The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
"Ningen no jôken" (original title)

Part three of a trilogy. After the Japanese defeat to the Russians in the last episode, Kaji, the Japanese soldier and humanist protagonist, leads the last remaining men through Manchuria .... See full summary »

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Writers:

Zenzo Matsuyama (screenplay), Koichi Inagaki (screenplay),

Stars:

Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Kaji
Michiyo Aratama	...	Michiko
Tamao Nakamura	...	Hinannmin no Shôjo
Yûsuke Kawazu	...	Terada Nitôhei
Chishû Ryû	...	Hinanmin no Chôrô
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Tange Ittôhei
Kyôko Kishida	...	Ryûko
Reiko Hitomi	...	Umeko
Keijirô Morozumi	...	Hironaka Gôchô
Koji Kiyomura	...	Hikita Ittôhei (as Kôji Kiyomura)
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Kirihara Gôchô
Fujio Suga	...	Nagata Taii
Tatsuya Ishiguro	...	Dôkutsu Taichô
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Kitagô Sôchô
Toshio Takahara	...	Chôsen e Iku Heichô

Storyline

Part three of a trilogy. After the Japanese defeat to the Russians in the last episode, Kaji, the Japanese soldier and humanist protagonist, leads the last remaining men through Manchuria . Intent on returning to his dear wife and his old life, Kaji faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his fellow men sneak behind enemy lines. Ultimately, he finds himself in the exact opposite position he held in the first episode: then a labor manager, Kaji is now a prisoner of war, forced to work for the Russians, whom do not seem to hold to the Communist ideals in which Kaji himself had put his faith.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | russian | soldier | manchuria | lost war | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Mandarin Russian

Release Date:

5 August 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ninjin Club, Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

190 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Is the first Japanese movie in stereo.

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Connections

Follows The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959)

User Reviews

Contemporary Kraftsmanship

anyone who is seriously interested in understanding what's wrong with the "human" should watch this excellent piece of art. Tatusuya nakadai is delivering here an astonish performance.

Kobayashi is definitely one of the greatest directors and offers precision and coherence to this trilogy. Music is obviously an tremendous emotional experience. There is no necessity to write much, the movie speaks for itself as long as one understands the movements and rhythms conveyed through the subtle evolution of the main character. A long trilogy worth watching till the end in the vein of harakiri (seppuku). PS. understanding our history seems to be of great importance, especially in the actual political context of unrest, what happened and is happening in the arab world is a very important issue, violence unfortunately still prevails.

abolishing authority of any kind (y compris nationalism, religions, traditions, ego etc.) seems the only way out.