The Burmese Harp (1956)
Biruma no tategoto (original title): In the War's closing days, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk. (8.1)
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Writers: Michio Takeyama (novel), Natto Wada
Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui and Tatsuya Mihashi
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)
Maybe I missed something big here. Yes, I know that one message here is "war is hell." And, I have been able to see the inner messages of movies like Rashomon. But this one I find to be a bit too simplistic. These soldiers are trained to kill and sent into the battlefield to kill the enemy. Songs, really? A soldier hadn't seen the horrors of war until the last days? Even then, only the Japanese soldiers' deaths matter? Wearing a monk's robe, a stolen one at that, does not make him a monk. The story, as presented in the movie, is too simple-minded. The acting is melodramatic. Yeah, it has good intentions, but definitely missing the reality. My Rating: 6.5
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