Sometimes you watch a film that literally touches your soul . THE HUMAN CONDITION trilogy is one of these films . I saw this on Channel 4 in 1985 and never forgot it . A few years ago I mentioned seeing this to a professional film critic who seemed surprised that he wasn't the only person who'd seen it and was disappointed when I said I didn't have a video or DVD copy of the trilogy . In a film class I mentioned to the tutor that every scene in the trilogy was a scene of absolute beauty . My tutor , a film historian and myself then engaged in such an enthusiastic conversation that ALL the other students in class started taking notes determined to see this movie masterpiece . Recently I was involved in a conversation with a student who had enrolled in a class involving Japanese cinema and recommended the trilogy to him . I then mentioned that perhaps it's a good thing I'd hadn't seen it for 25 years and perhaps I'd never watch it again in case it was nowhere as wonderful as I remembered . After seeing part one of THE HUMAN CONDITION last night after a gap of 25 years I was left with the distinct impression that perhaps I should have taken my own advice and hadn't re-watched it
It's still a beautifully framed and shot film down to director Masaki Kobayashi and cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima but the inherent problem with the film starts in the opening scene where Kaji refuses to pop off to a dormitory to have sex with his wife to be . Why not ? well it's never really revealed . Nor is it ever revealed what motivates Kaji in to being such a saintly and pious personality and the more the film goes on the more morally upstanding Kaji becomes so much so that it almost ruins the film since he's difficult to take seriously . I don't think I've heard of anyone more moral since that mythical figure from Bronze Age Palestine . Does anyone seriously believe that someone like that would be put in charge of a Manchurian labour camp ?
And the portrayal of the camp leads to a second body blow for the film . Try and imagine SCHINDLERS LIST where the Nazis weren't all that bad ! The inmates of the labour camp receive the occasional beating but that's about it as far as crimes against humanity is concerned . . We see Korean " comfort women " who it seems volunteered to become prostitutes and if anyone escapes from the camp then there's no summary retaliation taken against the remaining prisoners . Google " The Rape Of Nanking " or " The Burma Railway " or " Bataan Death March " and you'll get just tiny fraction of the atrocities committed by the Japnese from the period . The only difference between Nazi war crimes and Japanese ones is that the Nazis used gas
There is a subplot where the Kempeitai- the Imperial Japanese version of the Gestapo - take over the running of the camp and execute some prisoners by beheading ( This is done because the prisoners attacked a guard and tried to escape so there's reason for them to be executed ) but this is included to give us yet another overwrought angst ridden melodramatic scene showing us what a wonderfully humanistic , noble person Kaji is
And perhaps THE HUMAN CONDITION is best described as " overwrought melodrama " . It still remains a good film but I have seen many good films and very few films have stayed with me for 25 years so in this respect it's somewhat a bitter disappointment . It's like meeting an erstwhile love of your life only to realize they weren't the person you remembered them as
It's still a beautifully framed and shot film down to director Masaki Kobayashi and cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima but the inherent problem with the film starts in the opening scene where Kaji refuses to pop off to a dormitory to have sex with his wife to be . Why not ? well it's never really revealed . Nor is it ever revealed what motivates Kaji in to being such a saintly and pious personality and the more the film goes on the more morally upstanding Kaji becomes so much so that it almost ruins the film since he's difficult to take seriously . I don't think I've heard of anyone more moral since that mythical figure from Bronze Age Palestine . Does anyone seriously believe that someone like that would be put in charge of a Manchurian labour camp ?
And the portrayal of the camp leads to a second body blow for the film . Try and imagine SCHINDLERS LIST where the Nazis weren't all that bad ! The inmates of the labour camp receive the occasional beating but that's about it as far as crimes against humanity is concerned . . We see Korean " comfort women " who it seems volunteered to become prostitutes and if anyone escapes from the camp then there's no summary retaliation taken against the remaining prisoners . Google " The Rape Of Nanking " or " The Burma Railway " or " Bataan Death March " and you'll get just tiny fraction of the atrocities committed by the Japnese from the period . The only difference between Nazi war crimes and Japanese ones is that the Nazis used gas
There is a subplot where the Kempeitai- the Imperial Japanese version of the Gestapo - take over the running of the camp and execute some prisoners by beheading ( This is done because the prisoners attacked a guard and tried to escape so there's reason for them to be executed ) but this is included to give us yet another overwrought angst ridden melodramatic scene showing us what a wonderfully humanistic , noble person Kaji is
And perhaps THE HUMAN CONDITION is best described as " overwrought melodrama " . It still remains a good film but I have seen many good films and very few films have stayed with me for 25 years so in this respect it's somewhat a bitter disappointment . It's like meeting an erstwhile love of your life only to realize they weren't the person you remembered them as