Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) – N. Oshima

Perhaps I haven’t seen enough of Nagisa Oshima’s oeuvre to really get a sense of his themes – he often portrays Japanese society as full of rigid norms that his characters rebel against. So, in this film, set in 1942 in a POW camp in Java, we find several Japanese soldiers who vary in their implementation of the tough rules recommended for dealing with prisoners (rules which violate the Geneva Convention, for sure).  Ryuichi Sakamoto (from Yellow Magic Orchestra and the composer of the film’s haunting score as well) plays the camp commander, Captain Yonoi, who waivers in his application of force, possibly because he becomes infatuated with one of the prisoners (hard to say whether this is same sex love or some other sort of fascination/obsession).  Takeshi Kitano (in his first dramatic, not comedic, role) plays Sgt. Hara who seems tough at first but grows fond of the British prisoners and, when drunk, actually may have saved their lives.  Yonoi appears to lose his bearings when faced with Major Jack Celliers (played by David Bowie) and Hara develops a certain camaraderie with Col. John Lawrence (played by Tom Conti).  On the one hand, Celliers defies the Japanese at every opportunity with a cavalier air; he pays the price in harsh punishments, particularly after Yonoi exits the picture. A flashback shows us how he developed his capacity for self-sacrifice.  On the other hand, Lawrence speaks Japanese, knows their culture, and seeks to influence their decisions by getting on friendly terms with them; he also later discovers that his position is vulnerable. One other British POW (played by Australian Jack Thompson), the leader of the POWs, is shown in a less positive light.  Of course, one would never expect Oshima to present a contrast of stark good and evil, but he does seem to favour the British perspective and those Japanese characters who rebel (in small ways) against the unyielding norms of their military.  Later, however, when the tables are turned, mercy is not forthcoming and no one apparently defies the norms of the victors…