Cinema Abroad

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Sponsored by:
Clyde Coffee

In this captivating, skewed World War II drama from Nagisa Oshima, David Bowie regally embodies Celliers, a British officer interned by the Japanese as a POW. Rock star Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also composed this film’s hypnotic score) plays the camp commander, obsessed with the mysterious blond major, while Tom Conti is the British lieutenant colonel Lawrence, who tries to bridge the emotional and language divides between captor and prisoner. Also featuring actor-director Takeshi Kitano in his first dramatic role, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale of culture clash, and one of Oshima’s greatest successes.

Sponsored by Clyde Coffee!

Cast: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Written by: Nagisa Oshima
Rated: R
Duration: 123 min
Released: 1983
Genre: War, Drama
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Country: Japan

Cinema Abroad

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence