Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- David BowieCelliers
- Tom ContiLawrence
- Ryuichi SakamotoYonoi
- Takeshi KitanoHara
- Jack ThompsonHicksley
- Johnny OhkuraKanemoto
- Alistair BrowningDe Jong
- James MalcolmCelliers' Brother
- Chris BrounCelliers (12 Years)
- Yuya UchidaCommandant of Military Prison
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
Oshima's ambitious film is not without faults, but these are overshadowed by its emotional power. - 70
Village Voice
From Oshima’s later career (after one stroke, he made 1999’s Taboo; after two strokes, it’s unclear whether he’ll direct again), most notable is this bilingual, end-of-WWII tearjerker about forgiveness and understanding between cultures, which could have been dubbed The Man Who Fell to Java. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
It's awkward, not because of the subject matter, but because of the contrasting acting styles. Here are two men trying to communicate in a touchy area and they behave as if they're from different planets. - 60
Empire
As an exploration of cultural discord, Nagisa Oshima's film is pretty thin stuff, despite its reputation. Bowie is a potent irritant, but Tom Conti is solid in support and Sakamoto's mesmerising score sparkles anew. - 60
The New York Times
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is closer to a curiosity than to a triumph, though its conception is certainly ambitious. - 50
Chicago Reader
The elliptical narrative centers on the unspoken erotic attraction between Sakamoto and Bowie, and Oshima appears to be treating ideas of elegantly transmogrified, purified emotions, yet the context and frequent incontinence of the execution bring the film uncomfortably close to the pseudophilosophical bondage fantasies of Yukio Mishima. - 50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The less-than-original theme is illuminated with grace and insight, with sensuality and spirituality, and Oshima stumbles only twice. Unfortunately, the missteps are major. [16 Sep 1983] - 50
Miami Herald
Oshima, the director who was once celebrated for the elaborately scandalous eroticism of In the Realm of the Senses, is here merely impenetrable -- though whatever it is that Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is about, Oshima does seem to mean it. [30 Sep 1983, p.D2]
