One of the greatest anti-war movies of all time!

The Human Condition Trilogy (1959 -1961)
Masaki Kobayashi’s mammoth humanist drama is one of the most staggering achievements of Japanese cinema. Originally filmed and released in three parts, the nine-and-a-half-hour THE HUMAN CONDITION (NINGEN NO JOKEN), adapted from Junpei Gomikawa’s six-volume novel, tells of the journey of the well-intentioned yet naive Kaji (handsome Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadai) from labor camp supervisor to Imperial Army soldier to Soviet POW. Constantly trying to rise above a corrupt system, Kaji time and again finds his morals an impediment rather than an advantage. A raw indictment of its nation’s wartime mentality as well as a personal existential tragedy, Kobayashi’s riveting, gorgeously filmed epic is novelistic cinema at its best.
Help support my channel through my Patreon.
/ bushidoblues
Special Thanks to my Patrons:
The Nerdy Ronin
Resolution67
Thermyan
John Forgetful
Sandra Shimazu
Tobias Hilger
Robert Kyle Florence
Jason Kemp
Brandon Henderson
Crashmore
Bob Borrell
Sean Wolcott
letterboxd.com...
Follow me on x
Check out Bushido Blues (@BluesBushido): Bl...
Join my Discord!
/ discord
#thehumancondition
#masakikobayashi

[@BugVlogs]

Man, the golden age of Japanese cinema was incredible. Maybe the greatest single period in cinema’s history.

[@bushidoblues9302]

It's a shame we don't get epics like this anymore!

[@uslines]

I agree.

[@Kortik]

@@bushidoblues9302 LOL you know what happned after that golden age right? LOL the GODZILLA bullshit puppets

[@JackMyersPhotography]

It really is something, I agree. How sad that Corporate Japan bought it's way in and ended it all in the name of profits, and efficiency. They kicked or ruined the mavericks and genius creators in Japan film for assembly line schlock. A great loss. They did the same to American cinema eventually, too.

[@windingkiwi1030]

No way, I watched this series for the first time just last week! Such a masterpiece of cinema, of war films, and of character study. It's definitely an all time great.

[@hadinasrallah8928]

I was so happy to see this notification! I absolutely adore this movie nakadai truly is my favorite actor of all time

[@nedludd7622]

It is great to hear you present this. I saw it twice decades ago. An art cinema presented it straight through(around 9 hours)though you could leave and come back. I did it both ways, and yes I paid twice.

[@deanzaZZR]

You finally got to this epic! Kobayashi's film has left a lasting impression on me. I rewatched it a second time about 5 years after the first viewing and it might have even had a stronger impact the second time around as you can better focus on the amazing acting by Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, etc. If you want another treatment of the abuse in WW2 IJA try to track down the first Hoodlum Soldier with Katsu Shintaro. I will add the well known Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa as well as the lesser known Story of a Prostitute by Seijun Suzuki.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@deanzaZZR yeah it seems like a film that gets better with repeated viewings. With a few year gap like you did because it is a heavy experience.

[@zmani4379]

Nice video - some of the finest anti-war films were made during the humanist postwar era of Japanese cinema - alongside this trilogy, we have Ichikawa's scalding masterpiece, Fires on the Plain and his Burmese Harp, Kurosawa's Record of a Living Being, Kinoshita's Twenty-four Eyes, and such sentiment was also channeled into period films like Mizoguchi's Ugetsu - this critical sentiment grew more directly confrontational in the Japanese New Wave of the next generation, spearheaded by figures like Oshima and Imamura

[@ErikIversen]

Thank you for your in depth coverage of this series, and the time you put into making these videos. I haven't watched it yet, but the box set was my most recent purchase from Criterion. BTW, I watched Kwaidan because of one of your previous videos and loved it. What a stunningly beautiful film!

[@bushidoblues9302]

@ErikIversen great choice. The criterion boxset for this film looks stunning. I'm glad you liked Kwaidan. It's such a beautiful film. Whenever I post pictures from it for videos, I'm always amazed.

[@kkelly9424]

Japanese cinema of this period produced some of the greatest films ever made. If you want to know if a person is a cinephile or not, ask them if they have ever seen this nine hour saga. Though seeing it is a feat of endurance, the reward is incomparable. I saw the whole thing many years ago and I can still remember it. Thanks for prodding me to rewatch it. If you have the time or inclination, maybe you could review "The Woman in the Dunes", another Japanese film from that time, but with more of an existential bent.

[@Rem1Gnova]

This really is a truly great series of films. Not easy going but well worth committing time to

[@jtilton5]

Excelent review as always. I've always viewed films from this time period as the most honest about Japan's wartime crimes Whereas in the future films began to ignore this period of history.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@jtilton5 thanks man, I was wondering how you felt about this trilogy. Have you also l seen Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the plain?

[@jtilton5]

@@bushidoblues9302 yes, a long time ago, It is up there with Grave of the Fireflies as a film that is great, but I really could only watch it once.

[@kevinjenner9502]

Masumura’s 1966 film “Red Angel”. The mental, physical, and spiritual degradation of the human species during time of war. IMHO hard to beat as anti-war.

