The last month of 2019 is destined to belong to Japan's top music master Ryuichi Sakamoto (hereinafter referred to as "Professor").
is the first documentary "Sakamoto Ryuichi: Finale" to be screened exclusively on the National Art Federation, and
is the professor himself who opened a Weibo account and tried to say hello to netizens in jerky Chinese.
Afterwards, a classic movie starring and composed by him more than 30 years ago was re-remembered by fans.
is a poignant and moving work.
Ever since I saw it, even if time flies, whenever Christmas is approaching, the only thing that echoes in my ears is a sincere sentence:
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence——
Merry Christmas on the battlefield
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Screenplay: Lawrence van der Prest/ Nagisa Oshima/ Paul Myersberg
Starring: David Bowie/ Tom Conti/ Sakamoto Ryuichi/ Kitano Takeshi
Release date: 1983-05-28 (Japan)
Length: 123 minutes
The film is directed by the representative of Japan's New Wave Oshima Nagisa ("Sensual World" and "Mikado").
Douban scored 8.8, more than 50% of the audience gave five-star praise. The film
was not only shortlisted in the main competition unit of the 36th Cannes Film Festival, but also ranked second in the top ten Japanese films in 1983 by the "Film Xunbao".
Compared with the many awards and good reputations received at home and abroad, this film is the most praised, and it is also the "breakthrough" achieved in multiple meanings.
is like a bold experiment, with epoch-making value, no matter from the perspective of the year or the perspective of today.
First of all, as far as the lineup is concerned, this film is a veritable "Lifetime" series.
It is the first time Oshima Nagisa accepted overseas investment, was filmed overseas, and used non-Japanese actors and staff films.
is also the first film show of the professor and Takeshi Kitano, and the professor's first film score.
from left to right are Sakamoto Ryuichi, Oshima Nagisa, Kitano Takeshi
. What’s more rare is that besides the professor of Yushu Linfeng and the fledgling Kitano Takeshi, even the then international rock star David Bowie (Hereinafter referred to as "Bao Ye") also joined the film, playing an important role.
The talented and handsome professors and Baoye double swords combine, the topic of this film is self-explanatory.
However, choosing Sakamoto Ryuichi and David Bowie as the protagonists is definitely not a golden stone.
Conversely, this is Nagisa Oshima’s bet on the two of them-
is a bet where you will get twice the result with half the effort if you succeed in one game, and you will lose all the games if you lose.
Obviously, as musicians, their acting skills are flawed and cannot be compared with professional actors.
Bao Ye had previous experience in movies, and his performance in this film is quite remarkable.
"Aliens" stills
but the professor is different.
was "electrically shocked" for the first time. He didn't even know that the actor was going to recite his lines. He naively thought that someone would stand by and hold a sign to remind him. As
didn't do his homework properly, he was very angry at Nagisa Oshima at every turn.
is very "contrived" when acting. Staring, pouting, and blinding are common things, cute, ridiculous and annoying.
Ryuichi Sakamoto exaggerated acting awards
To some extent, he is the most "dangerous" uncertainty factor of the entire crew.
But Nagisa Oshima's most "daring" is not to invite Sakamoto Ryuichi, who has no talent for acting, to play the leading role.
chose to put novels by British writer Lawrence Baust"Seeds and Sowers" (aka "Captive") was adapted into a movie. The book
blends the background of World War II, same-sex love and cultural reflection, with rich layers of meaning and touching bottomless taboos.
picking up this "dangerous" subject requires more courage.
This is a heart-stirring, sad and sad story that took place around Christmas in 1942 in the Japanese prisoner-of-war concentration camp on Java Island, Indonesia. The
concentration camp is jointly managed by army captain Shinoi (Sakamoto Ryuichi) and former sergeant (Takeshi Kitano). Although
are both Japanese military officers, their temperaments and cultivation are quite different.
This can be seen from the first scene of the feature film. The
film began with a scandal.
North Korean guard Kimben sneaked into the cell of Dutch soldier Derong while patrolling at night and was caught upright.
In a concentration camp where homophobia is pervasive, the habit of breaking sleeves is a taboo.
For this reason, the former sergeant decided to execute Jinben without authorization.
