Reviews of No Greater Love (1959) and related work
- Sequel: Road to Eternity (1959)
- Sequel: A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)
No Greater Love (1959
)
The first in Kobayashi’s “Human Condition” trilogy, or more literally, “The Terms of Being a Mensch”. Pretentious, but Nakadai kicks ass and the treatment of the atrocities is good.
References here: “Don’t mention the war!”, Europa (1991).
moving picture Japanese production fiction
‣ Road to Eternity (1959)
The gender aspects are worse, despite the absence of the army of prostitutes. The lack of combat is very nice, but the barracks scenes, although human enough, are not as bold or creative as the abuse of Chinese prisoners in the first one.
moving picture sequel Japanese production fiction
‣ A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)
The gender aspects are somewhere in between. Pretty scenery and good final scenes, but little is added. Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain (1959) does better with the motifs.