Fires on the Plain
Nobi
Japan
1959
104 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
Synopsis
An agonizing portrait of desperate Japanese soldiers stranded in a strange land during World War II, Kon Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain (Nobi) is a compelling descent into psychological and physical oblivion. Denied hospital treatment for tuberculosis and cast off into the unknown, Private Tamura treks across an unfamiliar Philippine landscape, encountering an increasingly debased cross section of Imperial Army soldiers, who eventually give in to the most terrifying craving of all. Grisly yet poetic, Fires on the Plain is one of the most powerful works from one of Japanese cinema’s most versatile filmmakers. —The Criterion Collection
Director
Kon Ichikawa
Born on November 20, 1915, in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Ichikawa first gained western recognition during the 1950s and 60s with several bleak films, particularly two acclaimed antiwar films, The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plain.
Ichikawa began his career as a cartoonist, and collaborated with his wife, screenwriter Natto WADA, until 1965. His films are generally regarded as dark and bleak, interspersed with sparks of humanity, and he often intertwines comedy and tragedy within the same story. He also has a flair for technical expertise, irony, detachment, and a drive for realism across all genres. After Akira KUROSAWA’s departure, no other Japanese director has come close to Ichikawa’s level of recognition, the power of his films, and commercial success.
Ichikawa passed away on February 13, 2008. At age 91 (2006), he was still active as a director, completing a feature-length film, The Inugamis, and directing one segment of the Japanese fantasy, Ten Nights of Dream… read more
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Howard Orr
7Jan12
I like this a lot more than "The Burmese Harp". Too much singing in that one. Worth watching in a gut-churning matinee with Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima".
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War = Cannibalism
By Rohit on September 28, 2011
Anyone who watches this film after having watched Kobayashi’s The Human Condition(released in the same year as Fires on the Plain) will notice a few important similarities. Firstly, Fires on the Plain… read review
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By Musidora on June 17, 2009
I had the amazing experience of watching Fires on the Plain in the beautiful Castro Theatre in San Francisco with only maybe… five to ten others in the audience. I wept with such a gut-wrenching feeling… read review
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Fires on the Plain
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DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
