The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

"The second one"

1959 2h 58m JA

🙌

8.2

BANGER

★8.2TMDB · 237

WarDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kaji, sent to the Japanese army labeled Red, witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against a fellow recruit. He also sees his friend Shinjô defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.

“The second one”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai
Kaji
Michiyo Aratama
Michiko
Kokinji Katsura
Sasa Nitôhei
Jun Tatara
Hino Jun'i
Michirō Minami
Yoshida Jôtôhei
Kei Satō
Shinjô Ittôhei
Kunie Tanaka
Obara Nitôhei
Ryōhei Uchida
Hashitani Gunsô

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Writers: Masaki Kobayashi, Zenzō Matsuyama
Languages: Russian, Mandarin, Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 178 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, Mandarin, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Human Condition Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, shot by Yoshio Miyajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chūji Kinoshita. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Keiichi Uraoka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tatsuya Nakadai and Michiyo Aratama and Kokinji Katsura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masaki Kobayashi directs. Yoshio Miyajima behind the camera. Chūji Kinoshita scores. Keiichi Uraoka cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Russian, Mandarin, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 178 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, Mandarin, Japanese.
4Part of the "The Human Condition Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, shot by Yoshio Miyajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Chūji Kinoshita. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Keiichi Uraoka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tatsuya Nakadai and Michiyo Aratama and Kokinji Katsura carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The second one".
10IMDB entry: tt0053115 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 20 themes, including "japan", "world war ii", "recruit", "sequel".
12Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yoshio Miyajima
Original score: Chūji Kinoshita
Editing: Keiichi Uraoka
Costume design: Kōshichi Yoshida
Runtime: 178 min · 2h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959)

Part of

The Human Condition Collection

The Human Condition is a Japanese film epic released as a trilogy between 1959 and 1961. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the totalitarian and oppressive world of World War II-era Japan. Taken altogether as a single film, it is 9 hours and 47 minutes long, which includes intermissions, making it one of the longest narrative films ever made. While the films earned considerable controversy at the time of their release in Japan, The Human Condition was critically acclaimed, won many international awards, and has since established Masaki Kobayashi as one of the most important Japanese directors of his generation.