535 Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

[Matt]

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2800/535_box_348x490_w128.jpg[/img]

In this captivating, exhilaratingly skewed World War II drama from Nagisa Oshima, David Bowie regally embodies the character Celliers, a high-ranking British officer interned by the Japanese as a POW. Music star Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also composed this film’s hypnotic score) plays the camp commander, who becomes obsessed with the mysterious blond major, while Tom Conti is British lieutenant colonel Mr. Lawrence, who tries to bridge the emotional and language divides between his captors and fellow prisoners. Also featuring actor-director Takeshi Kitano in his first dramatic role, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale of culture clash that was one of Oshima’s greatest successes.

DISC FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition master (with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition)
- The Oshima Gang, an original making-of featurette
- New video interviews with producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, actor Tom Conti, and actor-composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Hasten Slowly, an hour-long documentary about author and adventurer Laurens van der Post, whose autobiographical novel is the basis for the film
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film writer Chuck Stephens and a 1983 interview with director Nagisa Oshima by Japanese film writer Tadao Sato

Available on DVD and Blu-ray

DVD
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[knives]

Too bad about the lack of isolated score. I'm sure the interviews will be worth the higher price though.

[Steven H]

Cool. The Oshima Gang is on youtube.

[mfunk9786]

Oshima is becoming the new Godard - Criterion is really bulking up their amount of releases, and as far as I'm concerned; bring 'em on!

[knives]

You should be excited. For those of you still holding out on Oshima, what's your problem? Also this is a great first entry into him. Features all, and I do mean all, of his pet themes in as accessible of a package as you will meet. The story and editing is amazingly straightforward, unlike anything else Criterion has released by him. Great deal of fun which, unless I'm mistaken, is Kitano's entry into the collection.
Oshima does manage a few odd pieces, all revolving around Bowie who is not the main character actually, including a flashback that comes from the Ophuls school.

[mfunk9786]

It's even at times erotic!

[htdm]

Very glad to hear that this is finally on the dock!

[colinr0380]

Great deal of fun which, unless I'm mistaken, is Kitano's entry into the collection.

First entry into the DVD/Blu-Ray collection. I think Criterion put Sonatine out on Laserdisc.

[Person]

Sir Laurens van der Post was a fascinating fellow. He was a close friend of Carl Jung and was a very intelligent, cultured and compassionate man.

[Zombie-Luv]

I thinking of getting into Oshima and I just put this in my Netflix queue. Would this be a good entry point for people who've never seen any of his work or should I just watch his other stuff (Empire of Passion, Senses, etc.)?

[Murdoch]

The eclipse set is the best place to begin, seek that out first since it gives a good variety of his output. I haven't seen this one, but the films I've seen of his post-60s work (Senses, Empire, Taboo) have paled in comparison to his earlier work.

[Brian C]

Well, you should definitely watch Senses before Empire.

Other than that, I don't think Lawrence is any worse of a starting point than the other 7-8 Oshimas I've seen (Death by Hanging was my first). He's a pretty challenging filmmaker no matter where you start.

[knives]

I'd say this one is the best place to start, though that just might be my experience painting things. It's actually a pretty ordinary movie by Oshima standards, which should allow an easier transition into his '60s stuff. It's also fun as all hell with a terrific score (no isolated track is my only disappointment with this disc). It's probably also a good place expectations wise as it is no where near his best nor worst.

[Peacock]

I think this would be a poor film to start with, especially as Oshima's later work isn't thought as highly of as his earlier films, you may find yourself dismissing him a bit rather than seeing in Merry Christmas hints of his usual themes and recognize a couple of his stock actors..

My first Oshima was Japanese Summer, which has a good mix of suspense, fighting and politics, and it totally hooked me for seeing the rest of his films!

[eljacko]

I will add that I started with this, found it to be really interesting, and now I've seen just about every Oshima film with an R1 release (except Empire of Passion). I should also add that I saw this film before I really knew who Oshima was, and approached it as a David Bowie fan, but I really don't think that will be a big problem.

I think Oshima's films are varied enough that starting with it over, say, the Eclipse set (the next best place to begin, I think) isn't such a bad idea. And while none of his films are simple, I think this one (of the films I've seen) is probably the most immediately accessible.

[zedz]

Well I'll just add to the confusion by saying that I find this film to be totally ordinary and completely unrepresentative of what makes Oshima one of the most important of all Japanese directors. For me, the problem with using a film like this as an entry point is that, once you've seen it, whether you like it or not, you're not really any better off in terms of knowing what he's like as a director.

But for me, all of the post-hiatus films are no more than footnotes at best.

[colinr0380]

I agree with zedz, though I like Merry Christmas and Gohatto a lot! They're the more celebrated and better known internationally films, but the 60s and early 70s films are the height of his talent.

And unless you are a forgiving fan of Buñuelian-style films (or need more Charlotte Rampling or films featuring monkeys in your life, which of course are understandable needs to have!) it is probably best to not start with Max, Mon Amour either!

[Mr. Ned]

Asian cinema is definitely my weak point, but based on the recent Eclipse set and the cover for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, I think Oshima might be just the thing I need to ease my way into the wintry months. I can't look at this cover without laughing hysterically, it's so charming and ridiculous. From one cinephile to another, should I be excited about diving into this and other Oshima?

[jsteffe]

Since this film was apparently shot in VistaVision (as were some other Oshima films), I wonder whether what elements they actually used for the transfer? Regardless, it should look great on Blu-ray.

[knives]

Asian cinema is definitely my weak point, but based on the recent Eclipse set and the cover for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, I think Oshima might be just the thing I need to ease my way into the wintry months. I can't look at this cover without laughing hysterically, it's so charming and ridiculous. From one cinephile to another, should I be excited about diving into this and other Oshima?

I'm not sure excited, as has been noted it is an average film when compared to Oshima's earlier work, but it is definitely good with just enough traces of the bizarre, David Bowie love cam and Ophuls flashbacks, that most people should be thoroughly entertained. It's also a nice place to start with Kitano as an actor if you're unfamiliar with him. His character may be the highlight of the film.

[stagefright50]

Beavs

[mfunk9786]

I took a look at this quickly last night (I haven't seen the film, though, so I was being careful not to spoil anything). It is even more beautiful in person than in those DVDBeaver caps, the transfer is immaculate.

[stagefright50]

How do I get that job? Either way September is going to be a good month.

[cdnchris]

I took a look at this quickly last night (I haven't seen the film, though, so I was being careful not to spoil anything). It is even more beautiful in person than in those DVDBeaver caps, the transfer is immaculate.

Only based on sampling so far but, yes, both this and The Thin Red Line look amazing.

[mfunk9786]

How do I get that job?

Trade with tavernier.