Kon Ichikawa

 Kon Ichikawa



The Burmese Harp (1956)

Fires on the Plain (1959)



RANKED:


2. Fires on the Plain (1959)

Despite receiving mixed receptions at the time of its release, Kon Ichikawa's 1959 film "Fires on the Plain" has gone on to be considered a classic of the Japanese Golden Age. The film follows a Japanese private attempting to stay alive in the Philippines during the Second World War. One of the reasons for the lukewarm reception was due to the film's violence and bleak theme. However, these thematic notions are entirely what make the film such an memorable and worthy film. Its unflinching observation of how humanity devolves given the bleak circumstances provides an natural sense of discomfort.




1. The Burmese Harp (1956)


The BBC once described Kon Ichikawa's 1956 film "The Burmese Harp" as "one of the first films to portray the decimating effects of World War II from the point of view of the Japanese army." While this does accurately portray the sentiments around the film's plot, the real emotional component of the film can be found in its quest for spirituality. Centering on a battalion of Japanese soldiers stationed in Burma, the film chronicles the separation of Private Mizushima, a harp playing soldier, from his group. While traverse the Burmese landscape, Mizushima takes up monkhood and commits himself to properly disposing of the lost Japanese soldiers who died in battle. "The Burmese Harp" wrestles with existential questions about the nature of war and its devastating effects on a people trying to reconcile with the senselessness of all the death it has ushered in. The film's dances with graceful moments of tranquility living side-by-side with death and devastation. There are no answers. No truth. No clarity. But the quest to reach a state of spiritual enlightenment internally, despite the overwhelming pain of life, can ease the confusion and suffering. 

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