Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
1982
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence was the first English-language project of Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses). In tune with his previous filmic essays on racism and brutality, Merry Christmas concentrates on a war of wills between rebellious POW David Bowie and camp commandant Ryuichi .. Read more
| Starring | David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamato |
|---|---|
| Director | Nagisa Oshima |
| Genres | Drama |
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Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence was the first English-language project of Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses). In tune with his previous filmic essays on racism and brutality, Merry Christmas concentrates on a war of wills between rebellious POW David Bowie and camp commandant Ryuichi Sakomoto. Assuming that his other prisoners' unwillingness to protest their cruel treatment is a sign of weakness, Sakomoto is most impressed by Bowie's enigmatic defiance. While Bowie and Sakomoto seem to be operating on a high spiritual and intellectual plane, bilingual prisoner Tom Conti (the Mr. Lawrence of the title) engages in a more standard adversarial relationship with sadistic sergeant Takeshi Kitano.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamato |
|---|---|
| Director | Nagisa Oshima |
| Studio | SECOND SIGHT FILMS LTD. |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 2 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 24 Jan 2005 Production year: 1982 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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Nagisa Oshima, the most controversial director of the Japanese New Wave, made his English-language debut with this affecting story set in a PoW camp during the Second World War. Tom Conti stars as a bilingual prisoner who is forced to act as intermediary between commandant Ryuichi Sakamoto and his sadistic number two Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, and the blustering British CO Jack Thompson. Treading carefully in matters of duty and culpability, Oshima creates credible and complex characters, who are played with distinction by his international cast. If you can excuse the sight of the then 35-year-old David Bowie in a school uniform, this will prove most rewarding.
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Uncomfortably titled and unavoidably downbeat character drama with some unpleasant moments; despite good work all round it seems to head straight for every cliché perpetuated by The Bridge on the River Kwai.
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Brutal and beautiful
Very few movies depict the vast chasm between two cultures with respect, but this is one of the few that pulls it off. Set near the end of WW2, this movie focuses on the clash between the Japanese and the English -- not on a bloody battlefield but in the relative quiet of a POW camp as a Japanese captain (Ryuichi Sakamoto) and a British soldier (David Bowie) wage a battle of wills against each other.
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Most recent members' review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Brutal and beautiful
Very few movies depict the vast chasm between two cultures with respect, but this is one of the few that pulls it off. Set near the end of WW2, this movie focuses on the clash between the Japanese and the English -- not on a bloody battlefield but in the relative quiet of a POW camp as a Japanese captain (Ryuichi Sakamoto) and a British soldier (David Bowie) wage a battle of wills against each other.
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Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence was the first English-language project of Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses). In tune with his previous filmic essays on ... -