Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2025

Kon Ichikawa's "Fires on the Plain" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with critic Donald Richie and archival interviews with Kon Ichikawa and actor Mickey Curtis. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is over. The Americans have wiped out the invaders and recaptured all strategic areas of the Philippines. The leaders of the Imperial Army have effectively abandoned their men, too, and now they have started dying like flies. There is no food, while the remaining medical supplies have become more precious than gold.

Private Tamura (Eiji Funakoshi) is one of the few survivors. However, he is sick with tuberculosis, coughing up blood, and can barely stay on his feet. It is why Tamura’s commander has ordered him to reach a nearby temporary medical camp and stay there for as long as possible. He does not care if Tamura gets better. The commander wants him to waste their food.

But after spending only a few days at the temporary medical camp, Tamura is pronounced ‘cured’ and sent back to his commander, who instantly scolds him and then angrily declares that he must return to complete his recovery. If Tamura is not readmitted, he should use a grenade and blow himself up. It is the only honorable thing to do, because the once mighty Imperial Army can no longer take care of him.

However, Tamura embarks on a different journey through the forests and jungles of the Philippines. Along the way, he encounters many more soldiers like him, starved and barely alive, some on the verge of losing their minds, too. As Mother Nature constantly tests the survivors, some evolve into wild animals.

Kon Ichikawa’s film Fires on the Plain cannot be accurately described with words. There are gut-punching visuals in it that words quite simply cannot relate to the human mind, regardless of how talented the writer using them may be. Also, despite documenting a journey, Fires on the Plain is a unique visual experience defined by feelings and emotions, not a narrative feature that focuses on intriguing developments.

The dominant theme is that war is hell, unleashing unimaginable suffering and death, whose true nature humans begin to grasp only when it is already too late. This simple and timeless revelation, however, is not attached to any political messaging targeting those who initiate war, perish in it, and survive it. It is why Fires on the Plain is such a unique visual experience. It uses powerful visuals to frame war as an astonishingly grotesque event that only madmen will promote and defend as a form of meaningful solution to a problem.

The gut-punching visuals are beyond realistic. To be clear, the majority of them are not graphic. They capture destructive desperation, fear, and madness, routinely and casually tolerated by supposedly sane human beings.

Many of the actors Ichikawa worked with were intentionally undernourished and required to avoid various modern hygiene practices. Funakoshi became so weak that he collapsed during the shooting of a key sequence, forcing Ichikawa to stop the production for a couple of weeks so that he could regain his strength.

Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fires on the Plain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Fires on the Plain, which is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. I viewed the 4K restoration on 4K Blu-ray and then spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

On my system, Fires on the Plain looked very healthy and attractive. I did several comparisons with Criterion's DVD release of the film from 2007, and the superiority of the 4K and 1080p presentations was instantly recognizable. For example, the density levels of the visuals are much stronger now, so virtually all of the darker and nighttime footage reveals more information. Definition, sharpness, and, of course, depth are also significantly improved. The grayscale is more convincing. On the standard definition presentation, blacks and grays are balanced well, but have limited nuances, some of which are quite shaky. The 4K restoration rebalances the entire grayscale, and everywhere I looked, in native 4K and 1080p, all visuals looked more convincing, often even more vibrant. (Fires on the Plain has a lot of subdued, darker visuals). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. However, some fluctuations are retained. In summary, the 4K restoration is a substantial upgrade in quality, regardless of whether it is viewed in native 4K or 1080p, so if you like Fires on the Plain, consider picking up the Blu-ray release of the combo pack, linked above. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is very healthy and stable. I think that the dramatic music sounds noticeably better now, too. However, dynamic contrasts are still modest, which is hardly surprising because the original soundtrack incorporates plenty of natural sounds and noises. The dialog is clear and very easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Donald Richie - in this archival program, critic Donald Richie discusses Kon Ichikawa's career and Fires on the Plain. The program was produced for Criterion in 2006. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Kon Ichikawa and Mickey Curtis - presented here are a couple of archival interviews in which Kon Ichikawa and actor Mickey Curtis recall their collaboration on Fires on the Plain. The interviews were conducted in 2005 and 2006. In Japanese and English, with English subtitles where necessary. (21 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Chuck Stephens' essay "Both Ends Burning" and technical Credits.

Fires on the Plain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the end, all wars, regardless of why, when, and where they were initiated, produce the carnage, misery, and death that are depicted in Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain. Today, the carnage, misery, and death are simply easier to create because there are weapons that are a lot more powerful and efficient. I think that Fires on the Plain is an extraordinary film, in some ways even better than its famous relative, The Burmese Harp, so it is fantastic that it looks so good after it was fully restored in 4K in Japan. A 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack release of the 4K restoration is available for purchase as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.