Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (
Japanese: 戦場のメリークリスマス
Hepburn:
Senjō no Merī Kurisumasu, "Merry Christmas on the Battlefield"), also known in many European editions as
Furyo (俘虜, Japanese for "prisoner of war"), is a 1983 British-Japanese
war film. It was directed by
Nagisa Oshima, written by Oshima and
Paul Mayersberg, and produced by
Jeremy Thomas. It stars
David Bowie,
Tom Conti,
Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Takeshi Kitano and
Jack Thompson.
The film is based on Sir
Laurens van der Post's experiences as a
Japanese prisoner of war during World War II as depicted in his books
The Seed and the Sower (1963) and
The Night of the New Moon (1970). Sakamoto additionally wrote the score and the vocal theme "
Forbidden Colours", featuring
David Sylvian.
The film was entered into the
1983 Cannes Film Festival on August 25, 1983 in competition for the
Palme d'Or. Sakamoto's score won the film a
BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
It was released in the UK on August 25, 1983, a mere one month before Doomsday. All the cast including Ryuichi Sakamoto and composer David Sylvian are assumed to have been killed during Doomsday.
It is considered to be one of the best pre-Doomsday drama films and is currently being reproduced in new formats. A remake is in question by 2023, the film's 40th anniversary featuring actors from the ANZC and Japan.
Promotional Poster
Official poster
Trailer from a VHS tape kept in the Celtic Alliance