Review of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) by Brandon S — 15 Mar 2010

I always wanted to see this and I finally did. It is a very underrated film and not one you will probably find at a local video rental store. What I love about this movie is that its far different from what one normally categorize as a "war film.

" The movie centers around a group of military men in a prison camp (two of these men played by legendary musicians David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto). It's quite difficult to describe this because its like an onion with several layers that need to be peeled back.

There are multiple stories being told here, whether it be Major Cellier's desire to make things right with his brother, Captain Yonoi's unusual attraction to Major Celliers, or the culture barrier that exists between the Japanese and English soldiers.

The movie is great because all the actors bring so much emotion to their characters and as a result you fall in love with them. Even if you may not like Sergeant Hara, you see his human side towards the end as he and Colonel Lawrence form a friendship despite being on opposite sides of World War II.

But one thing that cannot go unnoticed is the fantastic score, which was composed almost entirely by Sakamoto himself, and makes the film that much better. The movie did drag on a bit and was quite strange, but who says strange is a bad thing? Although it is dated by today's standards, I think it is worth watching if one is presented with the opportunity.