The Film
This isn't exactly the sort of movie meant to put you in a holiday spirit. In fact, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is quite a surreal film from beginning to end, conspicuously so given that the main actors are pop stars David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto, who were each more or less at the height of their popularity in their respective homelands when the film was made in 1983 - and yet neither is the title character. Tom Conti plays Colonel Lawrence, a British POW's liaison with the guards and a man who has lived in Japan - yet one who fails to fully understand them as a people. While the backdrop is a Japanese POW camp in Java, this is the most atypical prisoner of war film as well; there is little talk of escape and more emphasis on the clash of cultures. It can be a hard film to watch, but the strong performances make it worth the effort.
The Picture
For a Criterion Collection release the colors are a little muted, but this is likely just the result of the age and the source material. This is likely to be as good as the film will ever look. That said, it has a soft quality overall, and the colors of the jungles and other exotic locations really don't pop as much as we'd expect. Other than the muted colors, the picture quality in this 1.78:1 1080p transfer is top notch. The detail in the scenery, in the military uniforms and even some of the rather nasty wounds in the characters is quite clear, while Bowie maintains his usual intensity with his bright blue and brown eyes.
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also excellent, and while set in World War II, this is hardly the usual war film. There are a few moments of gun fire and these ring out with a quite realistic report, while in another scene the swishing of the Japanese Shin-Guntô sword is so clear that you almost expect to feel the wake of air it produces. The dialog comes through the center channel clear as a bell, and this is good as it makes the heavily accented English from the Japanese characters all the easier to understand.
A small nit is that the musical score, while a stirring piece from the film's star Sakamoto, is almost as out of place as a Bowie rock soundtrack would have been. It is a great composition but it just is almost too pleasant and uplifting given the film's tone.
The Extras
Criterion Collection releases never shortchange the viewer, and this one is no exception. Where these earn kudos is what they lack: e.g., an endless string of unrelated previews. With Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, the season of giving has come early. As with other Criterion releases this one includes not only a nice clear plastic keeper case, but a very nice booklet with facts about the film, interviews with director Nagisa Oshima and other nice reading. The disc contains a 1983 making-of featurette titled "The Oshima Gang" as well as an hour long documentary, "Hasten Slowly" about the novel that was the basis for the film. There is also the original theatrical trailer, happily the only movie trailer on the disc.
Final Thoughts
This isn't the usual war movie, it isn't a holiday movie and David Bowie isn't the title character, yet he gets top billing. All this makes for an intriguing backdrop to a fascinating tale of survival and understanding in a Japanese POW camp, and this one looks quite decent and sounds great on Blu-ray.
Product Details
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