THE CHRISTMAS FILM: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. 1983, 118’, DigiBeta, Spanish subtitles.

The island of Java, 1942. A prisoner of war camp, run by Captain Yonoi, a rigid, severe man for whom only Japanese culture and ideals are valid. Under his orders, Sergeant Hara brutally maintains discipline. Just one prisoner, Lawrence, is able to talk to the Japanese.

25 years ago, Nagisa Oshima decided to adapt the autobiographical book by Sir Laurens van der Post, The Seed and the Sower, which gave him an ideal opportunity to explore the problem of the clash between cultures, and between East and West.

This film reminds us that there are different Christmases for everyone; some live theirs in a nightmare world, in poverty, at war, in a concentration camp, as happens in Oshima’s film. A place where winners and losers alike live in extreme circumstances that stretch them to their limits. And it is at these extremes that unexpected bonds tend to form between human beings.

Don’t miss the final exchange between Lawrence and Sergeant Hara; it’s one of those endings that stays with you and makes you think, in this case about the absurdity of war. And Ryuichi Sakamoto’s fabulous score is unforgettable.

Director: Nagisa Oshima
Screenplay: Paul Mayersberg / Nagisa Oshima / Laurens Van der Post
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Actors:
David Bowie - Major Jack 'Strafer' Celliers
Tom Conti - Colonel John Lawrence
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Captain Yonoi
Takeshi Kitano - Sergeant Gengo Hara (as Takeshi)