The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer

"Love is the Condition for Being Human."

1961 3h 10m JA

🙌

8.4

BANGER

★8.4TMDB · 228

WarDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his old life, he faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his men sneak behind enemy lines.

“Love is the Condition for Being Human.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai
Kaji
Michiyo Aratama
Michiko
Tamao Nakamura
Hinannmin no Shôjo
Yūsuke Kawazu
Terada Nitôhei
Chishū Ryū
Hinanmin no Chôrô
Taketoshi Naitō
Tange Ittôhei
Kyôko Kishida
Ryûko
Reiko Hitomi
Umeko

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Writers: Masaki Kobayashi, Koichi Inagaki, Zenzō Matsuyama
Languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Russian
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

At 190 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Russian.

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 Tamao Nakamura 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 Mandarin, Japanese, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 190 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Russian.
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 Tamao Nakamura carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Love is the Condition for Being Human.".
10IMDB entry: tt0055233 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "japan", "china", "world war ii", "prisoner of war".
12Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yoshio Miyajima
Original score: Chūji Kinoshita
Editing: Keiichi Uraoka
Makeup / hair: Yōichi Mitsuoka
Runtime: 190 min · 3h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)

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.