Based on a novel by Michio Takeyama of the same title, Biruma no Tategoto is a beautifully produced movie about the last days of war in Burma.
Mizushima is a foot solder in his platoon fighting the Pacific War in Burma against the British and the allied forces. He's with a commander who used to be a musician, and he himself had exceptional music talent as he picked up a Burmese harp and learned to play all by himself. His platoon learns of the ending of the war and Japan's surrender. They surrender to a near by British camp, but about a hundred miles away, he hears that the war is still on going by a troop that hasn't heard the news. Mizushima volunteers to be the messenger to deliver the message to the troop, but the soldiers there are determined to die for the country and refuses to surrender. Mizushima gets injured in the incident, and is brought back to health by a local monk. He then puts on monk's robe as disguise to travel the country undetected. But as he travels, he witnesses the carnage the war has left. This transforms him from a person in guise of a monk to a true monk that feels his mission is to devote himself to the ones who died in the war.
The movie is a war movie of a different sort. It's an accurate account of the war mixed with fantastic novel about the people, the circumstances, and the coincidences that connects the story together. Through the transformation of Mizushima, we are shown the tragedy of war, and its senselessness. Never a word against war is spoken in this story, as the characters are all proud men of the Japanese army, but it conveys the message that war is wrong in the sincerest way.
I didn't know that this movie was directed by Kon Ichikawa. This must be one of his early great works. It's a beautiful story like no other, and is sure to leave lasting impression on all who sees it.
Mizushima is a foot solder in his platoon fighting the Pacific War in Burma against the British and the allied forces. He's with a commander who used to be a musician, and he himself had exceptional music talent as he picked up a Burmese harp and learned to play all by himself. His platoon learns of the ending of the war and Japan's surrender. They surrender to a near by British camp, but about a hundred miles away, he hears that the war is still on going by a troop that hasn't heard the news. Mizushima volunteers to be the messenger to deliver the message to the troop, but the soldiers there are determined to die for the country and refuses to surrender. Mizushima gets injured in the incident, and is brought back to health by a local monk. He then puts on monk's robe as disguise to travel the country undetected. But as he travels, he witnesses the carnage the war has left. This transforms him from a person in guise of a monk to a true monk that feels his mission is to devote himself to the ones who died in the war.
The movie is a war movie of a different sort. It's an accurate account of the war mixed with fantastic novel about the people, the circumstances, and the coincidences that connects the story together. Through the transformation of Mizushima, we are shown the tragedy of war, and its senselessness. Never a word against war is spoken in this story, as the characters are all proud men of the Japanese army, but it conveys the message that war is wrong in the sincerest way.
I didn't know that this movie was directed by Kon Ichikawa. This must be one of his early great works. It's a beautiful story like no other, and is sure to leave lasting impression on all who sees it.