Review of Fires on the Plain (1959) by Dax D — 01 Mar 2013
A beautifully filmed, intense anti-war film, Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain is a harrowing descent into despair. Faced with the fundamental existential decision of whether or not to commit suicide, protagonist Tamura wanders around a newly conquered island in the Philippines near the close of WWII.
Near death from tuberculosis, Tamura seeks a place with various army units on the island but is denied because of his condition and is even ordered to commit suicide. But Tamura refuses to give up and continues to roam the hellish landscape of the island as dark temptations of murder and cannibalism begin gnawing at his conscience.
Will he submit to these animalistic desires to survive or will he preserve his humanity until the end? This is the haunting question that lies at the heart of Ichikawa's horrifying depiction of war when all the aspirations of honor, patriotism, and just cause are stripped away to reveal the bleeding corpses that support the effort.
This review of Fires on the Plain (1959) was written by Dax D on 01 Mar 2013.
Fires on the Plain has generally received very positive reviews.
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