Fires on the Plain Poster
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Fires on the Plain (1959)
Nobi (original title)

108 min  -  Drama | War  -   25 July 1962 (USA)
8.1
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Ratings: 8.1/10 from 2,040 users  
Reviews: 27 user | 24 critic

In the closing days of WWII remnants of the Japanese army in Leyte are abandoned by their command and face certain starvation.

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Shohei Ooka (novel), Natto Wada

Stars:

Eiji Funakoshi, Mantarô Ushio and Yoshihiro Hamaguchi
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Cast

Credited cast:
Eiji Funakoshi Eiji Funakoshi ...
Tamura
Osamu Takizawa Osamu Takizawa ...
Yasuda
Mickey Curtis Mickey Curtis ...
Nagamatsu
Mantarô Ushio Mantarô Ushio ...
Sergeant
Kyû Sazanka Kyû Sazanka ...
Army surgeon
Yoshihiro Hamaguchi Yoshihiro Hamaguchi ...
Officer
Asao Sano Asao Sano ...
Soldier
Masaya Tsukida Masaya Tsukida ...
Soldier
Hikaru Hoshi Hikaru Hoshi ...
Soldier
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jun Hamamura Jun Hamamura
Yûzô Hayakawa Yûzô Hayakawa
Tatsuya Ishiguro Tatsuya Ishiguro
Yasushi Sugita Yasushi Sugita ...
Soldier
Full cast and crew »
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Storyline

It is the Philipines, 1945. The Japanese Imperial Army has been reduced to a ragtag mob hiding in the jungles. Among them is Pvt. Tamura. The situation goes from bad to worse and in the face of the brutal conditions facing the men, some go insane and resort to murder and cannibalism. In the midst of this, Pvt. Tamura tries to survive without giving up his principles. Written by Eugene Ly <euge.ly@utoronto.ca>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Starvation | Cannibalism | Field Hospital | Shovel | Philippines  | See more »

Genres:

Drama | War

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Feuer im Grasland See more »

Filming Locations:

Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios, Kadokawa Herald Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | Argentina:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to achieve maximum authenticity, actors were fed very little, and were not permitted to tend to matters of simple hygiene such as brushing their teeth and cutting their nails. As a precaution against serious deterioration of the actors' health, a number of nurses were always on call on the set. Eiji Funakoshi was never specifically told not to eat. He willingly starved himself to help get him into character. The rest of the cast and crew were unaware of this until he collapsed on-set. Production was shut down for two weeks. See more »

Quotes

Dying Buddhist soldier: [to Tamura as he opens his eyes] What? You still here? Poor guy, when I'm dead, you can eat this.
[He outstretches his arm]
Dying Buddhist soldier: [Disgusted by the thought, Tamura leaves] Come back! You can eat me!
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