UK/New Zealand/Japan
Merry Christmas,Mr. Lawrence
123 MIN
1983
Synopsis
In 1942, British soldier Jack Celliers comes to a Japanese prison camp. The camp is run by Yonoi, who has a firm belief in discipline, honour and glory. In his view, the allied prisoners are cowards when they chose to surrender instead of committing suicide. One of the prisoners, interpreter John Lawrence, tries to explain the Japanese way of thinking, but is considered a traitor.
Awards
Best Score, BAFTA Awards, 1983
Cast & Crew
Producer(s): Jeremy Thomas
Director: Nagisa Ôshima
Script: Nagisa Ôshima, Paul Mayersberg
Director of Photography: Tôichirô Narushima
Production Designer: Shigemasa Toda
Music by: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Sound: Akira Honma
Edit: Tomoyo Oshima
Cast: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson, Jonny Ohkura, Alistair Browning, James Malcolm, Chris Broun, Yuya Uchida, Ryunosuke Kaneda, Kan Mikami, Yuji Honma.
Production: National Film Trustee Company
In 1942, British soldier Jack Celliers comes to a Japanese prison camp. The camp is run by Yonoi, who has a firm belief in discipline, honour and glory. In his view, the allied prisoners are cowards when they chose to surrender instead of committing suicide. One of the prisoners, interpreter John Lawrence, tries to explain the Japanese way of thinking, but is considered a traitor.
Awards
Best Score, BAFTA Awards, 1983
Cast & Crew
Producer(s): Jeremy Thomas
Director: Nagisa Ôshima
Script: Nagisa Ôshima, Paul Mayersberg
Director of Photography: Tôichirô Narushima
Production Designer: Shigemasa Toda
Music by: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Sound: Akira Honma
Edit: Tomoyo Oshima
Cast: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson, Jonny Ohkura, Alistair Browning, James Malcolm, Chris Broun, Yuya Uchida, Ryunosuke Kaneda, Kan Mikami, Yuji Honma.
Production: National Film Trustee Company
Jeremy Thomas, Producer
Thomas was born into cinema as his father and uncle were successful film directors. He started in the film laboratories and graduated to the editing department, working on many movies and ultimately editing a film for Ken Loach. In 1974, Thomas produced his first film in Australia, Philippe Mora’s Mad Dog Morgan starring Dennis Hopper, and then founded Recorded Picture Company. Thomas has since gone on to produce many distinctive films in a truly international career, including Jerzy Skolimowski’sThe Shout, Nicolas Roeg’s Bad Timing, Eureka and Insignificance, and Nagisa Ôshima’sMerry Christmas Mr Lawrence starring David Bowie.In 1986, Thomas collaborated with director Bernardo Bertolucci on The Last Emperor, which won nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture, along with many other international awards.
Thomas went on to make many films including The Sheltering Sky, Stealing Beauty and The Dreamers with Bertolucci. Thomas has strategically remained an independent producer, resulting in a diverse body of work, including titles such as David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, Crash and A Dangerous Method, Takeshi Kitano’s Brother, Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, David Mackenzie’s Young Adam, Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai,Blade of the Immortal and First Love, the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, and Tale of Tales and Pinocchio by Matteo Garrone. Throughout his career, Thomas has worked with many other leading filmmakers including Stephen Frears, Richard Linklater, Bob Rafaelson, Phillip Noyce, Wim Wenders, Khyentse Norbu and Terry Gilliam.
In 1992, Thomas was appointed Chairman of the British Film Institute, and was made a Life Fellow in 2000. He has been the recipient of many awards throughout the world, including BAFTA’s Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 1991. He has been President of the Jury at the Tokyo, San Sebastian, Berlin and Cannes film festivals (Un Certain Regard), and has also served on the main Jury at Cannes. His long relationship with Cannes has seen him premiere over fifteen films at the festival. Thomas was named C.B.E. in the 2009 Queen’s Honours for his services to film. Thomas has produced over sixty films and continues to make movies at Recorded Picture Company, with titles upcoming from Takashi Miike and Julien Temple.
Thomas was born into cinema as his father and uncle were successful film directors. He started in the film laboratories and graduated to the editing department, working on many movies and ultimately editing a film for Ken Loach. In 1974, Thomas produced his first film in Australia, Philippe Mora’s Mad Dog Morgan starring Dennis Hopper, and then founded Recorded Picture Company. Thomas has since gone on to produce many distinctive films in a truly international career, including Jerzy Skolimowski’sThe Shout, Nicolas Roeg’s Bad Timing, Eureka and Insignificance, and Nagisa Ôshima’sMerry Christmas Mr Lawrence starring David Bowie.In 1986, Thomas collaborated with director Bernardo Bertolucci on The Last Emperor, which won nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture, along with many other international awards.
