’s Childhood is certainly my favorite.

Katyn

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Opowiesc Katynska Release Date: 2007 Director: Andrzej Wajda Netflix Link IMDb Link

Katyn is an unflinching and poignant tale of the lives of Polish soldiers and citizens during WW2. Sandwiched between Germany and the Soviet Union, the Poles were outmatched and occupied first by the Germans, then by the Russians. The film tells the true story of the little-known Katyn Forest Massacre where thousands of Poles were executed at the hands of Stalin to rid Poland of its military and intelligentsia. Based on a book compiled from witness accounts and historical documentation, Katyn explores just one of many atrocities perpetrated by the Soviet Union during the war as seen through the eyes of several Polish families and witnesses. in addition to its historical importance, Katyn is also a beautifully acted and executed piece of cinema. It is heartrendingly realistic with an ending that packs a punch.

Kabei: Our Mother

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Kâbê Release Date: 2008 Director: Yoji Yamada Netflix Link IMDb Link

It takes a big emotional impact to make me shed even a tear by watching a film and Kabei did just that. It is a memoir of the experiences of a child and her family from the lead up to WW2 through to modern times. Kabei is a sentimental and heartfelt story of one family wading through historical context. Japan’s ambitions to rule the world and average citizens opinions thereof are at the core of the narrative. Even though it is a tearjerker, Kabei never once seems contrived. The emotions are genuine and tempered with just the right amount of levity. Yoji Yamada just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend this film, but be forewarned that it is likely to make you feel something.

The Human Condition Trilogy

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Ningen no joken Release Date: 1959 Director: Masaki Kobayashi Netflix Link IMDb Link

At nearly 10 hours, not including the 4th special features disc, The Human Condition Trilogy is a big commitment and I wouldn’t recommend it for casual viewers of Japanese cinema. That being said, this trilogy is spectacular. It’s beautifully shot and incredibly heartfelt. It is a tad melodramatic at times, but if you put it in context (it was made when Japan was just coming out of the post-war era), it’s completely understandable. The films definitely have an anti-war slant, particularly anti-Japanese military, and they put a rather harsh light on Japan’s involvement in WW2. Strangely, the Soviets end up looking mildly better than the Japanese, but no one is spared the impact of its message. These films were not made for western audiences in the sense that the statement is directed at Japanese viewers, yet there’s enough universal human appeal to make it worthwhile viewing. Set in Manchuria, The Human Condition Trilogy presents a poignant viewpoint on a little known Japanese battlefield in WW2. It is masterfully filmed, well-acted and Tatsuya Nakadai can do no wrong. 4.5 stars.

Ballad Of A Soldier

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Ballada o soldate Release Date: 1959 Director: Grigori Chukhrai Netflix Link IMDb Link

Ballad Of A Soldier is a gorgeous piece of cinema. The cinematography in this movie is something to behold. I wouldn’t say that you have to be a film student to appreciate it; it’s right out there in the open. If you are though, it would be high on my list of must-see films. Ballad Of A Soldier was one of the first independent films to come out of Russia after WWII. Its lack of ties to state-sponsored media is apparent in the way it portrays the Soviet military as a somewhat inefficient bureaucracy while making the soldiers themselves seem fallible and definitely human. Even though it is set during WWII, I would not call it a war movie per se. It’s more a humanist tale about the effects of warfare. Ballad Of A Soldier has a lot of heart. It is only one of 30 million tragic stories of Russians during WWII.

Father of the Kamikaze

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Â kessen kôkûtai Release Date: 1974 Director: Kosaku Yamashita Netflix Link IMDb Link

Someone needs to show the Japanese how to make an effective war action film. I’m starting to think that perhaps it really does take a big, Hollywood-style budget to make decent dogfighting scenes after all. When you can see the wires from which the planes are hanging, you need some help in the special effects department. The flying scenes are made up of either actual aerial footage or of props that look like they were leftover from Gojira. Father of the Kamikaze also has far too much historical information scrolling across the screen and it is on the wrong side of long. Aside from that, its historical context is spot on, it has a great cast, including the wonderful Koji Tsuruta as the father of the kamikaze himself, and it is a powerful film overall. If you are at all curious about how the Japanese came up with the concept of suicide missions and put them into practice, this is your movie.

Battle of Okinawa

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Gekido No Showashi: Okinawa Kessen Release Date: 1971 Director: Kihachi Okamoto Netflix Link IMDb Link

Battle of Okinawa, why are you so long? Had this film been shorter, it would have been a brutally naturalistic glimpse at what went on inside those hollowed out caves on Okinawa. But as it is, it’s just too much. And I don’t mean that the editing was shoddy. I mean that there are too much guts, trauma and visceral emotion thrown at the screen for that period of time. And when you add in actual newsreel footage, it takes the atrocities to a whole different level. Anyone watching this already knows how it’s going to end, so, the tension that is there is all the more painful to watch. If you are curious to see the Japanese perspective on this WW2 Pacific theater battle, there is no better exemplar than Battle of Okinawa, but be prepared for a poignant viewing experience.

Back to Bataan

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1945 Director: Edward Dmytryk Netflix Link IMDb Link

Typical of movies made during WW2, Back to Bataan is chock-full of guts and glory. It is positively dripping with patriotic sentiment complete with several scenes of real American POWs like a newsreel. Wayne is his usual embodiment of the walking, talking American hero. Anthony Quinn plays yet another nationality as the head of the Filipino rebellion and grandson of a great Filipino patriot. Taken in context, it’s not surprising that this film not only bolsters America’s fighting spirit but, the helpfulness of the Filipinos and their yearning to gain independence. Out of context, some 60 plus years after its propagandizing mission is over, Back To Bataan seems very time-worn and overly aggrandizing. But, if you’re curious to see how America represented the fight in the Philippines during WW2, this is your movie.

Hell in the Pacific

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1968 Director: John Boorman Netflix Link IMDb Link

Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin make formidable adversaries as they are stranded together on an island in the Pacific during WW2. With very little dialog and only two main characters, Hell in the Pacific is a testament to the power of simplicity in film. Toshiro shows off his tremendous skill as a physical actor as the only dialog he has in the entire film is in Japanese without subtitles. Hell in the Pacific is a wonderful exploration of the nature of humanity in the face of war and isolation. Make sure you watch the alternate ending to the film as they are both on the dvd.