Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Seen it?1983 | 124 min | Drama, History, War
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It's still drawing plenty of interest, though it had soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for history buffs. If you loved Letters from Iwo Jima or Unbroken, start here.
- The mood
- Harrowing.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 4 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel John Lawrence, who has a profound knowledge of Japanese culture, and Sergeant Hara, brutal and simpleton, will witness the struggle of wills between two men from very different backgrounds who are tragically destined to clash.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 53 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.3 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$2 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 257K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
Letters from Iwo Jima
Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed war drama.
Unbroken
Saturday SpecialAnother prison war drama, and a Saturday Special.
The Thin Red Line Saturday SpecialAnother war historical drama, and a Saturday Special.
The Great Raid
Weeknight WatchAnother prison historical drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Slaughterhouse-Five Saturday SpecialAnother prison war drama that's easy to miss.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Nagisa Ōshima
- David BowieCelliers
- Tom ContiLawrence
- Ryuichi SakamotoYonoi
- Takeshi KitanoHara
- Jack ThompsonHicksley
- Johnny OhkuraKanemoto
- Alistair BrowningDe Jong
- James MalcolmCelliers' Brother
- Chris BrounCelliers (12 Years)
- Yuya UchidaCommandant of Military Prison