A trilogy of war movies are hailed by fans as a “masterpiece” but are often overlooked. The Human Condition Trilogy is a trio of films released in 1959 and 1960, including “No Greater Love”, “Road to Eternity”, and “A Soldier’s Prayer”.
Co-written and directed by Masaki Kobayashi, the films are set in Japan in World War 2 and follow the life of Japanese pacifist Kaji (played by Tatsuya Nakadai). Kaji is a brave and principled defender of the rights of others, but his idealism comes up against the harsh realities of authoritarian rule. The almost 10-hour-long epic is based on Junpei Gomikawa’s novel of the same name, first published in 1958.
The three sections were filmed and released in three instalments, consisting of two parts each, and some fans refer to the trilogy as a single film.
One Audience Writer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote called the trilogy a “masterpiece of cinema”.
They added: “Don’t let the run-time of over nine hours deter you from watching the best war epic of all time.”
A second said: “Viewed in its entirety, “The Human Condition” is undoubtedly one of the great masterworks of the cinema.
“Each film in the trilogy is morally complex and beautifully photographed, but the narrative scope of the complete story is astounding.”
A fourth said it’s a drama of “epic proportions that is masterfully directed, that has a great and spellbinding story to tell”, but said it sometimes “also feels thematically a little naive and delivers a slightly black and white representation of good vs evil”.
Responding to a post on Reddit asking users what the most underrated war movie is, one fan wrote: “The Human Condition Trilogy are probably the greatest war films ever and I literally see no one mention them in these type of posts.”
The Human Condition, which comprises the three movies, has a 15 certificate and features strong violence, injury detail, and torture – so may not be for everyone.
The films are available to rent or buy on various platforms, including Google Play Movies & TV.