Plot.
Poster of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

1983 · Film · 124 min

  • Drama
  • History
  • War

Plot

Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel John Lawrence, who has a profound knowledge of Japanese culture, and Sergeant Hara, brutal and simpleton, will witness the struggle of wills between two men from very different backgrounds who are tragically destined to clash.

About Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Japanese: 戦場のメリークリスマス, Hepburn: Senjō no Merī Kurisumasu; lit. 'Battlefield's Merry Christmas'), also known as Furyo (俘虜, Prisoner of War), is a 1983 war film directed by Nagisa Ōshima from a screenplay by Ōshima and Paul Mayersberg. It stars David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, and Jack Thompson. In the film, John Lawrence (Conti), a British prisoner of war in a Japanese camp during World War II, seeks to bridge a deadly divide between a new prisoner and the camp's commander. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post as a prisoner of war in Java, particularly his novels The Seed and the Sower (1968) and The Night of the New Moon (1970). Sakamoto also composed and played the score, including the vocal version of the main theme, "Forbidden Colours", with lyrics written and sung by David Sylvian. The film was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or. Sakamoto's score won the film a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cast

  • David BowieCelliers
  • Tom ContiLawrence
  • Ryuichi SakamotoYonoi
  • Takeshi KitanoHara
  • Jack ThompsonHicksley
  • Johnny OhkuraKanemoto
  • Alistair BrowningDe Jong
  • James MalcolmCelliers' Brother
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