But just execution is far from enough to express his contempt. He has to use the most vulgar words to repeatedly humiliate Jin Ben. What's more, he ordered Jin Ben to "demonstrate" in public, and the scene reappeared.
Seeing that Jin Ben was about to succumb to the lewd power of the original sergeant, he crawled towards the trembling, undecided De Rong.
The Japanese-skilled British prisoner Lawrence (played by Tom Conti) stood up at the right time, stopped the farce in front of him, and called out Seenoi not far away. The appearance of
Shinoi is undoubtedly amazing.
When he walks in samurai obedience and grace, his upright posture and solid steps will make you think he is a natural soldier.
leadership is unparalleled, masculinity is beyond doubt.
However, after the scene is cut to close-up, this impression will probably change. Although
sword eyebrows and stars are not lacking in heroism and domineering, they are actually much more handsome than imagined, and they can be called "junmei" Minute.
Anyway, no matter how you look at it, Seinoi is different from the rude, tough, playful, provocative, and cunning in his smile, unlike the wretched former sergeant.
He is rational, capable, unsmiling, not angry and prestigious, he is a young talent, and even a modest gentleman.
This scene is an introduction, outlining the image of the original sergeant and Shiyei, depicting the prevailing homosexuality in the barracks, and also laid a crucial foreshadowing for the subsequent mainline plot.
But the real good show is yet to come. After
quickly handled the Jinben incident, Shinoi rushed to Batavia to participate in a military meeting.
was there, caught off guard, he fell in love at first sight with the captured British Army Major Jack Hillias (David Bowie).
In the military court, we learned that Jack, who was fighting alone, surrendered to protect the innocent villagers. Throughout the
trial, he insisted that he was innocent, without any fear or concession.
Jack’s handsome appearance fascinated him at first sight, and his extraordinary courage afterwards fascinated him even more.
So, he made a decisive decision, rescued Jack, and took him back to the prison camp.
In the prisoner-of-war camp, World Noi showed great care for Jack, and his love for him was beyond words.
When Lawrence tried to help Jack who fell on the ground, he was taught by Jinben.
What he did was rush forward and flog Jinben angrily.
For Jack, he can temporarily throw away his sanity.
When he ran to see Jack asleep late at night, he just stood far away, unwilling to be disturbed.
Thesubordinates came closer, took a look at Jack's face, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong, and he was relieved.
looks at Jack, his eyes can become extremely gentle.
When Lawrence said that the shouts he made while practicing kendo made the prisoners feel uneasy, he was the first to care whether Jack was affected.
Whenever, his heart is with Jack.
In addition, he also "asked" Lawrence many things about Jack.
From Lawrence's mouth, he learned that Jack is a real warrior, a warrior among warriors.
However, the cramped and repressive environment of the concentration camps and the militarism rooted deep in Shiyejing's heart will never allow any sincere, free, and personal feelings to grow.
So, even if no one dared to point fingers at him, sadly, he would still subconsciously discipline himself. The method of self-discipline by
is absurd, but it is the most faithful implementation of the Bushido spirit-
made Jinben kill himself under the gaze of everyone.
Unexpectedly, when Jinben was beheaded by the wrong person, Derong also bit his tongue and committed suicide.
After that, the plot took a turn for the worse.
If Jack appeared, it was a wave of waves in the dead-water heart of the world, planted a seed that symbolizes humanity, selfish desire, and all beautiful thoughts.
Then, De Rong's death is the key to pushing the ending to an end.
Shi Noi's move caused Jack's dissatisfaction, and he began to rebel against Shi Noi.
also smuggled steamed buns to the fasted prisoners, picked flowers, lit candles to mourn Derong, and led everyone to sing hymns with great fanfare.
He tried his best to challenge the bottom line of the Japanese army.
was angry, Senoi put Jack in confinement and also sentenced Lawrence to death.
The progress of the story is not over here, but it is already "extraordinarily" enough.
This war film with the "same sex" label is so ambitious that every narrative of it is desperate, ramming the deep-rooted, almost indestructible taboo.
(*front spoiler warning)
is on the bright side, first of all, Shinoi’s love for Jack.
This couldn't be more obvious, even his orderly soldiers could see it clearly. After
locked up Jack, Shinoi would still visit him under the guise of a patrol every night and give him a blanket next to him.
Shinoi’s mind has long been upset by him.
