535 Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

[tenia]

Does anyone know if the BR has SDH subs covering also the English-speaking parts of the movie ?

[eatindust]

Does anyone know if the BR has SDH subs covering also the English-speaking parts of the movie ?

Nope. I watched the BR last night and was a little bit disappointed about that. Since English isnt my mother tongue I'd put on headphone to fully understand the dialogues. I wonder why CC does that. They could have easily included optional English subtitles for the Japanese parts only and a track with subtitles for everything. but well ...

[cdnchris]

Blu-ray

[Mr. Ned]

I just finished this and was completely floored ...like, jaw-dropped and squeals of excitement kind of floored. If the themes and execution here are what Oshima is all about, I think I may have a new pet project for the next month or six. More soon.

[med]

A little help is requested from the board's French-speakers: in the interview with Paul Mayersberg, what is the French phrase he quotes from a newspaper re: the post-Cannes reaction to the film's homoerotic content?

[HistoryProf]

I just finished this and was completely floored ...like, jaw-dropped and squeals of excitement kind of floored. If the themes and execution here are what Oshima is all about, I think I may have a new pet project for the next month or six. More soon.

that's awesome to hear. I saw your earlier post and since I've only just gone through an Oshima blitz myself I thought I'd add a word of encouragement to dive in with everything you've got to the Eclipse set. It's simply marvelous. The other two stand-alones for me were revelations in their own unique ways, but I'm clearly in a minority in that I preferred Empire of Passion over Senses. the latter rather bored me after an hour or so. But Empire of Passion was something else altogether...I was really blown away by it.

I wasn't expecting much from the Eclipse set - and only got it because of the misprice at B&N - but I watched a film a night for a week and it absolutely left me staggered. I was simply overwhelmed by how he shifted gears from one film to the next yet they all retain a fundamental...hell, I don't know what. They are Oshima. so Oshimaness? I don't know...but I know it's damned interesting. Asian cinema is by far my weakest point like you, but this changed that in a number of ways for me. I went from approaching it all with a bit of a shrug and a 'whatever' to combing through the catalog to see what else I need to get in the next sale. Oshima completely changed my opinion of Japanese cinema in a handful of films.

Unfortunately, my copy of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence arrived just today from DVDPlanet - only 10 days after I ordered it - and I'm flying to Michigan tomorrow for the weekend so it will have to wait a bit. But I am really really glad to read your reaction here, as I suspect we are coming into this from similar angles. The Bowie factor concerns me a bit, but hopefully he's not too distracting.

[Mr. Ned]

I just wrote a very long response in anticipation of your thoughts and had it suddenly vanish before it posted (had to log back in after I clicked post and it got lost in the shuffle of back pages and password entering). I'll give it another go later on and have it up by the time you watch.

[lubitsch]

Does anyone know if the BR has SDH subs covering also the English-speaking parts of the movie ?

Nope. I watched the BR last night and was a little bit disappointed about that. Since English isnt my mother tongue I'd put on headphone to fully understand the dialogues. I wonder why CC does that. They could have easily included optional English subtitles for the Japanese parts only and a track with subtitles for everything. but well ...

This is the first English language film (at least partly) without subs from Criterion after quite a few years I guess. Monumentally disappointed about that. And I wonder why they often don't even list the subtitle option in the menu even though every other label does.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

This is the first English language film (at least partly) without subs from Criterion after quite a few years I guess. Monumentally disappointed about that. And I wonder why they often don't even list the subtitle option in the menu even though every other label does.

I was disappointed as well as I couldn't always make out the dialogue spoken in English by the Asian actors. A solution might be to set up the captions using your television remote. I've done that a few times for DVDs with no English subtitle track and it worked quite well.

[HistoryProf]

in a bit of a WWII phase right now and popped this in this morning after reading a few POW stories and watching Human Condition - looking for some sense of the Japanese perspective of that nasty side of a very nasty war. Enjoyed this immensely, and have to admit I liked it more than Human Condition - though I don't really consider them comparable I guess. Bowie is much less of a distraction than I thought he would be, and the rest of the cast is excellent. the film continually surprised me, and the ending was unexpectedly profound and emotional. that final scene is one of the best of any Oshima film, or any other, i've seen. prior to that, it's all a bit like a New Wave Bridge on the River Kwai - the obvious parallel - but with a muted intensity that simmers underneath the dialog.

Just a damned fine film.

oh, but I must mention that this is yet another of their new productions where the subtitles are unnecessarily difficult to read in too many scenes - a couple they are completely unreadable. There is simply no reason for them to be so faintly outlined that they simply dissolve into light backgrounds. One scene in particular on a portico where Lawrence is informed of an impending execution was unreadable. And I have a 42" lcd, so size is not an issue. I shouldn't have to rewind and pause a film to decipher subtitles!

