Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) User Reviews

Moving and haunting, though sometimes awkward

[Denver53 · 8/10 · 21 February 2001]

SPOILER: I saw this movie when it came out more than 17 years ago. At the time a big deal was made about David Bowie being in it. He is, and does a fine job, but the movie isn't about his character. It is far more about the differences between East and West, and the cruelty of war. I was able to see it again last week on a cable channel.

To fully appreciate MCMR, try to understand the culture of both the captors and the prisoners at the time. To the prisoners, their existence in the camp is an unfortunate result of war, and should be temporary and not a life or death experience. To the Japanese captors, the prisoners who surrendered rather than died fighting are cowards, beneath the notice of the captors and likely not even viewed as human beings. They are expendable. But first, in this particular camp, there is an effort to "educate" the prisoners about the way a *true* warrior lives life (and dies). That is where the true conflict begins.

There are multiple physical and psychological struggles going on in MCMR. There is even some homoeroticism, though it isn't fully explained. There is certainly a lot of sadness, for characters on both sides. This point is brought home at the end, when the roles are reversed for two of the characters.

Even today, I can hum several parts of the score to MCMR, and they make me melancholy as I recall scenes from the movie. If you like movies that delve into the darker side of the human spirit (with some lightness thrown in), check out MCML. I rated it an 8.

A film of amazing character depth

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 14 April 2017]

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is, as the title would suggest, about as far from your typical old-fashioned prisoner-of-war movie as it can get. This film is about Allied officers in a Japanese prison but instead of being about escape attempts, as so many films in this genre are, it's instead a treatise on the human condition that explores the nature of warfare and the human spirit in its fight for justice and honour. The film I would most liken it to is HELL IN THE PACIFIC.

Essentially this is a film about four men whose lives intertwine as the sometimes shocking events in the camp play out. Tom Conti is the straight man through whom we experience the film; he's good, but he has his thunder stolen by the others. Ryuichi Sakamoto has the toughest role as the camp commander driven by old-fashioned ideals and conflicted by personal desire; he also contributed the film's unusual, effective score. David Bowie is the headlining character and makes his role charming with seeming effortlessness. Best of the bunch is the great Japanese Yakuza actor 'Beat' Takeshi, playing an unusual and ambiguous character; he gets the final scene to himself, which just so happens to be the film's most moving moment.

The Difference of Western and Japanese Cultures

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 12 January 2016]

In 1942, in Java, the British Major Jack 'Strafer' Celliers (David Bowie) arrives in the Japanese POW camp and is submitted to a Japanese court to examine his surrender. He explains that the Japanese soldiers would murder the local villagers and he decided to surrender to avoid the massacre. The camp commander Captain Yonoi (Ryûichi Sakamoto) feels a sort of fascination for Jack and sends him to the infirmary to be treated. The liaison of the prisoners with Yonoi and Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi Kitano), Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti), has lived in Japan for many years and can understand both cultures and their leader is Captain Hicksley (Jack Thompson). When the rebel Jack leaves the infirmary, he challenges Yonoi, who is a man that follows the principles of honor and discipline. Yonoi believes that Jack is possessed by demons and their confrontation will lead the British to a tragic end.

Yesterday my homage to David Bowie was watching again maybe for the fourth or fifth time one of his best films. "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" is certainly one of the best anti-war films ever made. The beginning with the music of Ryuichi Sakamoto indicates how classy it is. This film has not lost the impact along the years and it is impressive how the difference of Western and Japanese cultures is depicted through the British Jack 'Strafer' Celliers and the Japanese Yonoi. In between there is John Lawrence, a man who can understand both sides based on his life experience. Psychology explains that in areas involving control, such as dominance, people tend to pair up with their opposites. Therefore the sick discussion about homosexuality of Yonoi and Jack is ridiculous. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Furyo, Em Nome da Honra" ("Furyo, In Name of the Honor")

One of the finest war films ever made.

[monkeypunch · 31 October 2003]

I first saw this on IFC one night and was enthralled by it. Apparently there are two versions of the film, one with english subtitles and one without. I saw the version without the subtitles. See the film like this put you in the position of the prisoners, not understanding what is being said around you, and having to rely on translators, who in a prison camp were few. The film starts off with Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano walking into a hut and waking up Col. Lawrence (played by Tom Conti). Lawrence's superior protests this and Sgt. Hara (Kitano) yells something to him in Japanese. While walking out of the hut The superior (don't recall his name but he was played by Jack Thompson) orders another soldier to follow him, Hara protests and uses the scabbard of his sword and hits him in the eye, Hara walks out and Thompson yells "B**tards!" (or something similar).

We then see Lawrence following Hara and then Ryuichi Sakamoto's beautiful, eerie music starts off the opening credits. I won't dive any deeper into the plot, as one should witness it for themselves. The film shows us how the prisoners and the guards are not all that different, they both view themselves as being right, when at one point in the film some one says no one is right in war. The film also shows us the physical and the mental abuse the prisoners had to live with day in and day out.

Besides dealing with the war it also shows how man deals with events from the past as far as ones childhood, But in this film it actually works, not like in countless others, and you do feel attached to the characters.