[@PxThucydides]

@@jtilton5Glad to see G of the F get a mention. I myself can't decide whether it is the greatest animated film of all time... or the greatest film of all time.

[@r.t.aegean3236]

Many thanks and many blessings to you for bringing this movie (and novel), "The Human Condition" to my attention. Hopefully, within the near future, I'll be able to see the film, and also hopefully read the novel. 🕊️

[@nedludd7622]

That book not to be confused with the French novel by Malraux, which is also excellent. It was titled "Man's Fate" in English.

[@Pourang_Kay]

It was definitely worth the watch. 👍🙌

[@bushidoblues9302]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@themovieguysam2590]

Crazy timing. I literally just bought these films on Blu-Ray yesterday

[@bushidoblues9302]

@themovieguysam2590 Haha, great time of year to watch it! The criterion blu ray looks stunning!

[@richardking3206]

I confess that I watched the first two and couldn’t face the third at the time. I had difficult events in my own life. I was very impressed by what I saw and will return to the films. I find the use of the phrase ‘anti-war film’ difficult, because it seems to be used about almost every war film! I’ve watched so many that have left me wondering what was ‘anti’ about it. The two of these that I’ve seen left me in no doubt that they were very humane in their outlook and very ‘anti-war’. So many films want to portray the glory as much, if not more, than the ‘anti’ aspects (Hollywood is particularly prone to this) that they claim. If they are anti-war, then I expect them to leave me in absolutely no doubt whatsoever about it. The humaneness is utterly crucial to any such claim, too. Although I’m still one third shy of completing the trilogy, I’m in no doubt that this is likely the greatest true anti-war film I know of. The only other film that is close is Come and See, which shows the total wickedness of war in its mechanisms.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@richardking3206 the term anti-war, wasn't really used until the Vietnam War. After that, every war movie was pretty much labeled anti-war. But before that, war movies had an emphasis on valor and patriotism but neglected to show the horrors of war. True Anti-War films focus only on the horrors of war. I agree that now the term anti-war is applied to every war movie. But I believe the best kinds of war movies have hope in them, along with showing the horrors.

[@kevinjenner9502]

A far cry from Kobayashi’s 1954 film “Somewhere Under the Broad Sky”. Almost Ozu like in its examination of a postwar Japanese family, with an underlying sense of great hope.and promise for the future.

[@hadinasrallah8928]

The second one is my favorite tbh I love the closed environment at first and the depiction of brutally of training

[@bushidoblues9302]

@hadinasrallah8928 Yeah, and I found the pacing in that one to be overall the best.

[@MrUndersolo]

I have not seen every section of this trilogy, but what I've seen brings back home to me how much I loved this era of Japanese cinema!

[@bushidoblues9302]

@MrUndersolo it was the golden era. They had the most skilled directors, actors and a big budget. Not like that anymore unfortunately.

[@rogervandusen8361]

For a similar film see "Fires on the Plain" or "The Burmese Harp" both by Kon Ichikawa.

[@joeyartk]

Red Angel is quite depressing as well. But you get to see the beautiful Ayako Wakao in the lead role as an army nurse at the front.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@joeyartk that sounds like a great premise!

[@skullskills7772]

Great video bushido💯👍

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@skullskills7772 thank you!!

[@skullskills7772]

Your welcome👍, oh name's Luke🤝🏻

[@JamesQuirk-g1k]

Hiroyuki Sanada starred in Mito Komon episode 25 in 1969 when he was child actor when he was 9 years old 😊

[@Godzilla00X]

Imagine seeing this in a theater in Japan upon release? You could probably hear a pin drop

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@Godzilla00X I'm sure it was hard to watch as well. Instead of the lotr, they had this trilogy to watch every year.

[@moviesinvestigator2900]

When it comes to war films. Europe and Japan will make you hate wars

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@moviesinvestigator2900 they have a certain horrific bleakness to them.

[@00ta]

Must watch. For many Japanese, this is the war.

[@truthspirit4433]

2:52 HUman = Higher-Universal man

[@JamesQuirk-g1k]

Please 🙏 do review of Japanese TV series Mito Komon by Toei is the longest running TV series in Japan 🗾 like listening 🎧 to soundtrack and beautiful Japanese actress and singer Karou Yumi.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@JamesQuirk-g1k oh wow I'll have to check it out then!

[@MichaelH-w6e]

Metaphor Refantazio 🎶

[@bushidoblues9302]

@MichaelH-w6e haha good catch! It's pretty amazing how it's just the song for the leveling up menu!

[@shuaigege12345]

I prefer Fires on the Plain to these films.

[@deanzaZZR]

That is one I do not want to watch again. So brutally honest about how bad it got from the IJA soldiers spread out across the Pacific. Definitely a good film for WW2 buffs for sure.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@shuaigege12345 you both peaked my interest! I'll have to do a video on that as well. It'll be interesting to compare both Kobayashi and Ichikawa's.

[@Black-Bo-x8r]

The human condition is one of the greatest written trilogy and the best trilogy there is

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Improve the solutions