Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Nagisa Oshima
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Plot Summary
In this captivating, exhilaratingly skewed World War II drama from Nagisa Oshima (In the Realm of the Senses, Empire of Passion), David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Basquiat) regally embodies the character Celliers, a high-ranking British officer interned by the Japanese as a POW. Music star Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also composed this film’s hypnotic score) plays the camp commander, who becomes obsessed with the mysterious blond major, while Tom Conti (The Duellists; Reuben, Reuben) is British lieutenant colonel Mr. Lawrence, who tries to bridge the emotional and language divides between his captors and fellow prisoners. Also featuring actor-director Takeshi Kitano (Sonatine, Fireworks) in his first dramatic role, MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale of culture clash that was one of Oshima’s greatest successes.
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Customer Reviews
Watched this for school.
If you like David Bowie, then this is a must see. For everyone else, it's a well directed, well thought out, artsy, boring film. Imagine what the great escape would look if they didn't try to escape and there was a lot of homo-eroticism. If you're a psych major you should watch this film. If you think Red Dawn, Apocalypse Now, Jaws, and Dirty Harry are good movies, this ain't your cup of tea. I found some of the characters compelling, but overall I just wanted someone to just shoot me dead while watching this film.
Clash of cultures
I watched this as a teenager when it was released. It really impressed me then. Now, after almost 30 years, I was impressed again. However, I now understood the various layers and themes much better. A story about a clash of cultures, the atrocities of war and a personal story of a man seeking redemption for wronging his younger brother. And, of course, we see a man in charge intrigued by - having a crush on - this other man being his prisoner and brought down by the latter. There is also forgiveness and friendship between ward and prisoner.
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