Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo)

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Videos & Photos

  • Criterion trailer

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Nagisa Ôshima

Producer:

Jeremy Thomas

Writer:

Paul Mayersberg, Lourens van der Post

Runtime:

2hr 3m

Synopsis

During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.

Cast

  • David Bowie
  • Tom Conti
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto
  • Takeshi Kitano
  • Jack Thompson
  • Johnny Ohkura
  • Alistair Browning
  • James Malcolm
  • Chris Broun
  • Yûya Uchida

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.9
78.6K
35.4K
26.3K
RATINGS 1.4K FANS
3.9
  • Dec 19, 2017

    david bowie saying he wishes he could sing is the funniest thing i've ever heard in any film

    3.5K Likes
    👽 Zara 👽
    👽 Zara 👽
    Jul 15, 2020

    fellas, is it gay to keep a lock of hair from the prisoner of war you have conquered and emaciated in an act of projected self-hatred but who also unwittingly showed you why you yearn and seek affection through a small gesture of love amidst the brutality of war and…

    2.2K Likes
    Carol Grant
    Carol Grant
    Jun 16, 2018

    most accurate reaction to being kissed by david bowie

    2.0K Likes
    Dom
    Dom
  •
    Dec 25, 2017

    One of the greatest and most profound pleas for tolerance in the history of cinema.

    1.3K Likes
    Neil Bahadur
    Neil Bahadur
    Jun 28, 2018

    I absolutely love how there’s 2 kids and one just grows up to become David Bowie and the other is still just a kid.

    1.0K Likes
    BossBabyFan
    BossBabyFan
    Jan 20, 2016

    A lot to unpack here, but upon first glance this strikes me as a deeply layered portrait of the abysmal nature of man. There's an entire sequence near the end when Lawrence states "They thought they were doing the right thing", and that always sums up the intentions of war.…

    856 Likes
    Willow Maclay
    Willow Maclay
  •
    Jan 6, 2020

    Can’t decide which of the two leading men is the hottest. One of the greatest musicians that this world has ever seen, or David Bowie.

    734 Likes
    Tao A
    Tao A
    Dec 26, 2021

    do you think love can bloom even on a battlefield

    661 Likes
    Dante
    Dante
    Jun 15, 2020

    for Pride Month, I wrote about the relationship between David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, and how the film conveys the significance of queer repression. I put a lot of effort into this and would really appreciate some validation, so if you…

    600 Likes
    Logan Kenny
    Logan Kenny

Queue Community Reviews

88%
Community 357
❤️ LOVE
29%
👍 LIKE
59%
😐 MEH
12%
👎 DISLIKE
0%
Top Reviews
  • Runes
    Runes liked
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    Awesome score! I knew Ryuichi’s music beforehand, but didn’t realize until the credits were rolling, that he was in the movie too😗 Impressive work⭐️ It is an interesting story, but also quite strange… But surely it did something right, as I’m still thinking about it⭐️

    🔥 1 1Y
    Matt
    Matt is "meh" on
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    A strange film, I watched it mainly because Bowie is in it. I understand the message of the film but I felt like more could have been done and the story felt wanting. The acting is great tho

    🔥 1 2Y
    Display
    Display loved
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    “In the spring, Obeying the August spirits I went to fight the enemy In the fall, Returning I beg spirits To receive also the enemy “

    1Y
  • Arthur
    Arthur liked
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    Watched it when I was young so I hadn’t got all but the soundtrack is fire, definitly will rewatch it !

    2Y
    Ellis
    Ellis liked
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    Lowkey I was kinda confused for some of it but it was good

    9M

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

53
metacritic
Based on 13 Critics
tbd

USER SCORE (3)

No score yet based on 3 Reviews
63

It's awkward, not because of the subject matter, but because of the contrasting acting styles. Here are two men trying to communicate in a touchy area and they behave as if they're from different planets.

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo)?
The movie is 2hr 3min long.
What's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo) about?
During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.
Who's the cast of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo)?
  • David Bowie as Celliers
  • Tom Conti as Lawrence
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto as Yonoi
  • Takeshi Kitano as Hara
  • Jack Thompson as Hicksley
  • Johnny Ohkura as Kanemoto
  • Alistair Browning as De Jong
  • James Malcolm as Celliers' Brother
  • Chris Broun as Celliers 12 Years
  • Yûya Uchida as Commandant of Military Prison
Who's the director behind Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo)?
Nagisa Ôshima directed Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo).
Who produced Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo)?
Jeremy Thomas produced Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Furyo).