Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

Plot synopsis:
The film deals with the relationships among four men in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the Second World War — Major Jack Celliers (Bowie), a rebellious South African with a guilty secret from his youth; Captain Yonoi (Sakamoto), the young camp commandant; Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence (Conti), a British officer who has lived in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently; and Sergeant Hara (Takeshi), who is seemingly brutal and yet humane in some ways and with whom Lawrence develops a peculiar friendship.
Just as Celliers is tormented with guilt, Yonoi is haunted with shame. Having been posted to Manchuria previously, he was unable to be in Tokyo with his Army comrades, the "Shining Young Officers" of Japan's February 26 Incident, a 1936 military coup d'état. When the coup failed, the young army officers were executed. Yonoi regrets not being able to share their patriotic sacrifice. Jack Celliers had betrayed his younger brother while the two of them were attending boarding school in South Africa. Although Celliers confesses this only to Lawrence, Captain Yonoi senses in Celliers a kindred spirit. He wants to replace British RAAF Group Captain Hicksley (the ranking Allied officer and prisoner representative) with Celliers as the spokesman for the prisoners.
As Celliers is interned in the camp, Yonoi seems to develop a homoerotic fixation with him, often asking Hara about him, silently visiting him in the small hours when Celliers is confined. However, later on, Yonoi becomes enraged by Celliers' behaviour and has him and Lawrence thrown into the punishment cells under the charge of possessing a radio. Celliers, who is known by the nickname of "Strafer" Jack (a strafer is a "soldier's soldier"), instigates a small number of rebellious actions, one of which is supplying the men with food after their rations have been suspended for two days for their actions during a seppuku of a Korean guard, which Yonoi deems as "spiritually lazy". Yonoi's batman (personal servant) suspects the mental hold that Celliers has on Yonoi so he tries to kill Celliers but fails in the attempt. Celliers manages to escape his cell and rescues Lawrence, only to be thwarted by Yonoi unexpectedly. Yonoi challenges Celliers to single combat saying "If you defeat me, you will be free" but Celliers refuses, thrusting his prior assailant's bayonet into the sand. Yonoi's batman then commits seppuku in atonement after urging Yonoi to kill Celliers before Celliers can destroy Yonoi.
A transmission radio is later discovered in the possession of the POWs by the Japanese when Celliers deliberately broke the ration suspension, with Celliers and Lawrence forced to take the blame. Thrown into nearby holding cells, the two men reminiscence about their pasts before their planned execution. During Christmas Eve, a drunken Sergeant Hara orders both Celliers and Lawrence to be brought to him. Hara then tells them that he is playing "Santa Claus," and orders for their release due to another prisoner confessing to having been responsible for the radio. As the men leave, he then calls out for the first time in English, "Merry Christmas, Lawrence!"
Although Yonoi was shocked at Sergeant Hara's release of both Celliers and Lawrence, Sergeant Hara is only mildly reprimanded by Yonoi for exceeding his authority and was to be redeployed elsewhere (with some of the prisoners) to oversee the construction of an airstrip. Hicksley, constantly worried that Yonoi wanted to replace him as the POW camp commander then demanded an explanation.
Furious that Hicksley pressed for an answer (and at the same time consistently denying Yonoi the information that he seeks), the whole camp is paraded on Yonoi's order. All prisoners are prompted to form lines outside the barracks, including sick and moribund ones. The climax of the film is reached when Yonoi is ready to kill the POW's commander for not having all the men present for parade. Celliers breaks the rank and walks decisively in Yonoi's direction, between him and the man about to be executed and ends up resolutely kissing Yonoi on each cheek with a straight face. This is an unbearable offence to Yonoi's bushido honor code; he reaches out for his katana against Celliers, only to collapse under the conflicting feelings of vindicating himself from the offence suffered in front of his troops and his own feelings for Celliers. Celliers is then attacked and beaten up by the Japanese soldiers.
Captain Yonoi himself is then due to be redeployed and his successor who declares that "he is not as sentimental as Captain Yonoi" immediately has Celliers buried in the ground up to his neck as a means of punishment and then left to die. Captain Yonoi goes to Celliers when there is no one around and cuts a lock of hair. He then pays his respects and leaves, and Celliers dies shortly afterwards.
In 1946, four years later, Lawrence visits Sergeant Hara, who has now been imprisoned by the Allied forces. Hara has learned to speak English while in captivity and reveals that he is going to be executed the next day for war crimes, stating that he is not afraid to die, but doesn't understand how his actions were any different from those of any other soldier. Lawrence tells him that Yonoi had given him a lock of Celliers' hair and told him to take it to his village in Japan, where he should place it in a shrine. Hara reminisces about Celliers and Yonoi. It is revealed that Yonoi himself was executed just before the war ended. Hara reminisces about that Christmas Eve and both are very much amused. The two bid each other farewell for the last time and just before Lawrence leaves, Hara calls out again, "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!"