A lot has been said about David Bowie's performance as Major. Jack Celliers, who despite the title of the film is the lead character and does an excellent job portraying a burnt out commando with a past he is afraid to face.

Shortly after seeing the unsubbed version, I saw the subbed version. Which is good in its own right, but I feel the film doesn't have the same impact if you know what is going to happen at every corner, now about half of the film is in Japanese for those with patience it pays off. By not knowing whats going on it puts you in the position of the prisoners themselves.

The film is a beautiful, tragic look at the atrocities man commits to himself. I encourage film and WW II buffs looking for something different to give it a chance. Another unseen by many gem directed by Nagisa Oshima. ****/****

Bowie and Conti are brilliant

[redkiwi · 7/10 · 26 July 2001]

As far as films go, David Bowie really has made some utter pish. However, this is by far his best performance as Major Selliers. Playing alongside Tom Conti as Lawrence, his defiance in the face of the Japanese oppressors in a prisoner of war camp.

Well directed and written, and brilliantly acted, the torment of Selliers comes through excellently, and we eventually find out why he is as he is.

Interestingly, much of this was filmed in New Zealand, the scene of a wartime tragedy in which dozens of Japanese were killed in a prisoner of war camp in Featherston. Given that this incident still runs deep in modern day New Zealand, this was a daring choice to say the least.

Had to swallow a lump or two

[Inakaguy · 10/10 · 17 July 2004]

I remembered watching this movie when I was younger and it affecting me a lot. Well, I re-watched it recently and it has lost none of it's power.

The acting in the movie is adequate without ever being great (the notable exception being Tom Conti who is fantastic in his role as the misunderstood titular character).

However, the movie moves beyond the acting and once you are embroiled in the atmosphere and realism you become oblivious to any acting shortcomings.

The movie must be one of the most accurate depictions of human nature in a war. It has a diverse range of characters yet none of them becomes a caricature. It certainly doesn't sink into the good vs evil mindset that many war movies do.

The violence is graphic and shocking despite lacking the visceral realism of Spielberg's later war movies.

The ending of the movie still affects me, even after repeated viewings. I still have to a lump or two to stop from crying even now.

Overall, recommended for anyone with an interest in a non-stereotypical movie about war. Not for the faint of heart though.

four compelling characters

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 9 November 2015]

It's 1942 in a Japanese POW camp in Java. Sgt. Hara is a sadistic guard unable to understand the prisoners' willingness to accept shame. British officer Col. John Lawrence is the Japanese speaking leader of the prisoners. Camp commander Capt. Yonoi joins in the court-martial of Maj. Jack Celliers (David Bowie) for leading a native revolt against the Japanese. Celliers is adjudicated a POW and Yonoi takes an interest in him.

These are four compelling characters. Tom Conti is solid. Ryuichi Sakamoto is interesting. Takeshi Kitano is absolutely brilliant. David Bowie delivers a mercurial performance. I want the plot to be bigger and more intense. It's also a bit long and meanders in the second half. I do love the final scenes with Hara and Lawrence.

A fine tale of human spirit & morale!

[nimja · 9/10 · 3 February 1999]

David Bowie appears on the cover of this film, in spite of having one of the smaller major roles. After you see the movie you no longer question his presence there. His performance is magnificent. Watch for the understated behaviour regarding the flower.

This film is memorable because of a tremendous cast (including Jack Thompson- who keeps popping up in war movies) and a wonderful soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also performs in the movie. The soundtrack captures the jungle feeling, coupled with Japanese moods. Forbidden colours (song) has been known to give me goosebumps.

Very much, not your average War movie, _Merry Christmas Mister Lawrence_ is excellent because it portrays the relationship between captor and captive, victor and defeated. It's a movie about human spirit and love under dangerous circumstances! It's a movie about discipline and honour, especially the different way these are perceived.

A complicated movie

[charliep14 · 7/10 · 14 January 2016]

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence is the kind of movie that takes a while to "digest" and integrate.

Having seen it 33 years after its release, I don't think it looks aged at all. On the contrary, it is as visually interesting and well directed as anything today. And the score is absolutely fantastic; really. Where it is treated differently than most recent efforts on this topic of Japanese Prisons during Wold War II is that it's less visually violent. It is morally violent, but not as gruesome as A.Jolie's or Eastwood's recent movies.

It's absolutely not missing by the way and the characters are some of the most fleshed out, multi faceted and complex I have seen in a long time. It's not an "easy" movie but it is well worth the effort and a very rewarding watch.

In the Twilight of the Rising Sun

[Yuto_Zeiram · 9/10 · 4 April 2006]

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, is one of those typical gems that you don't see that often because they are almost or very often underrated. I use the phrase typical because it is very much like that to underrate a non-mainstream movie like this one.

The story sets in Indonesia in the second world war, and tells the tale of a couple of British soldiers out in a Japanese camp for prisoners of war.

It gives us insight between the raging camp of the British soldiers with their Japanses guards. It tells the tale of prisoner Mayor Jack Celliers, a rebellious and confronting individual. It tells the tale of Prisoner Kolonel John Lawrence, who tries to build bridges between the two cultures who collide ever so often. It tells the tale of prison camp leader Captain Yonoi, who makes an effort in running things smoothly with understanding for his prisoners, but who, by the arrival of Mayor Jack Celliers, is being pressured, and discovers a whole new side of emotional understanding. It tells the tale of ward Seargant Hara, who doesn't seem to want to understand the prisoners, and would rather execute them than have them here.