Thomas went on to make many films including The Sheltering Sky, Stealing Beauty and The Dreamers with Bertolucci. Thomas has strategically remained an independent producer, resulting in a diverse body of work, including titles such as David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, Crash and A Dangerous Method, Takeshi Kitano’s Brother, Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, David Mackenzie’s Young Adam, Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai,Blade of the Immortal and First Love, the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, and Tale of Tales and Pinocchio by Matteo Garrone. Throughout his career, Thomas has worked with many other leading filmmakers including Stephen Frears, Richard Linklater, Bob Rafaelson, Phillip Noyce, Wim Wenders, Khyentse Norbu and Terry Gilliam.
In 1992, Thomas was appointed Chairman of the British Film Institute, and was made a Life Fellow in 2000. He has been the recipient of many awards throughout the world, including BAFTA’s Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 1991. He has been President of the Jury at the Tokyo, San Sebastian, Berlin and Cannes film festivals (Un Certain Regard), and has also served on the main Jury at Cannes. His long relationship with Cannes has seen him premiere over fifteen films at the festival. Thomas was named C.B.E. in the 2009 Queen’s Honours for his services to film. Thomas has produced over sixty films and continues to make movies at Recorded Picture Company, with titles upcoming from Takashi Miike and Julien Temple.
Nagisa Ôshima, Director
Born in 1932, in Kyoto. After studying law at Kyoto University he entered Shochiku Ofuna Studio and worked as an assistant director with Masaki Kobayashi and Hideo Oba. Oshima made his feature-film directorial debut in 1959 with Ai to Kibo no Machi (Street of Love and Hope). Next year Oshima released his landmark Seishun Zankoku Monogatari (Cruel Story of Youth) and Taiyo no Hakaba (The Sun’s Burial). His next film Nihon no Yoru to Kiri (Night and Fog in Japan, 1960) was considered too political and it was pulled from circulation just three days after its release, which made Oshima leave the studio to become an independent producer. He made a lot of controversial and ambitious works, including Shiiku (The Catch, 1961), Gishiki (The Ceremony, 1971) and Ai no Korida (In the Realm of the Senses, 1976), with which Oshima gained international acclaim. With Ai no Borei (Empire of Passion), he won the Best Director Award at the Festival de Cannes in 1978. For the first time in 13 years after Oshima made Max, mon amour (1987), he released his last film Gohatto (Taboo) and the film made its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes in 1999.
Filmography
Tomorrow's Sun (1959), A Town of Love and Hope (1959), Cruel Story of Youth (1960), The Sun's Burial (1960), Night and Fog in Japan (1960), The Catch (1961), The Rebel (1962), The Pleasures of the Flesh (1965), Yunbogi's Diary (1965), Violence at Noon (1966), Tales of the Ninja (1967), Sing a Song of Sex (1967), Double Suicide: Japanese Summer (1967), Death by Hanging (1968), Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968), Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969), Boy (1969), The Man Who Left His Will on Film (1970), The Ceremony (1971), Dear Summer Sister (1972), In the Realm of the Senses (1976), Empire of Passion (1978), Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Max, mon amour (1986), Taboo (1999).
Born in 1932, in Kyoto. After studying law at Kyoto University he entered Shochiku Ofuna Studio and worked as an assistant director with Masaki Kobayashi and Hideo Oba. Oshima made his feature-film directorial debut in 1959 with Ai to Kibo no Machi (Street of Love and Hope). Next year Oshima released his landmark Seishun Zankoku Monogatari (Cruel Story of Youth) and Taiyo no Hakaba (The Sun’s Burial). His next film Nihon no Yoru to Kiri (Night and Fog in Japan, 1960) was considered too political and it was pulled from circulation just three days after its release, which made Oshima leave the studio to become an independent producer. He made a lot of controversial and ambitious works, including Shiiku (The Catch, 1961), Gishiki (The Ceremony, 1971) and Ai no Korida (In the Realm of the Senses, 1976), with which Oshima gained international acclaim. With Ai no Borei (Empire of Passion), he won the Best Director Award at the Festival de Cannes in 1978. For the first time in 13 years after Oshima made Max, mon amour (1987), he released his last film Gohatto (Taboo) and the film made its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes in 1999.
Filmography
Tomorrow's Sun (1959), A Town of Love and Hope (1959), Cruel Story of Youth (1960), The Sun's Burial (1960), Night and Fog in Japan (1960), The Catch (1961), The Rebel (1962), The Pleasures of the Flesh (1965), Yunbogi's Diary (1965), Violence at Noon (1966), Tales of the Ninja (1967), Sing a Song of Sex (1967), Double Suicide: Japanese Summer (1967), Death by Hanging (1968), Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968), Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969), Boy (1969), The Man Who Left His Will on Film (1970), The Ceremony (1971), Dear Summer Sister (1972), In the Realm of the Senses (1976), Empire of Passion (1978), Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Max, mon amour (1986), Taboo (1999).
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