The Human Condition I: No Greater Love

1959 • 3h 24m •

War Drama History

MOVIEVIBE Rating

★ 8.2/10

306 reviews

Your Rating

After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.

"The Immortal Story."

Top Billed Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai

Kaji

Michiyo Aratama

Michiko

Chikage Awashima

Tôfuku Kin

Ineko Arima

Shunran Yô

So Yamamura

Okishima

Akira Ishihama

Chin

Kōji Nanbara

Kô

Seiji Miyaguchi

Kyôritsu Ô

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

D druscilla_of_old Verified TMDB Critic

2026-06-05

I'm finally through watching this mammoth of an epic (for several days) and I'm beyond impressed! When I think of a great movie, this trilogy comes very close to what I typically have in mind: A well-written, well-directed, well-acted story that actually has something important to say about life and the world as much as it entertains. That is, a great movie ought to be bold and creative in communicating a strong social and/or moral message as much as, or even more than, it entertains. This 9+ hours epic by Kobayashi successfully manages this albeit not without its faults, which I'll come to l...