Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

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Cast

David Bowie
as Maj. Jack 'Strafer' Celliers

Tom Conti
as Col. John Lawrence

Ryuichi Sakamoto
as Capt. Yonoi

Takeshi Kitano
as Sgt. Gengo Hara

Jack Thompson
as Hicksley-Ellis

Johnny Okura
as Kanemoto

Alistair Browning
as DeJong

James Malcolm
as Celliers' brother

Christopher Broun
as Celliers (age 12)

Yuya Uchida
as Military Prison Commandant

Ryunosuke Kaneda
as President of the Court

Takashi Naitô
as Lt. Iwata

Taketoshi Naito
as Lt. lwata

Tamio Ishikura
as Prosecutor

Rokko Toura
as Interpreter

Kan Mikami
as Lt. Ito

Chris Broun
as Jack (boy)

Yuji Honma
as Pfc. Yajima

Christopher Brown
as Celliers at Age 12

Daisuke Iijima
as Cpl. Ueki

Hideo Murota
as New Camp Commandant

Barry Dorking
as Chief Doctor

Geoff Clendon
as Australian Doctor

Grant Bridger
as P.O.W. Officer

Richard Adams
as P.O.W.

Marcus Campbell Sinclair
as P.O.W.

Colin Francis
as P.O.W.

Richard Hoare
as P.O.W.

Martin Ibbertson
as P.O.W.

Marc Berg
as P.O.W.

Rob Jayne
as P.O.W.

Richard Mills
as P.O.W.

Mark Penrose
as P.O.W.

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Critic Reviews for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Audience Reviews for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

• Apr 15, 2013

  An interesting yet tonally and structurally uneven POW drama from acclaimed Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is enjoyable in various areas, but mainly too strange and off-putting to merit a second watch. And it's a shame because David Bowie gives probably his best performance in it.
  Stephen E Super Reviewer
• Feb 28, 2013

  A very unconventional film. It adds to the canon of films depicting Japanese POW camps quite interestingly. It borders on an almost insane direction but it ultimately rewarding.
  

  John B Super Reviewer
• Jul 19, 2011

  It is 1942 in a Japanese prisoner or war camp in Java. Sergeant Hara(Takeshi Kitano) summons Colonel Lawrence(Tom Conti) to see Kanemoto(Johnny Ohkura), a Korean guard, commit seppuku for sodomizing De Jong(Alistair Browning), a Dutch prisoner, because according to Hara, you cannot understand the Japanese until you have witnessed it. Luckily, Captain Yonoi(Ryuichi Sakamato) interrupts, saying the matter will have to wait until he gets back. The matter in question is a military trial in Batavia of Major Celliers(David Bowie) who Lawrence was acquainted with in Libya. Along the lines of the analysis given in the film "Fear and Trembling"(thanks for giving away the ending, by the way), I would have to say that the message of the very much flawed and unfocused film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is that under different circumstances the English and Japanese characters could have been friends which is possible I suppose. But sadly the movie does not stir the emotions well enough to be truly considered anti-war, like the far superior "Grand Illusion." In fact, I think "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" goes so far as to excuse the horrific behavior of Japanese soldiers by putting it down to sexual frustration. Although, come to think of it, that does fit in well with the homo-eroticism of the piece and might explain the miscasting of David Bowie who is too gorgeous to ever be confused with a hardcore soldier. It is especially weird when he says he wish he could sing in character after an irrelevant exploration of Celliers' past which just goes to prove how long bullying has been around for.
  Walter M Super Reviewer
• Jan 26, 2011

  If only our government could watch a film like this, it too could learn a lot.
  

  Chris B Super Reviewer

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