Release date (UK DVD) – 24th October 2011Certificate (UK) – 15
Country – UK/Japan
Director – Nagisa Ôshima
Runtime – 179 minutes
Starring – David Bowie, Tom Conti and Ryûichi Sakamoto
First released in 1983 Optimum Releasing are releasing a UK Blu-ray of Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
that preserves the film’s original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Nagisa
Oshima’s film is perhaps one of the most unusual and touching prisoner
of war drama’s ever released, the film’s unique charm helped enormously
by the rather brilliant casting of David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto in
lead roles. Bowie was one of the (if not the biggest) names in Western
music at the time and the same could be said for Sakamoto in the East.
The film follows the course of four men within a Japanese prisoner of
war camp during World War 2, Lieutenant Lawrence (Tom Conti) his
unusual relationship with a harsh but humane prison guard (“Beat”
Takeshi) and the upheaval which occurs when the rebellious, charismatic
and haunted Major Jack Celliers arrives in the camp and locks horns
with Captain Yonoi (Sakamoto) the camp commander who grows obsessed with
him.
In lesser hands this could have have become something trite, like an oriental war prison version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, but as Oshima based it on a real life prisoner of war’s memoir The Seed And The Sower
it has a power, a reality and a humanity to it. Deliciously weighty it
deals with the personal, cultural and sexual conflicts of men at
war with themselves and each other. Themes of obsession, friendship,
honor, loyalty and identity are present and for the most part, it
examines them in an interesting and constantly thought provoking way.
The cast are more than up to the task.
Bowie a space oddity at the best of times, owning the screen anytime he
appears on it, whether it’s fixing his strange blue/brown eyes on Yonoi
(to Yonoi’s discomfort) or merrily chewing up flowers like some sort of
strange Cool Hand Luke
in the orient. He’s a strange choice for the role, and yet at the same
time perfect, embodying that stiff British upper lip and turning it to
defiant rebellion. Sakamoto doesn’t have the same sort of magnetism,
but like the audience he falls under Bowies spell and for his first big
role, Sakamoto does well. Tom Conti’s role is not as flashy as Bowies
but he centers the whole film with a constant air of wry bemusement, and
it’s possible one of his greatest roles. In fact his relationship with
Takeshi is the heart of the film, the axis on which everything else
pivots. “Beat” Takeshi is now a familiar foreign film star known for his
idiosyncratic films and simmering intensity, and he remains
unforgettable in what was his first dramatic role. At the time the film
was released in Asia he was better known as a TV host and stand up
comedian, and many audiences in fact refused to accept him in a dramatic
role, often laughing when he came onscreen, but there’s nothing
laughable about the grace and simplicity of his performance.
The
films soundtrack was also composed by Sakamoto and like everything else
about the film, is as enchanting as it is off of center. The theme tune
is a thing of beauty, as memorable as any of that of John Williams, and
helps tie up the films culture clash thematics in one indelible melody.
The flashback to Bowie’s past, while
touchingly preformed, simply doesn’t work that well as you can’t accept
the adult Bowie as an 18 year old schoolboy, especially not in the old
fashioned public school uniform and the film veers a bit too far into
melodrama at times (especially at the end) but it’s to be commended for
tackling such difficult themes and for taking a very unusual, and
grounded look at what it’s like to be a prisoner of war. A haunting,
haunted and memorable film.
The Blu-ray also has some great special
features including an except from a documentary on Takeshi’s career, an
interview with Sakamoto and The Oshima Gang which is a fun vintage
making of segement on the film.
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence is out on Double Play on October 24th – order it here
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