“There are times, when victory is very hard to take”

In 1982 producer Jeremy Thomas received a screenplay by Japanese film director Oshima Nagisa, based upon the 1962 novel by Laurens van der Post, “The Seed and the Sower”, dealing with cultural and identity conflicts between English POWs in a Japanese camp during the second world war and the Japanese commanders. Thomas had previously met Oshima in 1978 in Cannes, when Oshima won best director for “Empire of Passion” and Thomas won the Grand Prix for Skolimowski’s “The Shout”. Thomas handed the screenplay to Pal Mayersberg, who also wrote “The Man who Fell to Earth”, and who in turns reworked the script, and then went to Tokyo with it to discuss it with Oshima. Thus the production began and a strong friendship, which later would create films like Oshima’s “Gohatto” and Kitano’s “Brother”.

When the British soldier Celliers arrive at a POW camp in Java, starved and tortured, the social structure of the camp is disrupted. Being the liaison for the prisoners, but also trying to understand what drives the Japanese, the liaison officer Lawrence, is caught between the two sides, struggling to make each side understand the other. The situation is further unbalanced by Yonoi’s homoerotic attractions to Celliers, which causes a personal conflict, that further is enhanced by the guards view of Celliers as the devil. In order to find inner peace, and re-establish order in the camp, Celliers must die.

The story deals with the cultural and identity differences between those who belong to the British Empire and those who belong to the Japanese Emperor, and has two axis: The first axis deals with the relationship between the leader of the prison camp, Yonoi, played by composer Sakamoto, and the prisoner Celliers, played by Bowie, and its momentum is driven by Yonoi’s samurai code of honour and Celliers rebellion. The second axis deals with the relationship between the guard Hara, played by Kitano, and the prisoners liaison, played by Conti, and is driven by how their friendship.

Both axis’ are driven by the sense of honour (or lack thereof). The Japanese view the English prisoners as lacking any honour, as they chose to taken as prisoners rather than killing themselves, and the English view the Japanese as having no honour in the way they treat the prisoners (and themselves).

In many ways the thinking mans “Bridge on the River Kwai”, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” is not so much about the war, but about the consequences of war. In the final segment of the film, taking place in 1946, Lawrence visits Hara in his cell, where he awaits execution for war crimes. Hara, who has come to terms with his fate, asks Lawrence why he must die, as he only did what any other soldier did or would have done if in the same situation, to which Lawrence contemplates,

“We are victims of men who believe they are right, just as you and Yonoi believed absolutely that you were right. And the truth is, of course, that no one is right.”

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is one of those rare films, which perfection dwell in the symbiosis between story, director and actors. And it was recognized, to some degree as the film first came out, being nominated for the Palm d’Or and both Conti and Kitano were in consideration as best actors, but more and more over time, as today, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” stands as one of Oshima’s greatest films and the greatest performances by actors involved. A haunting masterpiece.

Henrik Sylow