It is early 1945 and World War II is nearing its
end. The once strong Imperial Japanese Army is now defeated. Its wounded
and sick soldiers are being abandoned by their companies because
they've become liabilities. They are in the process of attempting a
difficult retreat in the face of death, even as the American army
rapidly continues to advance on the province of Leyte in the
Philippines. There just isn't enough to support those who cannot take
care of themselves. There is disease and starvation all around. Supplies
have been cut off. Tough-as-nails soldiers are now reduced to weak
mortals struggling to keep up their spirits and will to survive.
This
is the story of one such soldier, Pvt. Tamura (Eiji Funakoshi). He is
suffering from Tuberculosis, is weak and his company won't keep him. His
commanding officer slaps him on the face and sends him out. The poor
excuse for a hospital is overloaded and understaffed. They won't
have him unless he has enough food supplies with him. Equipped with a
grenade to kill himself if he has nowhere left to go, and some yams he
picked up, Tamura sets off, left to fend for himself. Although he is
ready to kill himself if the need arrives, he knows he hasn't got much
to live anyway.
Kon
Ichikawa's "Fires on the Plain" (1959), based on the novel of the same name is a
war-horror film! Indeed, it is a film set in the backdrop of war, but
what you see on screen is scary and horrifying enough to give you
sleepless nights and plunge you into depths of depression long after it
has ended. Ichikawa's film showcases humanity stripped down to its
barest. This is a war-ravaged world in which humans cease to be humans
and turn into animals! All compassion is lost and the only thing left to
do is save your own skin. Ichikawa exposes us to the darkest side of
war; the actual horrors, the shattering consequence of what hunger and
fear of death does to the toughest and most disciplined individual.
After all, it is about soldiers, who've undergone rigorous military
training, have been taught to abide by the code of the soldiers, and
trained to be fearless.
But
here it is disheartening to find these very soldiers at the mercy of
their inevitable mortality; forsaken, despite being sick and in need,
and feeding off leftovers and castoffs from other soldiers, either
finding it off dead people or stealing from the weaker living! One can't
help but think how tough a journey it must be for a seriously ill
Tamura to wander about on an empty stomach with no place to rest or no
soul rushing to his aid. We, as viewers, civilians blessed to be living
in peaceful times, would definitely feel for Tamura, considering when we
are sick we have our comfortable beds to fall on, we have our nurses,
our medication. Tamura has nothing but a few measly yams, a canteen of
water, and just dirt and dead bodies all around!
In a shattering moment, we see how honorable soldiers who fight for their
country are reduced to tearing each other apart for something as basic
as footwear and food. The very soldiers who should be getting rewards
and hero worship for their valor are reduced to being overjoyed at the
prospect of getting even a small taste of raw salt (!) that they find in
a deserted village, and tears of satisfaction run down their cheeks as
they sample some of it. How pitiable is it to see a gallant soldier so
helpless and needy!
That
is not all; and there was no exaggeration with the mention of this film
being a war horror film. When all hope is lost, some soldiers even
resort to cannibalism! And if that isn't enough to make you feel
miserable you have a dying Buddhist soldier on the verge of mental
deterioration, who has clearly given up on life, offers himself to
Tamura as food! "Come back! You can eat me!", He calls out to Tamura as
the latter retracts in revulsion and runs away.
All kudos to Ichikawa, of course, for refraining from any sugarcoating and
keeping it brutally real, and yet "Fires on the Plain" plays out like a
surreal nightmare thanks to a relentless onslaught of harrowing images
and ghastly sights. Moreover, Ichikawa renders the film a dark feel with
his bleak cinematography that captures a deserted village and the
eerily haunting frames of a lonesome man wandering aimlessly across the
vast emptiness into an uncertain future.
It
is not just the depiction that is realistic but Ichikawa's methods as
well. Apparently, in order to make the plight of the soldiers look as
authentic as possible, the actors were fed very little and disallowed
personal hygiene like brushing their teeth or cutting their nails!
Lead
actor Eiji Funakoshi is excellent as Tamura and the fatigue and weakness
due to his ill health shows on his face. But apparently, although he
was not specifically asked to starve, he willingly did so to get into
the character, as a result of which he collapsed on the set and the
shoot had to be stopped for two weeks! (Trivia Source: IMDB). Such
method acting has its pros and cons though. While Funakoshi is utterly
convincing, it was perhaps his painstaking efforts to stay in character
that helped!
"Fires
on the Plain" is not a pleasurable film to watch. It won't have you
leaping with ecstatic delight. But it is one film that should be watched
and appreciated simply for having the gall to expose us to the real
horrors of war without masking any ugly sights and for
witnessing a powerful and effective work of cinema that slowly burrows
through the heart and leaves an indelible mark.
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