Those 4 main characters come to interact with each other in very interesting ways, and the whole story rises to a dramatic climax which leaves it's impact.

The first degree acting makes this one of the most important things to watch this movie. Both British music legend David Bowie (As Jack Celliers) as well as Japanese music sensation Ryuichi Sakamoto (as Captain Yonoi) both have the lead in this epic picture. For Bowie it isn't this first time he appears on the big screen (The man who fell to earth, The Hunger),but it can be said that this is the role for which he will be remembered. Debuting here, Ryuichi Sakamoto plays the arrogant, and piped down captain Yonoi, and he doesn't make a bad figure with this. Truth is both musicians play very good, but the best parts are for debuting (at the time) comedian Takeshi Kitano (Srgt. Hara Ginko, and stage actor Tom Conti (John Lawrence) who steal the show. Conti's uptight and friendly character gives a lot of sympathetic gestures from the audience, and Takeshi has both the laughs and cry's (Watch the final scene) at his hand, for playing such a funny bastard.

Nagisa Oshima's direction is strong, and he leaves room for artistic influence for both cast and crew. He knows what he wants too show, and doesn't make the mistake of being to dramatic, or being to soft, on crimes that his fellow country committed in 1945. He stays realistic which works as a pro for this film.

The cinematography is beautiful, as well as the set and surroundings, but mostly, it is the score, the music, written by Sakamoto which leaves the most impression. A big plus, on all fronts and a absolute classic in it's genre. A must have and must see.

Honest In Places But Drowns In Art House Pretension

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 9 April 2004]

To be honest MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE is a complete mess . Director Nagisa Oshima has made a sort of art house BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI , the music is intrusive and the story is unfocussed . As some people have said what is the story ? and I am something at a loss thinking what is the story. No doubt it`s something to do with homosexuality , but what ? I`m also at a loss wondering who is the main character . If the film is called MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE then surely Col John Lawrence is the main character ? Or is it Capt Yonoi ? Or Sgt Hara ? Maybe it`s Maj Jack Celliers whose childhood we see in a totally unnecessary flashback . Actually this Oshima`s biggest mistake , not so much with the flashback but with casting David Bowie as Celliers . Yes that`s David " The thin white duke " Bowie perhaps the greatest musical icon from the 1970s and he`s playing a British army guerilla in the 1940s . I can`t emphasise enough how this fails . The film also fails in having Japanese pop god Ryuichi Sakamoto playing Capt Yonoi who doesn`t so much play a sexually confused Japanese officer but plays a pop star from the 1980s playing a sexually confused Japanese officer . Of the rest of the cast unsuprisingly Tom Conti gives the best performance while Takeshi is fairly good though he could put more emotion in the line " Soldiers ! You`re prisoners not soldiers ! "

Actually this is where the movie works best - In showing Japanese cruelty during the war and the murderous contempt they showed against their conquered foes . The imperial Japanese didn`t murder six million Jews like Hitler but they did murder 10 million people in China alone and if there was a large Jewish community in the far east the Japanese would have exterminated them with even greater brutality than even the Nazis could have come up with . Thousands of American and British commonwealth prisoners died at the hands of their Japanese guards on the Burmese death railway while tens of thousands of Asians died . MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE does not shy away from this babarity . Someone doesn`t stand to attention quick enough , WHALLOP - A beating from the guards . Someone shows alleged contempt towards the Japanese , WHALLOP - A beating from the guards . Someone shows human compassion - WHALLOP a beating from the guards . Someone breaks the rules - A cruel execution . There is a reason for this , the Japanese would literally fall on their swords and would expect their enemy to do the same in order to win any respect , but this is only a reason and not an excuse for such sadistic inhumanity . So in many ways this surpasses the David Lean movie from the 1950s that would have us believe the Japanese allowed concert parties in their death camps and it`s this that makes it essential viewing

A rare cross-cultural experience in the history of cinema and in the war film genre

[GrandeMarguerite · 9/10 · 21 August 2006]

Here are excerpts from a study I did on MCML when I was a university student. I wish some of the points I develop below will give a better understanding of some elements in the film. It is better to watch the film before reading this, although the first paragraph can be read as an introduction to MCML.

Only few works introduce a balanced vision of the conflict in the Pacific which opposed the Allies to the Japanese forces during WWII. It is not so frequent that a Japanese film director deals with what is still a critical theme in Japan. MCML is based on a novel written by Sir Laurens van Der Post, a South-African anthropologist who served in the British Army during WWII. Director Nagisa Oshima has brought many alterations to the original material. Van Der Post wrote a semi-autobiographical novel where his war-time memories are blended with his experience in Japan and his ethnological background. Oshima put most of his favorite themes into the film; he found in the novel the material to question traditional Japanese values, opposing them to Western ideology, and his film breaks free from its source but also from any definite film genre. "The Seed and the Sower" and MCML are remarkable because they present a diversity of themes reflecting their authors' preoccupations and some of the subjects they have approached in their careers.

