fire on the plain ( 1959 ) you do not see film like this anymore . fire on the plain be an incredible depiction of the life of the soldier of the japanese imperial army . kon ichikawa masterpiece follow tamura and a soldier with tuberculosis a he wander around the philippine landscape in the last year of the war . he be send away to the hospital by his command officer only to be refuse treatment and so he be send back . his co tell him to go back and if they refuse him again then his last order be to kill himself with his grenade . he be refuse again and but meet up with a band of squatter sit outside the hospital . the next day they be shell by american troop and tamura flees and choose not to kill himself and and from there he wander from place to place try to get to palompon . he discover that some men have be eat human flesh in order to survive and while others trade a much tobacco a they can for whatever they can get back . the film be fill with a quiet sense of desperation and desolation and with a hint of insanity . everyone we see be skin and bone and cover in dirt wear torn and tattered rag . ichikawa use his camera to catch some beautiful shot of the destructed landscape and the japanese soldier who walk it . kon ichikawa be famous in japan for make many comedy and satire and and there be moment in fire on the plain that be bitingly hilarious . take for example a shot of what appear to be a dead man lie face down in a pool of water while a soldier walk but and ask himself aloud if that be how they will all end up and to which the man lift his head out of the water and reply what be that . and then drop his face even deeply into the puddle than before . another hilarious sequence involve one man find a pair of boot along the trail . he take the boot and replace them with his old one . another man walk by and see that pair of boot and switch up for his old boot . the scene continue until finally tamura find the exchange spot and examine the boot leave without hardly any sole . he look carefully at his own and at one on the ground and and decide that theyre both kaput he remove his own and go barefoot . the film be fill with incredible scene and one after another . like mizoguchi and kurosawa and ichikawa know how to use his camera to paint beautiful and stunning picture . there be many stunning shot of men in barren empty plain surround by nothing but smoke in the air and dead or die body on the broken earth . there be another incredible scene where dozen of japanese soldier attempt to cross a road guard by yank in the middle of the night and all crawl on their hand and knee a the camera watch on from above . the film get it name from the column of smoke rise up from fire on the plain see throughout the film . they represent to the soldier life a little more ordinary while the life of japanese farmer back home burning husk of corn . their beacon of hope for the normal life however be in hostile hand . the film cause a stir in it day with it graphic content . much emphasis be place on the horror of war and not just with the enemy but within your rank and yourself . kon ichikawa fire on the plain be an incredibly authentic and move and and somewhat disturbing and portrait of the horror suffer by the men make up the low rank of the imperial army . clint eastwood letter from iwo jima and while it be a very good film and come nowhere close to realize the horror of war depict in fire on the plain . ( eastwood be no doubt influence by the film and seeing a he claim to be such a classic japanese film buff . ) many war film show that war be hell through the eye of the winner . in fire on the plain and be show that war be even more hellish when youre on the losing end 4/4 .