Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

About Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a 1983 history war film directed by Nagisa Ōshima. Released in May 1983, it runs 124 minutes.

David Bowie appears as Celliers, Tom Conti as Lawrence, Ryuichi Sakamoto as Yonoi, and Takeshi Kitano as Hara. Written by Nagisa Ōshima and Paul Mayersberg. It was produced by Antares-Nova, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, and Broadbank Investments. The film began as a novel.

Shelv files it under depressing, complicated, distressing, and frustrated. It streams on YouTube TV in the United States.

The Great Raid, Unbroken, and The Reader make useful companions to Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, all filed under 1940s, prisoner of war, and war crimes. It scores 7.3 out of 10 from 552 TMDB voters and it carries a R rating.