Brutal, yet haunting - a must see film
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence review
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10th February 2012
I first watched this film in my first year at uni (1983), 28 years later it still had the same impact, in spite of the dated cinematography. A superb film, brutal in many aspects, but also sympathetic in highlighting the cultural differences between the British and Japanese during WWII. Unlike many cliche war films, it does not resort to stereotypes. Bowie and Sakamoto are both mesmerising in their roles - the visual contrast between these two seemed to highlight the commonalities between the two men. Conti excels as Col Lawrence, as does Kitano as Sergeant Hara. The 'kiss' retains its power and the ending remains heartbreaking. My only criticism was using Bowie (35 years old!) to play his character as a sixth former - it looked ridiculous!
I'd also forgotten how haunting Sakamoto's soundtrack was and have now replaced my old cassette with a i-tunes download of 'Forbidden Colours' and hopefully will be able to find the soundtrack on CD. Everyone should watch this film at least once in their lifetime.
