Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

Directed by Japan's award-winning Nagisa Oshima, who brings a very different sense of rhythm and aesthetics to what many of us expect from movies. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence takes place in Java, Indonesia, in a prisoner of war camp, where where camp commander, Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakomoto) being Japanese, and of that era, considers the  prisoners cowards because they've surrendered rather than fighting to the death. 

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence trailer

This starts to change, though, with the arrival of Jack Calliers (David Bowie), who Yonoi becomes, well...infatuated with. Both men have their demons from the past and with communication facilitated through Captain Lawrence, (Tom Conti) who's fluent in Japanese, a type of understanding develops between them. 

...and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is a very different type of war movie, being more about a clash of cultures than anything else and the homo-erotic attraction between Yonoi & Calliers is pretty evident.

It's many years since I've seen the movie as its pretty difficult to get hold of here in Australia but if I remember correctly, Bowie is O.K., Sakomoto's pretty good and Tom Conti is excellent.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence DVD

"...In the film we witness a clash of cultures: Japanese prison gaurds versus Allied POW'S. The film takes place in a POW camp during World War Two. This is very good and complex study of these two contrasting cultures. Set in Java, the Japanese view their British captives as the lowest form of life because they have not died honorably but have surrendered...Meanwhile...British...resent and detest the Japanese treatment as inhumane and uncivilized." Amazon reviewer Earnest Jagger

"...The dynamics played out by Major Jack Celliers (David Bowie) and Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto) is by far the most electric in the story, each one saving face to his own people albeit trying to effect peace. It seems like their respective situations are forcing them to do that which they are not comfortable doing. In the end John Lawrence (Tom Conti) and Gengo Hara (Takeshi) effect what is an understanding of the futility and madness of war..." Amazon reviewer Miguel B. Llora

"...It is the most unusual war film I have seen..." Amazon reviewer John K 

Incidentally, Sakomoto also provided an excellent soundtrack and the instrumental theme song was even a kind of hit. Here's footage of Sakomoto playing it LIVE in concert in 1987:

The final track on the soundtrack, Forbidden Colors (which isn't in the movie) has David Sylvain (from the band, coincidentally called...Japan) adding lyrics which eke a little more out of the homo-erotic buzz about the movie with a pleasantly maudlin vocal, which provided the movie with some publicity, becoming a minor hit single.

The instrumental version of the track also became indepenently popular, as well and the soundtrack has actually been far more successful than the movie. Incidentally, the music video also includes scenes from the movie.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence soundtrack

"...Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence has two stand-out themes: the title theme (tracks #1, #10 and #19), and Sowing The Seed (track #14). Both are excellent and unforgettable. The rest are sketches which provide a magnificent aural background to the dramatic events that unfold at the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp..." Amazon reviewer Gavin Wilson

"...I an very new to world music, music outside of the US and UK...but I really love this CD. The movie was good, too, even though it's partially in Japanese...You can still follow along, though, if you have any intelligence. Check them both out..."  Amazon reviewer Michael Watson

"...This is an excellent soundtrack.. I have been listening to it for over 13 years. Reviews are not my forte but believe me its good. by the way I dont see much in these ratings people put in that are less than 4 stars... strange eh?..." Amazon reviewer Matt A. Lassegard