X
- 1983
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 3 m
- 1983
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 3 m
Summary During W.W. II, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British P.O.W. and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid blood-shed.
Directed By: Nagisa Ôshima
Written By: Paul Mayersberg, Lourens van der Post, Nagisa Ôshima
- 1983
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 3 m
- 1983
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 3 m
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
53
6.6
Summary During W.W. II, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British P.O.W. and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid blood-shed.
Directed By: Nagisa Ôshima
Written By: Paul Mayersberg, Lourens van der Post, Nagisa Ôshima
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
53
31% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
69% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
53
31% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
69% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Oshima's ambitious film is not without faults, but these are overshadowed by its emotional power.
From Oshima’s later career (after one stroke, he made 1999’s Taboo; after two strokes, it’s unclear whether he’ll direct again), most notable is this bilingual, end-of-WWII tearjerker about forgiveness and understanding between cultures, which could have been dubbed The Man Who Fell to Java.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 User Ratings
6.6
60% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 User Ratings
6.6
60% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is closer to a curiosity than to a triumph, though its conception is certainly ambitious.
The weakest point is its construction, sturdy and compact up to the point when it has to use flashbacks in order to explain the British side of the allegory.
The less-than-original theme is illuminated with grace and insight, with sensuality and spirituality, and Oshima stumbles only twice. Unfortunately, the missteps are major. [16 Sep 1983]
It's like nothing you've seen before. Yet, over all, the story it tells seems predictable, secondhand, and its "profound" revelations hackneyed. [12 Sep 1983, p.88]
The web of relationships between English and Japanese is too schematic in its polarisation of characters, Oshima's handling of the narrative is not so much elliptical as awkward, and Bowie's performance is embarrassingly wooden.
Production Company
National Film Trustee Company,
Antares-Nova,
Recorded Picture Company (RPC),
Oshima Productions,
Asahi National Broadcasting Company,
Broadbank Investments
Release Date Sep 2, 1983
Duration 2 h 3 m
Rating R
Tagline They were all honorable men. But all what they did that can be done name of honor
Awards
Awards of the Japanese Academy
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
Mainichi Film Concours
• 5 Wins & 5 Nominations
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