MCML deals with people isolated from the rest of the world under artificial circumstances. As Oshima's work is closer to a psychological drama than to the war film genre, he has obviously favored unity of place to focus on a small group of characters. The plot is set in a very particular context (WWII) when Great-Britain with its allies and Japan were directly fighting against each other in Asia. The opposition between the Asians and the Westerners is a clash opposing colonial empires, races and cultures. None of the main characters is in his homeland nor defends it directly. Java (a Dutch colony) is a sort of no man's land where the British struggled to protect their colonies and where the Japanese fought to expand their conquests, hence the confrontation of two colonial empires. The presence of Korean guards is another hint to the Japanese expansion in South-Eastern Asia. Oshima gave a Japanese name to De Jong's rapist (Kanemoto), alluding to the attempt to obliterate Korea's native culture and its distinctive national features. He gives thus details on the Japanese colonizing proceedings (importation of cheap labor forces, denial of local cultures, propaganda...) yet such elements always remain in the background of the main action. A recurrent theme in some of Oshima's works is the fate of Korea during WWII and the methods used by the Japanese Imperial Army to take advantage of Korean soldiers.

Homosexuality is a key-element, much more important than in "The Seed and the Sower". The POW camp is an all-male world where most impulses are subconscious. Humiliation plays an important part in most relationships between the prisoners and their gaolers. Therefore it is not really a surprise to find that the « story within the story » about Celliers's youth is also about humiliation. The film is about the loss of dignity, not simply the loss of honor. Another recurrent theme is latent homophobia. Kanemoto and his victim, De Jong, are two oppressed characters. As a Korean soldier, Kanemoto turns his humiliation against one of the prisoners. De Jong is a kind of scapegoat who has to bear physical and moral humiliations. There is a parallel between him and Celliers's young brother who is the other scapegoat of the film (the flash-back sequence is about the boy's bullying). Kanemoto and De Jong's story bears indeed on Celliers and his relationship with Yonoi. De Jong and Celliers have to disappear so that the previous order can be restored, just as the sacrifice of a scapegoat supposedly brings back peace and order. Kanemoto and Yonoi both head for disaster once they go too far. Yonoi's attitude hints at what can happen when the fascination for Westerners is too strong. Of course the homosexual subtext concerns mainly Celliers and him. To play the two characters, Oshima deliberately chose two rock-stars (Bowie and Sakamoto) who have both androgynous features. Sakamoto named the music theme "Forbidden Colors" after the title of a novel published by Japanese writer Mishima in 1951 ("Forbidden Colors" is precisely about a young homosexual and his relations in post-war Tokyo. The title of the work is also an allusion to the colors that the emperor of Japan and his family had once the privilege to wear and that were forbidden to ordinary people, a reference to the traditional values of Japan and their disappearance after WWII). Yonoi as a character can be regarded as a metaphor for modern Japan attracted to Western lifestyles and values. Celliers is both a foil and a mirror, being his enemy and his double, with a parallel destiny. That is probably why the Japanese officer is doomed at the end of the film, a difference with Van Der Post's novel where Yonoi survives seven years of prison. Yonoi's behavior condemns him — another reference to Mishima's works where Eros and Thanatos are often related to each other. Celliers's morals are not very clear either. His arrival is heralded by Hara's sarcastic comment: « One more homosexual ». In the scene when Celliers and Lawrence talk to each other through the wall of their cells, as an introduction to his own narration coming after Lawrence's depiction of his love affair with a mysterious woman (the only heterosexual relationship mentioned in the film), Celliers states that he does not have much experience of that kind, his words being rather vague.

MCML raises also questions on the nature of war, on what makes people friends or enemies, etc. There is plenty to enjoy in this haunting film, well acted, well directed, with an unforgettable score. Very close to a masterpiece.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence was a compelling drama with a fine performance by David Bowie

[tavm · 7/10 · 24 January 2016]

When David Bowie died earlier this month, I decided to immediately order this from Netflix. My mom ended up watching this with me though she missed some sequences as we were eating dinner during it. She found it depressing. Well, it is as it depicts a prisoner-of-war camp in Indonesia during World War II. Bowie plays a British soldier who gets sent there and he seems to have an effect on the commandant there. By the way, he's not the Mr. Lawrence of the title, that's Tom Conti as the British colonel who knows the language of the Japanese officers there. I'll admit right off the bat that some sequences confused me like the ones of a flashback of Bowie's life before the war concerning his little brother. Had I not read some of the synopsis on Wikipedia, I would have been completely in the dark about that one. Still, this was a mostly compelling drama of the brutality of that time and place. So on that note, I say give Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence a look.

Intriguing but very hard to understand

[trpdean · 2/10 · 31 May 2004]

I saw this in the theater when it came out and I've seen it twice since (including just now).

It's a very confusing movie. I'd recommend it overall for the discussions that will ensue with others after watching -- but I'd certainly also expect viewers to be irritated at some of the scenes and some of the apparent messages of the film.

**** SPOILERS ****

So much of this movie consists of scenes that are contradictory and also terribly hard to relate to any narrative.

