The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
A humane idealist battles corrupt officials and military in 1940s Manchuria. A must-watch for history buffs and drama enthusiasts.
Genres: War, Drama, History
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The Human Condition I: No Greater Love(1959)
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Overview
A pacifist takes a job overseeing forced labor at a mining operation in Japanese-occupied Manchuria to avoid military service, bringing his new wife along. Determined to treat workers humanely, he clashes with corrupt officials, brutal enforcers, and military police as his ideals are tested by the realities of war.
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Review Summary
Pros: powerful anti-war themes; gripping moral conflict; haunting, memorable scenes | Cons: very long runtime; slow, talky stretches; melodramatic, hammy acting
Will You Like This?
If you’re up for a lengthy, serious WWII-era drama about conscience versus authority, this can be absorbing and intense; Not for you if you dislike slow pacing, heavy moral debates, or epic runtimes like Harakiri.
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Full Cast & CrewFeatured Comments/Tips
And so this the beginning of Kobayashi great trilogy of films that makes up whole The Human Condition. The way the film portrays the Chinese and Korean prisoners getting mistreated by the Japanese is both horrifying and sad knowing that’s what happened in real life. Tatsuya Nakadai performance as always is fantastic and same with most of the cast. The film and with the other two are pretty long to point it could take couple of sitting to watch all of trilogy since it is more than 3 hours long. Later in movie it gets more insane with the whole camp escape and stuff and some bits hard to watch.
Excellent film that depicts the horrors faced by civilians during Japan's imperialist era. The landscapes are as distorted as the soldiers are dehumanized.
poor kaji just notices more and more how all his superiors seem to not have a single bit of compassion for the slaves. sad that this movie still is very much relevant when it comes to racism although it has been more than 60 yrs since it has been released.
Masaki Kobayashi's first film of the 10 hour trilogy is a major achievement in cinema. It is long and gruelling, but worth it. Kaji, a labour camp supervisor is tormented by ethics and morals as he struggles to make the decisions required in wartime. Meanwhile he has just married the love of his life. The ending is particular devastating and there are some quite brutal moments. I look forward to the next two chapters.
Ningen no Jôken Ningen no Jôken I (The Human Condition I No Greater Love) (1959) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-human-condition-i-no-greater-love-1959 Ningen no Jôken II (The Human Condition II Road to Eternity) (1959) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-human-condition-ii-road-to-eternity-1959 Ningen no Jôken III (The Human Condition III A Soldier's Prayer) (1961) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-human-condition-iii-a-soldier-s-prayer-1961
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