Summary
After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labor chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts, and moves to Manchuria with his newly-wed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
Details
Release Date: January 15, 1959
Runtime: 206 minutes
Genres: War, Drama, History
Original Language: JA
Rating: ⭐ 8.1/10 (248 votes)
The Human Condition Collection
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labor chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts, and moves to Manchuria with his newly-wed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Kaji is sent to the Japanese army labeled Red and is mistreated by the vets. Along his assignment, Kaji witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against the recruit Obara. He also sees his friend Shinjô Ittôhei defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his dear wife and his old life, Kaji faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his fellow men sneak behind enemy lines.
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Cast
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kaji
Michiyo Aratama
Michiko
Chikage Awashima
Tôfuku Kin
Ineko Arima
Shunran Yô
Sō Yamamura
Okishima
Akira Ishihama
Chin
Kôji Nanbara
Kô
Seiji Miyaguchi
Kyôritsu Ô
Tōru Abe
Watarai Gunsô
Masao Mishima
Kuroki Shochô
Eitarō Ozawa
Okazaki
Kōji Mitsui
Furuya
Nobuo Nakamura
Honsha Buchô
Kyū Sazanka
Meisan Chô
Eijirō Tōno
Shinsuke Ashida
(uncredited)
Keiji Sada
Kageyama
Yoshio Kosugi
(uncredited)
Toshiko Kobayashi
(uncredited)
Taiji Tonoyama
Akira Tani
(uncredited)
Torahiko Hamada
(uncredited)
Teruko Kishi
(uncredited)
Takamaru Sasaki
(uncredited)
Akio Isono
(uncredited)
Jun Ōtomo
(uncredited)
Junkichi Orimoto
(uncredited)
Hōsei Komatsu
Tokuko Sugiyama
(uncredited)
Nobuo Takagi
(uncredited)
Isao Suenaga
(uncredited)
Ryuji Kita