For example, we see Captain Yannoi in an early scene furious that Sergeant Hara has allowed a prison guard attempt hara kiri. So why does he later stage that guard committing hara kiri and insist that everyone watch it?

We see repeated flashbacks to the childhood of Jack Celliers and later to his experiences at school. Yet these have no effect that I can see on the narrative in the prison camp.

Why does Celliers: a) come out of the hills to surrender to the Japanese? b) refuse to fight with Captain Yannoi (when Celliers obviously has no problem fighting other Japanese)? If he had no desire to combat the Japanese, then why does he say he was thrilled to enlist when the war came?

Why does Captain Yannoi simply drop the desire to replace the prisoners' leader?

How can the movie pose a moral equivalence between the trial and execution of the brutal and sadistic Sergeant Hara (especially since the war crimes trial undoubtedly had due process -- all such trials did) when the movie has made the contrary point of the unfairness of Celliers' trial when he had no counsel after being taken as a prisoner of war?

At the end of the movie, the brutal war criminal is told that the reason he is to be punished after four sadistic years is because "they think they're absolutely right, just as you thought you were absolutely right - and the truth is we're all wrong". REALLY?

We're all wrong to judge the morality of beheadings, the burial of people alive, random beatings, crippling as punishment?

If so, is there no brutality toward man that is immoral?

And if there do exist things that are wrong, why is it wrong to punish?

Are there no crimes of violence which should ever be punished?

If not, why not?

What is morally equivalent about giving a trial, establishing the facts and then finding that, well, burying others alive is quite wrong, and that the perpetrators should be punished?

Is cruelty really merely a culturally relativist notion? I don't think so. I think it's held the world over.

Otherwise, why would anyone be shocked by the Holocaust? Would this movie not say "it's a German thing; you wouldn't understand"?

Would the movie say that condemnation of the Nazis for attempting to eliminate a whole people is simply due to the fact that we're "absolutely sure we're right to say that millions should NOT be gassed to death - and that's why they're being punished - but of course we're all wrong"?

If we see a man on the street cutting the head off a child, should we deem the man's subsequent punishment to merely reflect a cultural bias against beheadings? The condemnors are merely morally self-righteous judges who don't understand that we are unable to judge the morality of the child's decapitation? And if we do so, we're all wrong?

If such are the movie's messages, I reject them as foul.

**** SPOILERS END ****

The movie is interesting - David Bowie and Tom Conti are excellent. I wish Bowie did more movies, he has a real magnetism on screen. However, don't expect the movie to make a lot of sense.

enters the heart and stays there forever

[rogierr · 25 December 2001]

Do not mistake this masterpiece for a Capra Christmas movie. It is a war film without action (but with atrocities) that opens your eyes and is incredibly versatile and therefore applicable to any war that knows a winner and a loser.

The story is completely about perspectives and motives: power-madness and despair. Some might find MCML hard to stomach while watching, some afterwards. But I say you have to watch it through to appreciate the concepts fully. Moreover, I say you shouldn't vote it before you've seen all of it; that way the rating wouldn't be as low as 6.9. MCML is one of those films that surpass movies like 'Platoon' (Stone, 1986) on any level. Added to all that, it's also beautifully shot by cinematographer Toichiro Naroshima (Double Suicide).

One of the best scores in history of cinema by Ryuichi Sakamoto (also 'Wild Palms' and 'Sheltering Sky'), who not only provides it with his strokes of musical genius, but also plays an important role: the androgynous and curious captain in contrast to the virility of Takeshi Kitano (dir and acted Violent Cop, Brother, Hana Bi) the self-confident and straight-forward sergeant. If you've seen any of Kitano's movies, his character in MCML will gain from that. I guess director Nagisa Oshima (Naked Youth, Gohatto) likes to play with feminine and masculine characters. David Bowie fits in brilliantly from that perspective. His character is the most complex and worked out the deepest. My opinion is that this is his best and most intriguing role so far ('the Man who fell to earth' came close). Conti ('If we'll do it, he'll do it') plays a key figure between the Japanese and the POW.

On which side to lose a war? When to intimidate and when to be intimidated?

Which side are you on anyway? 'There are times victory is very hard to take' - Colonel John Lawrence. Not without reason sergeant Gengo Hara says 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' not: 'Merry Christmas Colonel Lawrence'. Are you intimidated by an initiation? Or still not when you're POW and the only free part of your body is your head? These are questions the film raises. Unfortunately I can't compare the film to the book, because I haven't read it. MCML is immensely powerful, and really underrated. 10/10

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 8 June 2023]

This offers a really poignant look at what we might describe as mutual insanity. "Maj. Celliers" (David Bowie) is convicted by the occupying Japanese on the island of Java on citing rebellion. With hindsight, perhaps he would rather not have been, but he is spared the firing squad and sent to the POW camp of "Col Yonoi" (Ryuichi Sakamoto) who leaves much of the day to day brutality to his henchman "Sgt. Hara" (Takeshi Kitano). Also interned is "Col. Lawrence" (a strong performance from Tom Conti) who knows a thing or two about the culture of their "hosts" and tries, as best he can, to mediate and mitigate their worst excesses. What now ensues depicts the brutality - physical and psychological employed by the sadistic "Hara" whilst interspersed with some retrospectives giving us some of the back-story of "Celliers" and his life of privilege back home. The production is rich and alluring to watch; Bowie and Sakamoto both look beautiful here - and perhaps that adds to the potency of the cruelty of the latter more. The gist of the story calls into question an whole range of emotions from the more visceral to the more profound and though it is probably a bit too long, the powerfully emotive performances are captivating. Bowie maybe wasn't the best actor ever, but here he excels and with Sakamoto provides something real quite thought provoking.

