Kon IchikawaCast
Shoji Yasui 
Rentaro Mikuni 
Tatsuya Mihashi
Credits
Written by: Michio Takeyama
Plot
At the end of the Second World War, a Japanese platoon in Burma, led by a captain who has taught them to sing, surrenders. A soldier named Mizushima, who plays the harp, is sent to persuade a group of holdouts to give up and is lost. Later the platoon sees a Buddhist monk who looks like him. Kon Ichikawa's 1956 film follows Mizushima's decision to stay behind and bury the dead, as an act of atonement. It is a moving pacifist work and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Sinekatalog’s take
Kon Ichikawa's anti-war classic follows a soldier who becomes a monk to bury his comrades in Burma. Moving, lyrical and humane, with choral singing at its heart, it is a profound plea for peace.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 8.0 / 10 (7,343 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.
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