1983 | Approved | 2h 3m | Drama, War
As with many cinephiles who love war films, I’ve always enjoyed those that are set against the backdrop of World War II, particularly the Pacific Theater. The films that feature American dealings with the Japanese are more interesting because the cultural clash is much more pronounced.
So I was looking forward to the World War II prisoner of war (POW) drama “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” by celebrated Japanese director Nagisa Oshima. Since one of the finest WWII films I’ve ever seen, “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” is also set in a Japanese POW camp, the bar was set pretty high.
Oshima’s 1983 effort is based on the books, “The Seed and the Sower” (1963) and “The Night of the New Moon” (1970), by former Japanese POW prisoner Sir Laurens van der Post.
The film is set in 1942 at a prison camp on the Japanese-occupied island of Java. The commander of the prison camp is Capt. Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto), who oversees things along with his right-hand man, Sgt. Hara (Takeshi Kitano). As followers of the strict honor code of bushido, the Japanese consider their Western prisoners to be less than human since they allowed themselves to be captured, instead of being killed in combat or killing themselves.
However, Yonoi has a special relationship with Lt. Col. John Lawrence (Tom Conti), who is the only prisoner who speaks Japanese. Lawrence is also on good terms with Hara, who is frequently at odds with the rest of the prisoners. While Hara seeks to maintain order over the prisoners, sometimes through force, Lawrence is on hand to ease relations between the prisoners and their captors. Together, the men manage to keep a shaky balance at the prison camp.
This harried harmony is thrown out of whack when Yonoi is ordered to preside over the military trial of a captive named Major Jack Celliers (David Bowie). Yonoi is impressed by Celliers’s fortitude and decides to spare his life instead of having him executed.
From the outset, it’s apparent that Yonoi is fascinated by Celliers, although he only divulges this information to Hara. Yonoi feels shame and guilt for not being among his rebellious colleagues during a failed coup d'état (a historic event known as the “February 26 incident”) that saw them all die. Yonoi senses a similar vibe in Celliers.
As Yonoi’s fondness for Celliers grows, one of the commander’s subordinates attempts to kill the prisoner in order to not only restore balance to the prison camp but spare Yonoi from dishonor. However, Celliers wakes up just in time to avoid being killed and manages to escape, along with Lawrence.
Multi-Faceted Characters
I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Since Bowie was one of the biggest pop-rock stars at the time the film was made, I thought his performance might not measure up to those of the other actors, particularly Conti and Kitano. However, Bowie is quite capable as the inscrutable Maj. Lawrence.Bowie’s different colored eyes also add to the character’s mystique, almost making him seem otherworldly in certain scenes. So, while I don’t think that any Oscar-hopefuls that year were exactly quivering in their boots, Bowie’s acting in this movie is fine.
While it might not quite be up to “Kwai” in terms of filmmaking, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” is still an experience that is very much its own animal. One thing that both films have in common is that they portray the Japanese somewhat as people with good and bad sides. And that holds true for the entire cast. So, instead of seeing one-dimensional automatons, we get to enjoy multifaceted characters who interact with each other in interesting ways, and the overall experience is better for it.