Two pop stars and a comedian turn out to be really good in war atrocity film

[Clive-Silas · 9/10 · 22 May 2003]

When this movie first came out, I remember the movie critics were very snippy about David Bowie's apparently "spaced out" performance. In actual fact he demonstrated an ability to genuinely dig deep into a complex emotional pit to produce an incredibly watchable performance. In addition, the casting of Bowie "against type" enables one to see more in Jack Cellier than the typical quiet British War Hero with a tragic past. Just by dint of his being played by Bowie adds a necessary varnish of mysteriousness and removes the possibility of clichéd playing.

Ryuichi Sakamoto similarly was able to completely subsume his pop-icon persona into a utterly convincing portrayal of an honourable but damaged Japanese army officer. In my view his is one of the greatest performances by a Japanese actor in an English language film. Scenes between Bowie and Sakamoto are rare, but well worth the wait.

Takeshi Kitano (famous Japanese comedian "Beat" Takeshi, more recently a renowned director) brilliantly performs as the typically brutal camp sergeant, and then successfully shows that even this character is not actually all bad: he has a sense of humour; he has a family who miss him.

Tom Conti gave one of his finest film performances as the utterly human liaison officer, the Mr Lawrence of the title. Jack Thompson does the bluff British officer (being Australian, perhaps he overdoes the "Now look heah!" accent a little) - and then, at the point of facing a summary execution, he gives out a harrowing, quavering cry, showing the complete collapse of his stiff upper lip.

It can be difficult to "get" exactly what this movie is about - Cellier and his hunchback brother? Lawrence trying to keep the peace until all his best efforts appear to result in his own death, and how he handles that? The relationship between Cellier and Yonoi? The point is that as a movie, it really doesn't matter. It's an actors' movie, and the best thing is just to watch the brilliant performances.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 30 December 2017]

It was coming up to the festive season, so I wanted to watch a few seasonal films I had never seen before, I assumed, from the title, that this was a Christmas movie, it comes nowhere close, but it didn't stop me watching it, directed by Nagisa Ôshima (In the Realm of the Senses, Gohatto). Basically in 1942, during World War II, in Java, an island in Indonesia, British-New Zealand Major Jack "Straffer" Celliers (David Bowie) arrives in the Japanese POW (Prisoner of War) camp, he has surrendered to avoid the Japanese soldiers murdering local villagers. The camp commander Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto) is sort of fascinated by Jack, he sends him to the infirmary to be treated. Liaison of the prisoners is British officer Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti), he can speak Japanese, often convening with Yonoi and Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi's Castle star Takeshi Kitano). Lawrence has lives with the Japanese for many years, so can understand their culture, it is questioned if Lawrence will one day replace ranking Allied officer and prisoner representative Group Captain Hicksley (Jack Thompson). When rebel Jack leaves the infirmary, he challenges Yonoi, who follows principles of honour and discipline, in Yonoi's view, the prisoners are cowards, choosing to surrender rather than commit suicide, he sees them as weak and dishonourable. As the interpreter, Lawrence tries to explain the Japanese way of thinking, but in doing so he is considered a traitor, but Lawrence see their cruel and bloodthirsty nature. The arrival of Celliers has had an effect on all of the camp, Yonoi believes that Jack is possessed by demons, later as a means of punishment Celliers is buried up to his neck in a pit filled with sand, he is left there to die. Four years later, Hara has learned to speak English, he reminisces with Lawrence about Celliers and Yonoi, he also mentions the amusement of a Christmas Eve, in the end, they bid each other farewell, with Hara saying "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!" Also starring Johnny Ohkura as Kanemoto, Alistair Browning as De Jong, James Malcolm as Celliers' Brother and Chris Broun as Celliers aged 12. The late great Bowie gives a terrific performance as the rebellious soldier, Conti does well as the bilingual prisoner forced to act as intermediary for both sides, and there is good support from Sakamoto, Kitano and Thompson. Admittedly I could not follow everything going on, and not just because of the occasional cuts into Japanese language with subtitles, for example there is the odd dream sequence with Bowie in a school uniform, but is does deliver messages about duty and culpability, and the characters are interesting, overall it is a worthwhile Second World War drama. It won the BAFTA for Best Score for Ryuichi Sakamoto. Good!

What happened here ?

[john-3109 · 10/10 · 15 January 2006]

Loosely based on Lauren's van Der Post's trilogy 'The Seed and The Sower', Nagisa Oshima's English language film (1983) is set on the island of Java in 1942 (during World War II).

Written by Paul Mayersberg and the director, this film explores the situation of English prisoners of war held by the Japanese on the remote island of Java, offshore of Indonesia, and their Japanese captors.

