Part two of the trilogy picks the story up with the protagonist (Tatsuya Nakadai) in boot camp, getting his basic training. He's actually a fine soldier, a good shot and strong in hand-to-hand combat, but bristles against the brutality of the officers when they dole out punishment. Meanwhile, they're keeping a close watch on him because of his communist sympathies, and let him know in no uncertain terms that they don't approve. It's clear it's not a thinking man's world, as early on one of his tormentors says that logic has no place in the military, and derides those with a college degree.
A good portion of the film shows the harassment and humiliation of weaker recruits by the veterans, who seem less interested in developing them to help win the war than they do dominating them. It's an indictment of the military, which often values this macho BS over honor and virtue, or looks the other way out of what it perceives as necessity. As the commanding officer puts it in a revealing moment, the veterans are the ones he would trust in battle.
On its own, this is a powerful antiwar film, even if some of the basic training and hazing bits go on for longer than they probably needed to. In the second half, the protagonist gets a small promotion and is in charge of some of the recruits, but is constantly harassed because he wants to treat them fairly, which seemed to repeat much of what came before it. And I have to say, despite the high production value, a lot of these things have been seen in other films, but I give it a lot of credit for being made in 1959 Japan. Besides that, I could see this particular installment's direct influence on films like Full Metal Jacket - so much so that I wondered if Kubrick had lifted just a little too much in making his film, particularly the character Obara.
Human Condition II is at its strongest when it shows the utter futility and absurdity of war, such as when the two men who hate each other are flailing about in a marsh, at risk of drowning, or the troops try to defend an inadequate trench line hastily dug before the advance of Soviet tanks, a place that military brass knows will result in heavy casualties. We see the fear of dying, men going crazy during battle, and others being gunned downed pointlessly, like dogs, for a cause that the smart ones know is lost. It's absolute madness and the ultimate subversion of rationality to be in this place, and Kobayashi shows the horror of it well. For that it is a worthy film, but obviously, brace yourself for its 3 hour runtime.
A good portion of the film shows the harassment and humiliation of weaker recruits by the veterans, who seem less interested in developing them to help win the war than they do dominating them. It's an indictment of the military, which often values this macho BS over honor and virtue, or looks the other way out of what it perceives as necessity. As the commanding officer puts it in a revealing moment, the veterans are the ones he would trust in battle.
On its own, this is a powerful antiwar film, even if some of the basic training and hazing bits go on for longer than they probably needed to. In the second half, the protagonist gets a small promotion and is in charge of some of the recruits, but is constantly harassed because he wants to treat them fairly, which seemed to repeat much of what came before it. And I have to say, despite the high production value, a lot of these things have been seen in other films, but I give it a lot of credit for being made in 1959 Japan. Besides that, I could see this particular installment's direct influence on films like Full Metal Jacket - so much so that I wondered if Kubrick had lifted just a little too much in making his film, particularly the character Obara.
Human Condition II is at its strongest when it shows the utter futility and absurdity of war, such as when the two men who hate each other are flailing about in a marsh, at risk of drowning, or the troops try to defend an inadequate trench line hastily dug before the advance of Soviet tanks, a place that military brass knows will result in heavy casualties. We see the fear of dying, men going crazy during battle, and others being gunned downed pointlessly, like dogs, for a cause that the smart ones know is lost. It's absolute madness and the ultimate subversion of rationality to be in this place, and Kobayashi shows the horror of it well. For that it is a worthy film, but obviously, brace yourself for its 3 hour runtime.