The Human Condition (1956-58)

[Drunk Monk]

This is actually a trilogy - like 9+hours of movie. It's directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. It follows Kaji, a pacifist living in WWII Japan and it's a brutal depressing ride into tragedy. It's in B&W, and there's some very impressive panoramic scenes, plus a lot of close-up dialog sans soundtrack in that excruciating examination of expression that's so pervasive in Japanese cinema of this period. We've watched part one - No Greater Love - where Kaji takes his wife to China to supervise a harsh mining camp where many of the miners are prisoners of war and all the women (except for Kaji's loyal wife) are comfort women. Kaji has these high-minded ideas on how to supervise the mine, but he's confronted with corruption and draconian supervisors, who eventually break him.

We've started on part 2, Road to Eternity, where Kaji is blacklisted as a 'red' and drafted into the Army. He's in boot camp where he proves to be a good soldier, but is surrounded by oppression and brutality. He's about to head to the front. I can't imagine it'll go well.

No sword fights but plenty of swords with the commanding officers and some executions by beheading, plus there's bayonet training in boot camp akin to naginata. Only DOOM recommended for obsessive japanophiles or fans of Nakadai (yeah, lookin at you, cf).

[cranefly]

You know, if this were a few hours longer, I might be interested in it.

Hmmm.  Not on Netflix streaming.  Not on Hoopla.  Not on Kanopy.

Criterion channel?  Bingo.

Thinking about it.

[Drunk Monk]

Netflix DVDs. 

We finished it tonight. I confess, I didn't watch it all. Stepped out to get food, bathroom breaks, play with Yuki, etc. It moves slowly and methodically so skipping a bit felt inconsequential. It's a Tour de Force for Nakadai for sure. The scope of it all is mammoth. It's a painful saga however, just a continual plunge into misery. Part 2 puts Kaji on the Manchurian front and his infantry facing down a line of tanks is harrowing. Part 3 A Soldier's Prayer is Kaji's struggles after Japan has lost and his squad tries to walk home but are then put in a Russian labor camp. It's relentless in its suffering. Kaji never catches a break. There's an inordinate amount of cruelty and face slapping. The themes of fascism and communism play out with no answers. Feckin depressing but an epic achievement in cinema mostly due to its scope. It's a grim ride and I wouldn't have seen it through without Stacy's persistence. In the end, it went right where I hoped it wouldn't go.

[cranefly]

Maybe I should rewatch Cannibal Holocaust to toughen myself up for the ordeal.

Though to be honest, The Human Condition appeals to me because if you fuzz your eyes a bit while looking at that title, it starts to resemble The Human Centipede.

[Drunk Monk]

When searching "Human C" the pede pops up. 

Cannibal Holocaust has a lot of brutal animal slaughter and harsh rape scenes.

[cranefly]

I did start this, by the way.  Maybe an hour and twenty minutes in.  At this stage, needless to say, things have yet to brighten up for Tatsuya Nakadai.  But soon.  Very soon.  I can almost taste it.

[Drunk Monk]

Only an hour twenty? 

Barely scratched the surface. 

Good luck. It's a long depression ride.

[cranefly]

Finished the first of three films, comprising parts 1 and 2 for roughly three and a half hours.

There's a saying.  It's always darkest before the dawn.  By my reckoning, it's about 10:30 pm in this thing.

Wondering if I'll continue.  It is brilliant, but truly disheartening.  Reminds me of the first half hour of Inglorious Basterds.  Or of the current misAdministration.  One rotten apple, once deeply entrenched, corrupts the whole barrel.  Need to come up for air.

[Drunk Monk]

Congrats for getting that far. I thought you might see its brilliance too. There's some amazing stuff in there but man, such an incredible downer all the way through.

That being said, the 2nd film is my fav of the trilogy. The boot camp to front lines rivals Full Metal Jacket in intensity and brutality. In fact, there were several points when I felt Kubrick might have poached concepts from part 2. If I were to recommend one of the three, it would be part 2.

[cranefly]

Is this going to be one of those Lucy with football things where once I've finished the second film, your fave shifts to the third?

Gotta hand it to you and Stacy.  Your single-mindedness in completing this, even with some minor skips, is impressive.

Gotta admit it.  I was thinking the second film might be more to my liking.  So I might go there.

[Drunk Monk]

The last installment is just pure misery. Japan loses the war (not a spoiler) and he's stuck in Mongolia, trying to get back home. He's starving, on the run, and it's winter. Then it gets worse for him. So no, I won't change my opinion.

But you will want to know how it ends.

[cranefly]

Got through Part 3, which is the first half of the second film, or the boot camp boogie.  Yes, the strongest episode based on greater variance of activities and subplots.  Just more colorful, in a black-and-white way.  But I was hoping for swordfights.  I mean, the first film had them, or least there was sword-play, sort of, at least a sword vs. empty hand (or neck) scene.  Okay, never mind.

So, in between takes, did a workcrew come through with shovels and wheelbarrows to scrape up all of the dead skin cells from the cheeks?  Those actors must have been holding a contest.  How hard and repeatedly can you get slapped and still stay in character and not flub the scene?

Yeah.  This almost certainly influenced Full Metal Jacket.

Now that they've learned how to put on their boots, the soldiers are headed to the front.  That will presumably be Part 4.

[Drunk Monk]

No sword fights but there’s the bayonet training... or maybe that was part 4?

The front battle is worth the view.

[cranefly]

Yeah, the bit of bayonet training was in Part 3.

Finished Part 4 last night, the end of film 2, covering the front-line see-saw battle between Russian tanks and sparse Japanese soldiers (some with rifles or pistols) in foxholes.  Let me rephrase that, changing see-saw to sawzall.

Now the moment of truth.  Do I go on?  I've made it through 3.5 hours + 3 hours, and there's only a bit over 3 hours in the final film (split into two parts like the others?).

And already I'm suffering bitch-slap (bastard-slap?) withdrawal.

It's either key up film three or embark on a three stooges marathon.

Decisions, decisions...

[Drunk Monk]

Well, you've made it this far. Don't you want to see Kaji reunite with Michiko?

The slapfest continues well throughout the entire trilogy. I felt it was a metaphor for the audience experience.

Congrats on getting through the first two. Despite it's horribly depressing world view, it does offer some extraordinary moments of filmmaking. A lot of the front battle scenes really hung with me. And, as you know, I watch a lot of battle scenes.