In particular, it tells the story of Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti) - a man like Laurens van Der Post - who has a deep understanding of Japanese culture, but is incarcerated like all the others. A powerful mediator between the English and the Japanese, John Lawrence helps the audience to understand this violent and often perplexing behaviour of their captors.

Captain Yonoi (Ryuchi Sakamoto) shows us the honest, understanding and straightforward face of the educated Japanese officer in these difficult circumstances. Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi Kitano) helps us to understand the rather formal, misguided, traditional non-commissioned officer whose parallel is our own 'Sergeant Major' or 'Drill Sergeant'.

The crisis of cross-cultural understanding is heralded by the arrival of a British soldier who inadvertently conforms to the Japanese ideal of heroism - Major Jack Selliers (David Bowie). In Selliers, even Captain Yonoi, has to sit up and take notice. A very British sense of 'fair play' is somehow paradoxically engendered.

It's not hard to ignore the obvious pop stars, in this great film whose sweep and focus leads us inexorably to confront the painful conflicts of our parents or grandparents, because we cannot help but feel the keen emotions evoked by it.

How hard it is to bear the merciless execution of the violent Sgt Hara, when we truly understand how meekly he accepts it and why.

And what great good fortune that Ryuchi Sakamoto could have written such a haunting musical theme to the movie.. while he was only getting paid for acting !

"Furyo" or "Merry Christmas Mister Lawrence "a movie by Nagisa Osima

[ribeirolouanne · 7/10 · 12 May 2014]

« Senjo no Merry Christmas »

"Merry Christmas Mister Lawrence" is a sentence used twice in the movie in the middle and at the end, in fact during key times. "Furyo" is the European name of the movie; it refers to the Japanese "war prisoners".

Story: The story takes place during World War II in a prisoner camp in Java Island (Indonesia), the camp is led by the Japanese, English and American soldiers are prisoners. Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto) is the director of the camp. He's authoritative, nobody can bear him and all fear him… he embodies the traditional Japanese way of mind, which will be totally jeopardized by a new captive, Jack Celliers (David Bowie) an English soldier. Celliers will defend himself and is state of mind all along the movie. During the movie we follow this total clash of culture between the two soldiers, a clash which will approach them. The two guys… We can notice another duo ,with colonel Jonh Lawrence (Tom Conti) who is able to talk Japanese and sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano), they are in good term but the war create a gap between them…

Characters: 1-David Bowie is major Jack Celliers… I think it's true to say that it is Bowie's best role on screen , however he ranks under the performance of Conti… moreover it's a bit pity that he didn't take part in the film music just because he thought it could discredit his performance…

2- Ryuchi Sakamoto is captain Yonoi, Sakamoto was then considered in Japan as Bowie in the West, he did the soundtrack of the movie. Through him we see all the complexity of the samurai tradition; he doesn't know what to do when facing other customs, there is a part of love and a part of fear; he is already a round character. There are some stereotypes about the Asian performance (for example: the overplay) but here these ones are inexistent he suits the character without any kind of artifact…

3- Tom Conti embodies colonel Lawrence, thanks to this movie Conti received an award for the best actor by the National Board of Review, and I think its nothing for such a good performance …

4- Takeshi Kitano is Sergeant Genjo Hara, he is the one who says "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" , he is the only Japanese who has something… I don't know… human? First we imagine that he is a flat character (mostly because he drinks a lot) but we realize it's wrong, he is a key character in the story

There are many more characters but these ones are the most important. However it's a shame that Conti and Kitano don't appear on the European cove because they are as interesting as Bowie and Sakamoto!

The soundtrack: In this movie you cannot forget to talk about the soundtrack! First: because there are two pop stars in the movie: David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto…and because it's just wonderful. Sure Bowie didn't take parts of it but whoa! I'm just breathtaking by so much emotion just in a song…

Personal opinion :

Sure everything is clever, the actors performance, the different scenes with many long shots which are great, and the soundtrack, sorry The soundtrack! But I don't want to watch it again … I don't know why , I was not so impressed

Excellent movie, excellent music

[Milliardo_Peacecraft · 10/10 · 8 June 2005]

An excellent movie. The relationship between Celliers and Yonoi brought tears almost to my eyes. The depth and feeling of the movie, moved me enormously, especially the final scenes.

The only part I wasn't particularly keen on was of course Bowie as a school boy- that was just strange.

However the movie as a whole was a supremely good one, and Bowie excelled himself. I'm not a huge fan of his movies, but here, he became an actor.

I saw it at Christmas, and it probably made it for me- the scenes of eating the flower, 'Merry Christmas' and the final scene between Yonoi and Bowie

Less difficult than frustrating

[shoobe01-1 · 6/10 · 28 August 2021]

I'll go ahead and be the troublemaker. I didn't think this was especially good. Some brilliant bits, but I was regularly pulled out by:

• Strange editing choices. Plenty of fades to later, fades to black even, that really knocked the tone around a lot.

• All too often by the music. Which is brilliant and immersive sometimes, but then is just suddenly tossed into a silent scene.

