Ningen no joken Part III
A Soldier’s Prayer
人間の條件・完結編 第五部（死の脱出）、第六部（曠野の彷徨）
- Release Date
- January, 28th, 1961
- Running Time
- 190 min
- Genre
- Feature
- Color
- -
- Screening Format
- -
[ Directed by ]
[ Cast ]
[ Staff ]
- GOMIKAWA Junpei ── Original Story
- MIYAJIMA Yoshio ── Cinematography
- KINOSHITA Chuji ── Music
[ Production Company ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Distributor (Japan) ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Story ]
In the face of the sudden Russian invasion, Kaji and a handful of survivors fight their way to the safety of southern Manchuria. The fate of the women is highlighted in numerous sequences and the crumbling of the hero's ideals which have labeled him a socialist non-conformer among his own comrades, but are coldly brushed aside by the victorious Russians.
Murder, treachery, rape and other vicious crimes are rampant as the Japanese forces retreat. Tange urges Kaji to surrender but he intends to fight his way back to safety and into the arms of his wife. Tange surrenders, but Kaji fares little better as he and his faithful men are soon overwhelmed by the Russians.
Inside the prison camp, Kaji learns at first hand that his ideas and ideals regarding socialism are a far cry from reality. His urgent plea for more humane treatment of prisoners is not only rejected but he is sentenced to a hard-labor squad for having lodged the complaints.
Finally, Kaji escapes and struggles alone through the cold, bleak countryside clutching a single dumpling as a token gift to his wife who has been faithfully awaiting his return. He falls, and stumbles onward. Eventually he is unable to rise and the fluttering snowflakes slowly envelop him in a white, untainted blanket.
【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1961 4.2】
[ Contact (International) ]
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