A “forgotten masterpiece” war film starring David Bowie was named by Christopher Nolan as among his favourite movies. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) is set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War 2 and focuses on the fraught but complex relationship between the captors and captives.
Among them is the wise-cracking and rebellious Maj. Jack “Strafer” Celliers, (Bowie), who becomes a focus of harsh punishments. But throughout, British lieutenant John Lawrence – the only Japanese speaker among the captives – attempts to find common ground between the camp commander Capt. Yonoi (played by Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto) and the prisoners and overcome their diverging loyalties and philosophies. The film, which was directed and co-written by Nagisa Ōshima, is based on books by South African writer Sir Laurens van der who was captured by Japanese forces in Java (then part of the Dutch East Indies) during the war, and spent three years in a POW camp.
Nolan, famous for directing huge blockbusters like the Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk, and Inception, included it in a top 10 for Criterion, saying: “Few films have been able to capture David Bowie’s charisma, but Oshima’s wartime drama seems tailor-made for his talents.
“Tom Conti has rarely been such a sympathetic guide for the audience’s emotions.” The drama was nominated for the Palme d’Or when it was released some four decades ago, but is now regarded as something of an overlooked classic.
A review of a DVD release of the film on review website Cine Outsider said on the Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’s release “it was widely recognised as a bold and affecting work from one of modern cinema’s most controversial and individualistic talents, but the passing years have confirmed the true greatness of a film that very comfortably and appropriately wears the badge of masterpiece”.
Fans have flocked to IMDb to shower the lesser-known classic with praise, saying how it has “become so forgotten is one of the great mysteries of cinema history”.
“It is the best film of 1983 (although I suppose you can argue that 1983 wasn’t a great year for films),” they added.
“Tom Conti himself is an actor people seem to have forgotten about, but he does superb work, and his Col Lawrence is one of his best performances.
“Bowie, Sakamoto, Thompson…this is simply one well-acted movie,” they added.
Another said the relationship between Celliers and Yonoi “brought tears almost to my eyes”. “The depth and feeling of the movie, moved me enormously, especially the final scenes.”
A third called it a “real gem” with a “cracking story line and great acting by a star studded cast”.
The film has a 15 certificate and depicts the brutal conditions experienced by prisoners of war, so viewer discretion is advised.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is available to rent or buy on YouTube.