director 13: ichikawa films

one of the most beautiful and powerful films ever made. mizushima is a heroic character yet tragic at the same time. the film could have used another 20 minutes to flush out more of the introductory relationships that the protagonist had with his fellow soldiers, but ichikawa directs well enough to give us enough of the story for it to profoundly impact the audience. this films shows the emptyness of the loss of life and holds as one of the greatest war films of all time.

definitely one of the more american influenced samurai films, feeling like a blend of classic samurai drama and beverly hills cop, this film intrigue's from the first moment and never lets up. solid performances, great screen writing, and a wonderful story make this one of my favorite samurai films. the music was my only real complaint. directed by the legendary kon ichikawa and written by four of the greatest directors in history, including my favorite director akira kurosawa, this seldom sighted samurai film is a classic.

another brilliant film from the great kon ichikawa. fires of the plain deals with taboo subjetcs for japanese culture such as the surrender of soldiers in the time of war and cannabalism, but there is a sense of honesty and reality in the portrayal of these things. the camera work and acting were perfect, and although the story hit a wall for about 20 minutes in the middle, it picked back up and ended with excellence. beautiful anti-war film.

to begin with, this film is certainly not without its flaws. the first 25 minutes of the film are told in a non linear fashion that is more confusing and jumbled than it is creative. the film also throws in a love story for the lead character and a young girl that is completely without purpose and feels forced. and finally, the end of the film is so abrupt that it literally leaves you hanging with many unanswered questions. normally this would be too much flaw in a film to overcome. having said all of that, since this film was based on a true and epic event in japanese history and because im well versed on the historical events that took place, i was not only able to follow the film through the rough start and incomplete finish but i was so enthralled with every part of the film other than the three flaws that i just mentioned that i completely enjoyed this movie. ichikawa's choice of set design, natural settings, camera work, and direction of his actors were all as flawless as i would expect from an ichikawa film, and the parts of the story told well were told especially well. if you dont know the real story behind the film it might be hard to follow, but if you do you might love this film as much as i did.