Fires on the Plain
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Synopsis
An agonizing portrait of desperate Japanese soldiers stranded in a strange land during World War II, Kon Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain is a compelling descent into psychological and physical oblivion. Denied hospital treatment for tuberculosis and cast off into the unknown, Private Tamura treks across an unfamiliar Philippine landscape, encountering an increasingly debased cross section of Imperial Army soldiers, who eventually give in to the most terrifying craving of all. Grisly yet poetic, Fires on the Plain is one of the most powerful works from one of Japanese cinema’s most versatile filmmakers.
Picture 9/10
Kon Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain finally receives an upgrade from The Criterion Collection with a new 4K UHD edition, presenting the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on a dual-layer BD-66 disc. The SDR 2160p/24Hz ultra high-definition presentation is sourced from a new 4K restoration taken from a scan of the 35mm original camera negative, a pleasant surprise to say the least. A standard dual-layer Blu-ray is also included, featuring a 1080p presentation (from the same restoration) along with all of the video supplements.
Criterion’s original DVD has actually held up surprisingly well over the years. Outside of the usual limitations of the format, the only real drawback was that it still displayed a fair amount of print damage, though even then it wasn’t too distracting. When upscaled, it looked decent enough: sharp and clean in motion with respectable contrast. Still, it should come as no surprise that the 4K presentation (and even the Blu-ray) wipes the floor with the old DVD.
The new restoration is far sharper, rendering the finer details, like those found in the jungle settings, with no effort. Close-ups of withered and mud packed faces show significantly more texture and grime. Film grain is cleanly rendered and maintains a natural appearance throughout, while contrast and grayscale now display a far wider range with smoother gradations. An HDR grading might have given things an extra boost, but even without it, the image retains a lovely filmic quality.
Thanks to the sourced materials and the new scan, Criterion delivers a wonderful new presentation, a more than solid upgrade over the DVD.
Fires on the Plain - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
The film’s audio is presented in lossless PCM 1.0 mono. It has a sharper, less filtered sound compared to the DVD and generally sounds cleaner overall. That said, the range is still fairly limited, and the score can come off a little edgy in spots. Despite that, the restoration work sounds to have been thorough and the final results sound quite good.
Extras 4/10
Released as a lower-tier title back in 2007, Criterion’s DVD only featured a couple of supplements, expected for that price point. Sadly, Criterion hasn’t updated the material for this new edition, simply porting over the same two short features without reflecting that in the price.
The content itself is at least solid. Things start off with a 12-minute interview with Donald Richie, who discusses the film and its source novel, even touching on its release and critical reception (which wasn’t great in Japan) before turning to Ichikawa’s overall career in the latter portion. Following that is a 20-minute piece featuring interviews with Ichikawa and actor Mickey Curtis, who played Nagamatsu. Ichikawa talks about the war (knowing deep down Japan was losing at the time) and how, despite being drafted, he managed to get away with ignoring it. He explains his belief that the evils of war “could never be told too often,” a philosophy that clearly guided his approach to adapting the novel. From here he then goes over the changes he made to the source material, all with the author’s blessing, and touches on the production.
Curtis, a prominent musician, shares in his portions how he was cast despite having no acting experience, his casting simply based on how thin he was, perfect for the role. He doesn’t quite say it outright, but you get the sense he felt out of his depth, being a bit unfamiliar with the Japanese style of film acting while working alongside lead actor Eiji Funakoshi, who sounds to have been borderline method in his approach, perhaps a bit much for the young, self-described “rock ’n’ roller.” When Curtis didn’t know how to react, he recalls Ichikawa simply telling him what to do, and he did it. Ichikawa’s recollections about the production are engaging, but I found Curtis’s perspective, coming from outside the film world, to be the real highlight.
Criterion also carries over the same essay by Chuck Stephens, covering the film and its depiction of war. The DVD included a booklet, and while the essay appears to be complete here, the new insert drops some of the photos found in that booklet.
All in all, the content is fine, it’s just a slim selection that I wish Criterion had taken the opportunity to expand upon or update.
Closing
A gorgeous new presentation; it's just a shame Criterion saw no worth in updating the features.
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