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

You're in tremendous luck if you're looking for the Japanese perspective of the war. Not only Oshima, but the rest of the new wavers, from even the generations of Mizoguchi, Naruse and Ozu and some of the best genre directors were obsessed with what the war did for Japan or their perspective on the war. As an American, it's easily to reflect on the war in retrospect as it was a clear (but bloody and horrendous) victory for the United States. For Japan, it represented years of economic turmoil until it became an economic powerhouse almost in spite of those rough years with a market boom in the fifties, from being the military superpower that controlled almost all of southeast Asia and a complete change in ideology from having to worship and live for the emperor to having their demi-god lowered to the level of common folk.

If you are looking for some films that directly deal with the war (and that some I think are personally better than Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence), I can pass some along.

Red Angel by Yasuzo Masamura is almost the perfect war film. War isn't romanticized and it almost follows Samuel Fuller's representation of war in his biography about body parts everywhere. It's about a nurse who is thrown into the front lines of Manchuria to help out the injured or ailing Japanese toward the end of the war. Unfortunately medicine supplies are low so the only option that is ever used tends to be amputation. Typical of the new wave generation as it shows the war from a female perspective as opposed to a male and shows very well the cruelty and how delusional the Japanese higher ups were at the end of the war.

Stray Dog by Akira Kurosawa might be the stuff of great pulp novels, it gives a good impression (from what I understand of the post-war years) of what the direct effects of the war did to the common folk of Japanese. The streets are filled with rubble and Kurosawa's long montage of Mifune going through actual streets and alleyways gives you a good impression of what the actual physical damage of the war did. Things like the importance of rice ration cards and the increasing black market, criminal under world and desperation while Japan tries to pick itself up in those years. Also important to note that it was the first Kurosawa film not censored by the American censor board the took over Japan in the post-war years. It was as if all the rage had to finally be let out. One of my favorite films that goes perfectly along with this is Battles Without Honor and Humanity which reflect on what the war and the upcoming boom could do to the Hiroshima crime world. You know what you are in for when the first shot of the film is the mushroom cloud of Hiroshima.

The Emperor's Naked Army by Kazuo Hara is the documentary most filmmakers can only dream of. In the years after the war, former Japanese soldier Kenzo Okuzaki uses his pure rage and disgust to reveal what happened to his fellow soldiers in New Guinea at the end of the war and the Japanese attempt to cover-up their ill deeds or their downright refusal to deny some of the most atrocious acts that war can bring out (all you have to do is look at their ongoing refusal of the Nanking massacre).

The Human Bullet by Kihachi Okamoto is a funnier and satirical stance on the war, but what else can you expect from the man who directed some of the best action films for Toho including Kill! and Age of Assassins?. He hasn't dropped the sense of humor and dread for war of those films, but it's political stance is certainly lot more overt than those films; very emblematic of other ATG produced films like late-sixties Oshima, Toshio Matsumoto or Yoshishige Yoshida. Dark as a comedy can get as it makes a joke out of what cruelty the Japanese put their own soldiers through. The whole film is about a man who has to personally become a kamikaze torpedo in order to help win the war. My personal favorite by Okamoto. Fighting Elegy is also a great companion piece about the delusion that Japanese Fascism can provoke (it's also very funny too).

Of course their are historical dramas that take a negative reflection on what Japan was during the war by using the eras by using Meiji era Japan as a parallel for their opinions or reflections on war and violence. Humanity and Paper Balloons, Seven Samurai, Sansho the Baliff or Harakiri (which is Edo period).

There are several, several more, but I like to think these are some good ones to check out that might be good to explore this new interest into this particular niche.

[HistoryProf]

Wow....thanks so much for all of the suggestions! I picked up Stray Dog in one of the B&N sales so maybe i'll watch that tonight. I was thinking of watching Gate of Flesh next, or possibly cracking the Mizoguchi eclipse set. just so many choices! I appreciate a bit of direction though, as i'm otherwise left to just flounder about a bit. I'm sure this is plenty of material to satisfy my hunger as I work through this phase. I tend to go through these every once in a while...most recently was with the European theater of the war. I realized as I started reading a book about the Pacific experience that I didn't really know much about the various corners of it all - especially the Manchurian front - since of course that never involved the US. It's frustrating that there is so little english-language work on the Japanese perspective of the war, as i'm always interested in good books on the subject, but haven't had much luck in that realm.

The 1932 uprising mentioned in the film is a good example of something I'd love to understand in the context of what it lead to and the development of Japan's Empire.

[zedz]

Red Angel by Yasuzo Masamura is almost the perfect war film. War isn't romanticized and it almost follows Samuel Fuller's representation of war in his biography about body parts everywhere. It's about a nurse who is thrown into the front lines of Manchuria to help out the injured or ailing Japanese toward the end of the war. Unfortunately medicine supplies are low so the only option that is ever used tends to be amputation. Typical of the new wave generation as it shows the war from a female perspective as opposed to a male and shows very well the cruelty and how delusional the Japanese higher ups were at the end of the war.