• Bowie. A few other acting choices are also odd, but Bowie is very Bowie. Often otherworldly, but he's explicitly (he says so in the flashback, is introduced as a soldier's soldier...) the very model of a modern British gentleman. But... he's not. He's notably weird.

Also, poor audio. Much of the English language is really, really hard to understand and there are no subs. The few bits I can understand are visibly (synch issues, etc) looped which is not conducive to being immersed in a WW2 prison camp.

I also found the themes of cultural variations to be both too on the nose (they talk about it directly!) and unexplored. Lawrence gets it all, but can't make anyone else (English or Japanese) understand so all conversations are just maddening. Maybe that's the point. I also thought there was a huge missed opportunity that they are in another country, and they have a fourth nationality (Koreans) as guards also. These are all explicitly true facts and... entirely ignored.

Another Unknown Gem

[DD-931 · 10/10 · 13 March 2002]

How this film has become so forgotten is one of the great mysteries of cinema history. It is the best film of 1983 (although I suppose you can argue that 1983 wasn't a great year for films).

Tom Conti himself is an actor people seem to have forgotten about, but he does superb work, and his Col Lawrence is one of his best performances. Bowie, Sakamoto, Thompson...this is simply one well-acted movie. And one of the things I truly appreciate about it is its compassion for every character, Japanese and British/Australian. For me, the great tragedy it explores is how lack of understanding between countries and people can create so much death and destruction. Boy, you can't get any more relevant than that.

Couple that with the fact that this has one of the best film scores in film history, and you've got a cinematic experience not to be missed.

The word definitely needs to get out about this movie. It's so frustrating to me to know that what I'm saying here will likely only be read by people who already know about this film. Oh, well.

And yes, I did cry at the end of this movie. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!"

A very different 'POW' movie

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 3 January 2023]

Capt. Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto), a tough, traditional, but conflicted Japanese POW-camp commander deals with his growing fascination with Australian prisoner Jack Celliers (David Bowie) and with Japanese-speaking prisoner John Lawrence (Tom Conti), who struggles to keep his fellow inmates safe and to remind the Japanese of their responsibilities towards their captives. Conti is very good but I never found Bowie to ring true as a tough soldier (neither his character's behaviour nor 'look'). The story is meandering but interesting, especially the ending, but the diversion into Celliers' past adds little and padded a somewhat excessive 123 minute running time. Nagisa Oshima's direction is fine and Ryuichi Sakamoto's unusual score adds a lot to the film's often depressing mood. Worth watching as a change from the usual 'POW narrative' of resourceful resistance and escape.

Japanese war crimes partially sanitized

[fred-houpt · 5/10 · 10 October 2013]

I finally watched this yesterday and I am going to go out on a limb and register my disappointment with the film. When you look back on a film made when Bowie was at his peak, you have to consider his star power in being cast in a Japanese film. He is a fine actor and his work, small in number, is good enough to consider watching in other films. I feel that he was miscast for this film or put another way round, was cast because he was the blue eyed wonder boy from British pop. I mean, a English pop star in the same film as a Japanese pop star? Flags should have gone up on that. In Bowie's defence, he's not given a lot of latitude to move around in his role or much in the way of dialogue. He is used to glare at the camera a lot or else munch on flowers in a grotesque scene that, if important, passes over our heads. Conti is an excellent actor but what drove me nuts was his smirk or smile or fawning good humour with his Japanese tormentors, who were regularly killing soldiers. It made very little sense in the context of what camp life was really like for POW's.

The flashback scenes to Cellier's childhood made little sense. What are we to make of this other than he has feelings of guilt, for having been such a cold hearted jack ass to his kid brother? So what are we to make of this guilt? It is not developed in a direct and full manner in the film. I mean, if you want to coat the film with Shakespearean drama, then do something with the guilt. Nothing; and so, it makes little sense.

Which leads me to a deeper sense of disappointment. I might be dead wrong, but I had the sense throughout the whole film that the really shocking horrors of what the Japanese really did to prisoners were bleached a bit, sanitized to make the film more palatable to the Japanese market. It is fairly well known that the Japanese to this date have not dealt with their war crimes in a full face on mea culpa. Not even close to the soul cleansing that the German people have done and seen in their movies and literature. Go and ask the South Koreans, Chinese or Vietnamese what they think of the Japanese, especially about their war crimes and you'll get a totally different perspective than this film shows. I mean, it is not that Japanese films cannot be bloodily and bluntly honest. Most of Kurosawa's films are unsentimental, brutal and fearless in depicting the savagery of the Japanese warrior.

Consider then, what this topic would look like if made by a British director, who might have known Brits who survived a Japanese concentration camp? I dare say that the drama would not have been so ambiguous, teetering as it does several times, on the travails of a camp commander as he has his Shakespearean moments of doubt. I was so sick and tired of the commandants pouting facial gestures and his childish tirades. If you really want a taste of what these camps were like then forget about this rather silly film. Read the book "Unbroken". It is a stupendous book on all levels and it covers the survival of a man in the midst of the most brutal, savage and bestial actions, that take place in a Japanese POW camp. That is the real heart of darkness and it is watered down in this film. I was not impressed. "The Bridge over the River Kwai" is far superior. This film should be remade and not by a Japanese director, with all due respects to some of their excellent cinema.