Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (戦場のメリークリスマス in Japanese) is a classic movie produced in 1983, directed by Nagisa Oshima.
The synopsis: In 1941, Jack Celliers, a British soldier comes to a Japanese prison camp. The camp is operated by Yonoi, who has a firm belief in discipline, honour and glory. In his point of view, the allied prisoners are cowards if they chose to surrender instead of committing suicide via seppuku. One of the prisoners, John Lawrence the interpreter, tries to explain the Japanese way of thinking, but is considered a traitor etc...
I'm not so interested with the storyline but the theme song of the movie with the title 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' caught my attention. Here's the trailer and do pay attention to the background music that sound so traditionally Japanese. Also click here to listen to the original version.
The theme song becomes popular again after almost two decades when it is sang in Utada Hikaru's version. Thanks to the fusion style of traditional and hip-hop, Utada Hikaru's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence really make a big hit in many countries. Click here to listen Utada Hikaru's version.
Ryuichi Sakamota's piano version is a master piece that one must not miss. The song hits its peak when the strings flow in along with his harmonious piano melody.
If you're a guitarist, you must also pay extra attention to Oshio Kotaro's amazing guitar play on this song. I've never seen someone play like his way other than Erik Mongrain that I mentioned in my previous blogpost.
Seriously, what a cocktail for this song.
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