Tags: violence, cruelty, murder, sadist, flashback

Review:
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.
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.
The film starts off with Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano walking into a hut and waking up Col. Lawrence (played by Tom Conti).
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.
Based on Laurens van der Post's "The Seed and the Sower", "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" is an involving, almost unbearably moving and incredibly humane film.
While Bowie toplines, the real star is Tom Conti as the eponymous British Officer trying to reconcile his respect for Japanese culture and innate humanity with the barbarity of the POW camp.
Bowie has often been criticised for his acting, yet aside from a rather laughable flashback sequence where he impersonates a schoolboy, he is convincing as a mysterious and spirited "soldier's soldier" who has a beguiling effect on the young officer commanding the camp, played by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who quotes Shakespeare and issues brutal orders in almost the same breath.Sakamoto, who is also a pioneer of electronic music with the Yellow Magic Orchestra,  also wrote the soundtrack, including the famous "Forbidden Colours" theme (you probably know this even if you don't know where it's from) which conjures up the atmosphere of regret, lost love and repressed heartbreak in which we see the strange, unrequited love of Sakamoto's character for Bowie's.
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Two superstars of the rock era at that time from west and orient respectively, David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto's personal charisma works as the pillar of the film, their mutual feelings are constructed with an authentic and credible procedure, so that the whole film is way above just an unrequited love story.The background of Bowie's character with his relationship with his younger brother in their childhood is deftly portrayed too, which renders audiences another prospect which contrasts the Japanese prison camp setting.
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.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence shows the Japanese after the World War II and their British prisoners.
Commando Major Jack Celliers (David Bowie) is a British who is now captured by Japanese forces in the P.O.W. camp under the supervision of the idealistic young camp commandant, Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto).
The main conflict in the film lays between Jack Celliers, a captured English soldier played by David Bowie, and Yonoi, a captain in the Japanese military.
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.
As a matter of fact, I cannot forget the line "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", in Japanese accent, by one of the prison guards, listening the film main musical theme behind..
Cryptic Jack Celliers (Bowie) joins the titular Lawrence (Conti) and his crew of British soldiers under the auspices of the jocular Hara (Kitano) and Yonoi (pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto, pulling double duties as the composer).
Celliers and Yonoi's ambivalent relationship moves the film along while the Japanese-speaking and mannered Lawrence constantly bickers with Hara about equal treatment.The film has a definitive Western feel in the setting up of the story.
Bowie plays captured South African officer Jack Celliers, acting-up in a Japanese PoW camp in Java, 1942, in this torrid culture-clash drama-cum-psychological study adapted from 'The Seed And The Sower' by Prince Charles's friend and guru Laurens Van Der Post.
Bowie - sorry, Celliers - is so incredibly fanciable that even repressed young camp commandant Captain Yonoi (The Yellow Magic Orchestra's Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also composed the haunting score) can't tear his eyes away from him.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, directed by Nagisa Oshima and produced by Jeremy Thomas is about the relationships among Japanese prisoner of war during World War II.
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.
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.
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 inadvertantly conforms to the Japanese ideal of heroism - Major Jack Selliers (David Bowie).
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..
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..
Set in Japanese POW camp during WWII the film tells a story of soldiers from two cultures so different they are like aliens from another planet.
There is a homoerotic tension between one English POW ( David Bowie) and the camp commander ( Ryuichi Sakamoto) throughout the movie that creates angst and suspense, I thought the film told a moving story of humanity in an hellish situation with impressive cinematography and an amazing soundtrack that really added something special to the experience.
It's not a war film, it's not even an adventure tale, it's really just a waste of two hours of film footage mainly showing people talking to each other.I can only remember a scene in which David Bowie, as a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp, eats some flowers.
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.
Although a fan of both Bowie and Sakamoto's music I had my doubts about their abilities to play the complex characters of Jack Celliers and Captain Yonoi.
**SPOILERS BELOW** Fueled by Ryuichi Sakamoto's exquisite score, "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" is a strange and moody film that examines the tensions between self and group, masculinity and femininity, and spirituality and materiality  all in the peculiar context of a WWII prisoner-of-war camp.
Both men are firmly grounded  their final concerns are with the business of war, with the here and now.The second pair is comprised of English major Jack Celliers and his Japanese counterpart Captain Yonoi, whose preoccupations are with more spiritual matters.
However, with the violent Hara, who beats both prisoners and his own men mercilessly, peace is tenuous at best.Things in the camp truly change with the arrival of Maj. Jack Celliers, David Bowie, who Yonoi took a bit of a shine to when the former was on trial.
This film is amazing not only because of Kitano's chilling performance as Sgt.Hara, but Bowie does great as Celliers and Tom Conti is too good to miss.
The story i think is something very original from other WW2 movies and gives a better example of the triumph of the human spirit within such a confined a violent place better than any other war/prison film.The last ever scene with Conti and Kitano is enough for easily flowing tears,the friendship that has grown between them both and knowing that Hara is going to die is so heartbreaking.Much like John Coffey in 'The Green Mile' and Aileen Wournos in 'Monster'.
John Lawrence, a British officer who lived in Japan before the war and speaks fluent Japanese; Major Jack Celliers, a recent arrival who somehow captivates the camp commandant; Capt.
Director Nagisa Ôshima did a great job getting fine performances from all of the protagonists; Tom Conti is nicely understated as Lawrence; a voice of reason in and insane situation; David Bowie as an ethereal quality as Celliers, Takeshi Kitano manages to make Sgt. Hara a sympathetic character despite his sometimes brutal action and Ryûichi Sakamoto is fine as the conflicted Yonio.
It's become something of a Christmas tradition of mine, to wait up till 3am to catch Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, one I hope will continue, even though I now have the DVD.It's a truly excellent film, based on the equally thought provoking books: The Seed and the Sower, and the Bar of Shadow by Sir Laurens van der Post.The plot is simple enough- an English prisoner of war (Mr Lawrence) is the eyes through the which the Japanese prisoner of war camp is seen in it's brutal simplicity.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is a grim look at a Japanese prisoners-of-war camp during World War II.
Throughout the film, there is some undefined tension between Japanese Captain Yonoi and British Major Jack Celliers who was under captivity.
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.
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.
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?
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is about two British soldiers, John Lawrence and Jack Celliers, who are prisoners of war in a Japanese camp during World War II.
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.
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..
WE ALL know about Bowie - I've seen HIM in full drag.You guys are right: the film does show how brutal the Japanese soldiers were-are (?).
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.
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).
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is was good Japanese/British Drama Christmas movie in World War II and friendship.Storyline is drama, characters is good, and acting done well