Daily Archives: November 9, 2016

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (Ningen no jôken)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Written by Zenzo Matsuyama and Masaki Kobayashi from a novel by Jumpei Gomikawa
1959/Japan
Ninjin Club/Shochiku Eiga
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental[box] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. King James Bible, John 15:13[/box]

Director Kobayashi proves that the hell of war is not confined to combat.

This is the first part of a nine-hour three-part film dealing with the wartime career of Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), a pacifist and humanist.  Kaji has written a paper on how to increase production in Manchuria.  He has been dreading the draft, both because of his principles and his love for Michiko.  Instead, he is given an assignment to the labor department of a Manchurian mine that comes with a draft exemption.  He and Michiko marry and depart for the dreary, isolated mine site.

The mine is run by the Japanese using what is essentially Chinese forced labor.  Kaji’s thesis is that productivity can be increased and absenteeism decreased by treating the workers better.  His boss allows him to try this experiment and Kaji earns the intense hatred of the Japanese mine foremen.

Kaji’s life takes a turn for the worse when the military delivers 600 POWs and he is put in charge of them.  These arrive in half-dead in freight cars.  The military’s number one demand is that not one be allowed to escape.  Otherwise, the men are entirely expendable.

He continues his quest to treat the prisoners as human beings.  The prisoners take advantage of this by continually escaping through the connivance of some greedy Japanese and a trusted Chinese assistant.  Kaji will be lucky to escape the situation with his life.

The Human Condition I is a beautifully shot and entirely grim movie.  The inherent contradiction in attempting to be humane while participating fully  in a system of forced labor is acknowledged and explored.  It’s a fine film but not one that I will revisit anytime soon.  Part II will be coming up when I have the strength for three more hours of suffering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpkKFLC2zvA

Trailer

The Mouse That Roared
Directed by Jack Arnold
Written by Roger MacDougall and Stanley Mann from a novel by Leonard Wibberly
1959/UK
Columbia Pictures Corporation/Highroad Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Tulley Bascombe: Well, Your Grace, we’re home. Actually, there’s been a slight change of plan. I know it will come as a surprise, a pleasant one, I hope, but we sort of won.[/box]

Monty Python came from a rich tradition, including this Cold War satire which also features Peter Sellers in a treble role.

The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is the smallest and only English-speaking country in Europe. Practically its sole source of income is exports of Fenwick Pinot to the U.S.  A U.S. winery comes up with a competing Enwick Pinot and the duchy is on the verge of bankruptcy.  Its Prime Minister (Sellers) comes up with the idea of declaring war on the U.S., losing, and benefiting from reconstruction aid.  This is enthusiastically supported by the Grand Duchess (Sellers) and the Loyal Opposition (Leo McKern).

Head Field Marshall and Forester Tully Bascombe (Sellers) puts together a landing force of about 20 men, all garbed in the traditional medieval Fenwickian armor and equipped with long bows.  As fate would have it, New York City is virtually shut down for an air raid drill when the army arrives.  One thing leads to another and Bascombe and company end up capturing the latest in nuclear weapons, the Q bomb, from its inventor and his comely daughter (Jean Seberg).

The Mouse That Roared is not quite as funny as the plot makes it sound but there are definitely laughs to be had here.  Sellers is very good in this lead up to his similar turn in Dr. Strangelove.

Trailer