Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

"Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit."

1983 2h 4m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 550🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●53Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 22,152

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.”

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Cast

David Bowie
Celliers
Tom Conti
Lawrence
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Yonoi
Takeshi Kitano
Hara
Jack Thompson
Hicksley
Johnny Ohkura
Kanemoto
Alistair Browning
De Jong
James Malcolm
Celliers' Brother

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nagisa Ōshima
Writers: Nagisa Ōshima, Paul Mayersberg
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nagisa Ōshima, shot by Tōichirō Narushima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tomoyo Oshima shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Bowie and Tom Conti and Ryuichi Sakamoto carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nagisa Ōshima directs. Tōichirō Narushima behind the camera. Ryuichi Sakamoto scores. Tomoyo Oshima cuts. Produced in Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3International production across 3 countries: Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Nagisa Ōshima, shot by Tōichirō Narushima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tomoyo Oshima shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7David Bowie and Tom Conti and Ryuichi Sakamoto carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.".
9IMDB entry: tt0085933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "based on novel or book", "war crimes", "world war ii", "prisoner of war".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tōichirō Narushima
Original score: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Editing: Tomoyo Oshima
Production design: Shigemasa Toda
Makeup / hair: Robern Pickering
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,306,560
Original language: JA
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 53/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 22,152 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Award10 wins & 8 nominations total

Also by

Nagisa Ōshima

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-14
★ 7/10
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 really quite thought provoking.

Production companies