Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Burmese Harp

The Burmese Harp

Seen it?

1956 | 117 min | Drama, War

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office and little lasting buzz. 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 Hacksaw Ridge or The Bridge on the River Kwai, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 57 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1956: an older pace and style.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

In Burma during the closing days of WWII, a Japanese soldier separated from his unit disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to escape imprisonment as a POW.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    90% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.9 out of 10

  • AwardsSolid

    Won 1 Venice award: Venice Film Festival: Best Film Score. Also nominated for 1 Oscar. Plus 2 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $34K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 22K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Kon Ichikawa

  • Rentaro MikuniCaptain Inouye
  • Shōji YasuiMizushima
  • Jun HamamuraIto
  • Taketoshi NaitōKobayashi
  • Shunji KasugaMaki
  • Kō NishimuraBaba
  • Keishichi NakaharaTakagi
  • Toshiaki ItōHashimoto
  • Hiroshi TsuchikataOkada
  • Tomio AokiOyama