Fires on the Plain
Fires on the Plain • 1h 44m
Directed by Kon Ichikawa • 1959 • Japan
Starring Eiji Funakoshi, Osamu Takizawa, Mickey Curtis
An agonizing portrait of desperate Japanese soldiers stranded in a strange land during World War II, Kon Ichikawa’s FIRES ON THE PLAIN 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.
Up Next in Fires on the Plain
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Donald Richie on FIRES ON THE PLAIN
In this interview, recorded in New York in 2006, Japanese-film historian Donald Richie discusses director Kon Ichikawa’s career and his 1959 masterpiece FIRES ON THE PLAIN.
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Ichikawa and Curtis on FIRES ON THE P...
The following interviews with director Kon Ichikawa and actor Mickey Curtis were recorded in 2005 and 2006. The two reminisce about their experiences making FIRES ON THE PLAIN.
