The Burmese Harp is the obvious next step, and his documentary Tokyo Olympiad is quite highly regarded. If the most recent Kinema Junpo poll is any indication, his work is anything but overlooked there. Of the films voted Top Japanese films in 2009:
19. Tokyo Olympiad (1965, Kon Ichikawa)
47. Her Brother (1960, Kon Ichikawa)
51. The Wanderers (1973, Kon Ichikawa)
122. Enjo (1958, Kon Ichikawa)
128. Ten Dark Woman (1961, Kon Ichikawa)
133. The Outcast (1962, Kon Ichikawa)
161. The Devil’s Boucing Ball Song (1977, Kon Ichikawa)
174. The Makioka Sister (1983, Kon Ichikawa)
Fires on the Plain =
10/10
Matt Parks forgot to mention An Actor’s Revenge.
awesome thanks, The Burmese Harp looks really good I’ll definitly check that one out
awesome thanks, The Burmese Harp looks really good I’ll definitly check that one out
I loved that film! Among other things, I like the soldier who sits like a buddha and starts to eat the dirt around him and the cannibalism shows just how desperate the soldiers are to survive the war. At the very start of the film, the main character is basically a pawn who explains to his commanding officer that the medics thought he didn’t have tuberculosis and his commanding officer tells him to go back to the medics, claiming that he does have it. I haven’t watched it in a while. Does that sound right to any of you who have also watched it, as far as the beginning scene goes? There’s also the boots wearing out as they walk. I thought this was a fantastic film!
I also recall during the watching of the special features, that the main character was played by an American.
Alex Miller
So I just watched this criterion film and I was just about blown away at how real it felt.
To me this is a lesser-known criterion film and it’s apparently being overlooked. I just posted my full review: http://dorkosphere.com/2010/07/20/criterion-review-fires-on-the-plain/
but I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts on the film, or could recommend anymore Kon Ichikawa movies that you had seen