War and Humanity

This film (drama)Also known as戦争と人間・第1部・運命の序曲，is aJapanProducerwomen sex，At1970Released in year 。The dialogue language isJapanese，Current Douban rating8.2(For reference only)。

Director Yamamoto Sabu is a master of social realism in Japanese cinema. He attempts to complete a historical account of Japan's militaristic invasion of China through the rise and fall of the Godai family. The family, representing a small social unit of society, was involved in the plunder and invasion of China, and depicting the changes within this family naturally reflects the process of Japan's invasion during that period. ①This work portrays the rising period of Japanese militarism's invasion of China. The film won second place in the 1970 "Film Weekly" top ten awards. ②This is the second film by the master of social realism in Japanese cinema, Yamamoto Sabu, reflecting the history of the invasion of China. The time is during the confrontation between China and Japan, and China's anti-Japanese movement begins to grow. The Godai family is also affected. The film won fourth place in the 1971 "Film Weekly" top ten awards. ③This is the third film by the master of social realism in Japanese cinema, Yamamoto Sabu, depicting how the invasion of China went from an initial offensive to a retreat and eventual defeat, while the Godai family transitioned from profiting off the war to disintegration, with family members choosing different paths in the unprecedented turmoil. This trilogy opened the door to the grand social realism films of Japanese cinema in the 1970s, which can be seen as Yamamoto Sabu's great contribution to the history of Japanese cinema. The film won tenth place in the 1973 "Film Weekly" top ten awards. ============================================ In 1928, Godai Ulsuke, the head of the emerging zaibatsu Godai family, held a farewell party in the living room for his eldest son Eikei, who was about to go to America. During the gathering, a group began discussing the situation in Manchuria. Both Eikei and Jōkei believed that if Zhang Zuolin's army took harsh measures against the Japanese in Manchuria, Japan should respond with military action to protect its citizens. After arriving in Manchuria, Jōkei established Godai Transport Company and was involved in drug trafficking and terrorist activities. The Kwantung Army, anxious due to the delayed Imperial command to deploy troops, secretly plotted to assassinate Zhang Zuolin. On September 18, 1931, the Kwantung Army blew up the train carrying Zhang, while creating public opinion suggesting the Nationalist Army was deliberately provoking war. Following that, the Godai family seized the opportunity to profit wildly with the military. After returning from America, Eikei was sent by Ulsuke to run the ironworks in Northeast China. After the "Shanghai Incident," Ulsuke’s eldest daughter Yukiko’s boyfriend, Tsuge, was about to go to battle, and Yukiko, with mixed emotions, went to see him off. In the midst of Japan's deepening invasion of China, a series of tragedies and separations befell the Godai family. Ulsuke’s second son Shunkei ran away from home in search of a future and fell in love with the married woman Kiyo. They wished to live together, but Kiyo was unable to make a decision under her husband’s pressure and was greatly distressed. Ulsuke’s second daughter Junko fell in love with leftist student Kōhei, who was arrested for participating in the anti-war movement. Although he was later released from prison, he faced a draft notice. Junko encouraged Kōhei to live well and promised he would return to see her. Ulsuke’s eldest daughter Yukiko's boyfriend Tsuge had become a lieutenant, and after many twists and turns, he was finally transferred back to Tokyo, but inadvertently got involved in the assassination case of military affairs chief Nagata, losing contact with Yukiko. Additionally, anti-Japanese guerrilla Xu Zailin fell in love with female guerrilla Quan Mingfu, but after a fallout with the "Manchuria Provincial Committee" representatives over troop withdrawals, Xu insisted on fleeing, while Quan was shot and killed. Zhao Ruifang, a rich Chinese girl, joined the "anti-Japanese movement" yet fell in love with Japanese doctor Hattori. Under Hattori’s protection, she escaped capture by the military police and fled to Shanghai. In 1937, the full-scale invasion of China by Japan erupted. Influenced by her father, and having lost contact with her beloved Tsuge due to his involvement in the assassination case, Yukiko gradually gave up her initial obsession with love and agreed to marry the son of a financial magnate. Ulsuke’s third daughter Junko also lost contact with her beloved Kōhei, who had enlisted, but influenced by Kōhei’s anti-war ideals, she ultimately fled her family to join the peace movement and learned that Kōhei was participating in anti-Japanese activities to support China. Ulsuke’s second son Shunkei had been imprisoned for opposing the invasion of China and was drafted after his release. As a pawn in the war, Shunkei found himself in the pivotal battleground of Nomonhan, witnessing Lieutenant Tsuge’s death on the battlefield. After suffering a devastating blow from the Soviet Red Army, the Japanese army retreated in panic to Hailar, facing an end to their endeavors. The fortunate Shunkei wandered aimlessly in the crowd of Japanese refugees seeking safety.