IMDb RATING
7.2/10
21K
YOUR RATING
During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 10 wins & 8 nominations total
Takeshi Kitano
- Hara
- (as Takeshi)
Yûya Uchida
- Commandant of Military Prison
- (as Yuya Uchida)
Ryûnosuke Kaneda
- President of the Court
- (as Ryunosuke Kaneda)
Takashi Naitô
- Lieutenant Iwata
- (as Takashi Naito)
Rokkô Toura
- Interpreter
- (as Rokko Toura)
Yûji Honma
- PFC Yajima
- (as Yuji Honma)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to David Bowie, Nagisa Ôshima directed the Japanese actors with great detail. But when it came to the British actors, they were told to "do whatever it is you people do".
- GoofsIn the final scene in the prison cell, the cross belt of Lt Col Lawrence's Sam Browne is fitted back to front.
- Quotes
Col. John Lawrence: You are the victim of men who think they are right... Just as one day you and captain Yonoi believed absolutely that you were right. And the truth is of course that nobody is right...
- ConnectionsFeatured in David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto: Forbidden Colours (1983)
- SoundtracksRide, Ride, Ride (Celliers' Brother's Song)
Composed by Stephen McCurdy
Featured review
SPOILER: I saw this movie when it came out more than 17 years ago. At the time a big deal was made about David Bowie being in it. He is, and does a fine job, but the movie isn't about his character. It is far more about the differences between East and West, and the cruelty of war. I was able to see it again last week on a cable channel.
To fully appreciate MCMR, try to understand the culture of both the captors and the prisoners at the time. To the prisoners, their existence in the camp is an unfortunate result of war, and should be temporary and not a life or death experience. To the Japanese captors, the prisoners who surrendered rather than died fighting are cowards, beneath the notice of the captors and likely not even viewed as human beings. They are expendable. But first, in this particular camp, there is an effort to "educate" the prisoners about the way a *true* warrior lives life (and dies). That is where the true conflict begins.
There are multiple physical and psychological struggles going on in MCMR. There is even some homoeroticism, though it isn't fully explained. There is certainly a lot of sadness, for characters on both sides. This point is brought home at the end, when the roles are reversed for two of the characters.
Even today, I can hum several parts of the score to MCMR, and they make me melancholy as I recall scenes from the movie. If you like movies that delve into the darker side of the human spirit (with some lightness thrown in), check out MCML. I rated it an 8.
To fully appreciate MCMR, try to understand the culture of both the captors and the prisoners at the time. To the prisoners, their existence in the camp is an unfortunate result of war, and should be temporary and not a life or death experience. To the Japanese captors, the prisoners who surrendered rather than died fighting are cowards, beneath the notice of the captors and likely not even viewed as human beings. They are expendable. But first, in this particular camp, there is an effort to "educate" the prisoners about the way a *true* warrior lives life (and dies). That is where the true conflict begins.
There are multiple physical and psychological struggles going on in MCMR. There is even some homoeroticism, though it isn't fully explained. There is certainly a lot of sadness, for characters on both sides. This point is brought home at the end, when the roles are reversed for two of the characters.
Even today, I can hum several parts of the score to MCMR, and they make me melancholy as I recall scenes from the movie. If you like movies that delve into the darker side of the human spirit (with some lightness thrown in), check out MCML. I rated it an 8.
- How long is Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
- Filming locations
- Rarotonga, Cook Islands(prisoners camp in Java)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,306,560
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $99,221
- Aug 28, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $2,307,000
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) officially released in India in English?
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