Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence Blu-Ray

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - 1984

Jeremy Thomas Productions - 122 min.
DVD UPC # 5028836030034; 5060034570998; 4009750214015; 842017202318; 9788320813524; 9315842007195; 715515061919; 8713053001451; 3700173204027
715515062015(Blu-ray); 9344256001765(Blu-ray)

Cast: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Beat Takeshi, Jack Thompson, Johnny Okura, Alistair Browning.
Screenplay: Nagisa Oshima with Paul Mayersberg; Photography: Toichiro Narushima; Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto; Editor: Tomoyo Oshima; Producer: Jeremy Thomas; Director: Nagisa Oshima.

In 1942 Java, after the Japanese have invaded and taken British soldiers prisoner, beating and idiosyncratic Japanese practices are the new order. A New Zealand soldier (Bowie) is captured on a mission and brought into this environment where, in spite of the hostility, there is attraction in various ways between jailers and prisoners. There is much depth to this film and you might find it useful to view it a second time. Wonderful soundtrack and production design, with settings in Raratonga and Auckland.

Censor rating: M - Review rating: B+

AVAILABILITY OF VHS OR DVD COPIES

New R4 PAL DVDs sell for about $15au or $20nz. R2 PAL DVDs can be found from UK sources for about 10#. Most dvds are 1.80:1 with 2.0 dolby digital sound, but non-anamorphic. The "Collector's Edition" version is anamorphic (enhanced for 16x9). The 'Optimum Classic' or "Collector's Edition" R2 DVD, selling for 15-20#, has been digitally remastered from a new 35mm print containing extras of: "The Oshima Gang, Making of a Documentary"; interviews with Nagisa Oshima, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Jeremy Thomas; trailers. There is also an Australian/NZ R0 PAL version of the "Collector's Edition" which sells for about $25au or $25nz. The R0 NTSC versions coming from Brazil are NOT in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio - they are 1.33:1 pan & scan.
NOTE: Starting 28 September, 2010, this great film finally became available R1 NTSC. Not only that, but on the same date it also became available on Region A 1080p Blu-ray. This release comes from The Criterion Collection and their information reads similiar to that for the Optimum Classic Collector's Edition outlined above, except that this is a 2-disc set with the second disc containing the extras of: New video interviews with producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, actor Tom Conti and actor-composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; a new hour-long documentary about author Laurens van der Post, 'Hasten Slowly'; a new booklet featuring an essay by film critic Chuck Stephens. The feature disc is a newly restored high-definition master with new and improved English subtitle translation. The soundtrack of the Blu-ray is DTS-HD Master Audio. The 2-disc dvd set sells for $20-25us and the Blu-ray single disc for $30-35us.
Starting 11 May, 2011, the Blu-ray single disc became available PAL Region B in Australia and New Zealand selling for about $30.

DealOZ North American price comparison site

Amazon Video On Demand - Online Purchase and/or Rental - with free trailers or opening credits sample

Netflix Streaming to a PC, Mac, TV or other device

Blockbuster Streaming On Demand - Online Purchase and/Or Rental - with free trailer

SOUNDTRACK ON AUDIO CD

Click for Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence CD Details

REVIEWS

DVD Compare's Review

Roger Ebert Review

All Movie Guide Review

Movie Review Query - 25 articles

"Set in a torture- and- hara- kiri- ridden World War II P.O.W camp, this international co- production explores the free floating, samurai- stern sexual attraction between Japanese jailers and their British captives [...] " - (J. Hoberman, "Rockers", The Village Voice, September 6, 1983)

An Anglo-Japanese co-production, set in wartime Java. Hard to accept David Bowie as the epitome of military toughness, but not bad as a study of the military mentality and its limits. All the critics noticed the homo-erotic overtones, but everyone overlooked the clear religious references to Jack Celliers as a Christ figure. (Nicholas Reid - 'A Decade of New Zealand Film')

TRAILER & MISC

Official Trailer

Information at IMDB

Internet Movie Poster Awards

Laserdisc info at IMDB

1983 - National Board of Review, NYC - Best Actor: Tom Conti
1984 - BAFTA - Best Film Score.

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