Incredible film. Until I saw this I didn't realise that, up to that point, I'd never actually seen a truly anti-war film.

Oh, and for the 1932 incident, check out Yoshida's Coup d'Etat.

[eljacko]

HistoryProf, have you seen Fires on the Plain or The Burmese Harp? They're both from Ichikawa Kon, and both deal with Japan's extended foray into southeast Asia (Philippines and Burma, respectively) and its effect on both the army and the invaded lands. They're both heartwrenching, particularly as they are constantly aware of the futility of the Japanese presence in these lands, despite the soldiers being frequently unaware. Fires on the Plain is even funny most of the time, and then you realize what you're laughing at and you start to feel rather horrible. They're not entirely companion films, but they share very similar themes as you'd expect for two films from the same writer & director, and they cast a very interesting light on the Japanese military view of the war as it was unraveling before their eyes.

These films are also both Criterion discs, and I think The Burmese Harp is MoC as well.

[HistoryProf]

I've seen Fires on the Plane a few times and love it...it's an amazing film. I have not seen Burmese Harp but keep meaning to pick it up in one of the B&N sales. i'll get to that one eventually.

Is the Fantoma release of Red Angel decent enough?

[knives]

Yes, the Fantoma release is excellent.

[HistoryProf]

Yes, the Fantoma release is excellent.

excellent, I'll be ordering that then.

I forgot to ask - I don't know a thing about him, but I was extremely unimpressed w/ Chuck Stephens' essay in Mr. Lawrence's booklet. A total bloviating "Look at Me!" windbag Roget would be proud of. Or is that just me?

[bigP]

HistoryProf, I'd also suggest to add Kinji Fukasaku's Under the Flag of the Rising Sun and Kihachi Okamoto's The Battle of Okinawa to the list of essential Japanese WWII films. Under the Flag... particularly (along with Masamura's Red Angel) is anti-war at it's most bitter, finding Fukasaku allowing himself to make his angriest, most personal (and most independantly made) film following an Okuzaki-esque war widow as she tries to establish what led to her husband being court-martialed and executed for desertian at the end of the war. It's an harrowing experience and an essential comparison piece to Kazuo Hara's The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On.

[HistoryProf]

Thank you all so much for the recommendations. Lots to work with there, and I may have to re-up Netflix! Now if I could only figure out the subtext of this Japanese comment on unmasking society....maybe I should ask Chuck Stephens!

[Yojimbo]

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.

I've just watched 'Boy', a haunting and beautifully composed and structured film : one of Oshima's Supreme Masterpieces (right up there with 'Night and Fog in Japan' and 'Violence at High Noon', and then I've a special affection for 'Japanese Summer: Double Suicide' although I don't think too many people here love it as much as I do)

Agreed on '....Mr Lawrence': I remember the NME raving it as being a great triumph for Bowie to be working with such a prestigious director, but it was a prestigious director in decline, a long way from his peak.
The performance of the two pop stars were wretched: they should have watched Tom Conti , and Jack Thompson, more closely.
Even Kitano too, in I think his first straight acting role: he gave one of his finest performances

[manicsounds]

Their acting chops are not really what interested Oshima, or even the audience, I'd say. It is partially the sexual ambiguity and androgyny in both musicians personas that everyone knew at the time which helped with the themes of the movie. I couldn't think of two better candidates for the movie. (Actually, Kenji Sawada (of The Tigers) would've been a good candidate, but to then lose the Ryuichi Sakamoto music? No way)

[Yojimbo]

Their acting chops are not really what interested Oshima, or even the audience, I'd say. It is partially the sexual ambiguity and androgyny in both musicians personas that everyone knew at the time which helped with the themes of the movie. I couldn't think of two better candidates for the movie. (Actually, Kenji Sawada (of The Tigers) would've been a good candidate, but to then lose the Ryuichi Sakamoto music? No way)

I suspect, though, that they helped attract finance for the film.
Bowie I was particularly surprised, and disappointed with, as he had been quite good in Roeg's 'The Man Who Fell To Earth', although that role might have been tailor-made for him.

[PfR73]

Can anyone explain the reference when Lawrence asks "You're not by any chance a Gilbert & Sullivan fan, are you?" I'm not familiar enough with their work & have, so far, searched unsuccessfully for an explanation.

[MichaelB]

Can anyone explain the reference when Lawrence asks "You're not by any chance a Gilbert & Sullivan fan, are you?" I'm not familiar enough with their work & have, so far, searched unsuccessfully for an explanation.

I can't remember the line or the context, but might it be a reference to The Mikado?

[PfR73]

The context is when

SpoilerShow

Lawrence is being told he will be executed for a crime he says he didn't commit (the radio in the canteen) because someone must be punished for the crime, even if it is the wrong person

Reading about The Mikado, that may be it.