Therefore, in order to restore the original order, the orderly raided Jack with the consciousness of death.
But Jack didn't die, Shinoi saved his life again.
In the vast night, when Shi Noi stood in front of Jack and aimed the original sergeant's muzzle at his chest, it was tantamount to formally telling the world the love that everyone had previously unsaid.
This may have nothing to do with courage, but instinct, but instinct is something that cannot lie.
I believe that at that moment, Shinoi must have planted a seed in Jack's heart, a seed of forgiveness and redemption. As expected, at the end of the film, this seed bears fruit.
That is the most shocking scene in the whole film.
is when the upset, frustrated, completely out of control, and on the verge of collapse, World Noi is about to execute the British commander who refuses to hand over the list of weapons experts, Jack walks up to him and puts a shocking kiss on his cheeks.
This kiss not only contains the meaning of comfort, but also realizes the salvation of his lost soul.
Shinoi can of course look forward to Jack naked, not to be blamed by others, but tortured by faith.
because he isThe officer in charge of the camp of prisoners of war.
but Derong can't.
He is a captive, he is a small soldier.
He likes the same sex, but facing the question of the former sergeant, he can only deny it desperately.
Otherwise, he will surely become a target. All the details of
imply that he has feelings for Jinben.
Jinben helped him bandage the wound, and he said that Jin himself is good.
Shinoi whipped Jinben, he tried to stop.
saw the wrong person swinging a long sword, so he knelt to the ground and accompanied Jinben on Huangquan Road.
But he couldn't express his thoughts until he died, and he refused to admit that he was gay.
In the Japanese military camp at the time, homosexuality was indeed a taboo.
Militarism strongly advocates force, and soldiers often regard homosexuality as something that will reduce masculinity. In their view, traits such as masculinity and bravery have nothing to do with homosexuality.
Therefore, the military used power to suppress homosexuality and torture to punish homosexuality.
Under the discipline of the system, the homosexual community itself is also troubled by a strong sense of shame. In the movie
, Shinoi is the poor man who is held hostage by the strong moral self-disgust. What
panicked and unwilling to live with was not the unspeakable feelings, nor the cold-heartedness of others, but the disgust and hatred that grew from the bottom of his heart and returned continuously.
His restraint and disguise hurt himself every second.
When the pain was really unbearable and could not be resolved, he turned to the outside world, attempting to pour out the "blood" in the body with unprovoked killing.
As mentioned earlier, at this critical moment, it was Jack's kiss that helped him to rein in the cliff. The moment
was kissed, he was happy, but also ashamed.
Of those two kisses, one melted his icy heart and the other shattered his firm belief.
His body became light and weak, and he fell back weakly. Although
was disrespectful, but fortunately he was saved.
Jack suppressed the "evil" he was ready to attack, and gave him enlightenment and relief with his own destruction.
But if you think that love is the only thing strangling a prisoner of war camp, you are wrong.
A cruel fact is that in the face of hostility in positions and conflicts of ideas, any sincere emotions can hardly be maintained.
friendship is the same. In the
film, the former sergeant and Lawrence have also forged a deep and complicated friendship as they witnessed the forbidden love between Shiyei and Jack from budding to withering.
This is a dark line, but it points directly to the core of the original.
is different from Shinoi’s obscurity and empathy. The interaction between the two is quite straightforward and presented to the audience through several chats. Although the topic of
chat is different every time, it always revolves around the word "shame". In the book "Chrysanthemum and Sword", anthropologist Ruth Benedict explained in detail the contradictory or duality of the Japanese national character, and defined the type of Japanese culture as "shame culture" .
In other words, their high degree of self-discipline, politeness, prudent words and deeds, and their original motivation for not being humble or humble all lies in the word "shame".
But it is not the inner rules that give birth to shame, but the external regulations.
In fact, most of the society in Eastern countries is dominated by shame culture, and China is no exception.
cares about the evaluation of others, is afraid of infringement of self-esteem, and has a strong sense of collective honor is its main feature.
In Japan, especially in Japan during World War II, the alienation of people caused by the war made all the above manifestations, which made them sick.
Because of this, the former sergeant always involuntarily referred to the topic of "shame" in the conversation.
like men, shame; ask for help, shame;
It is a great shame to be willing to be a prisoner of war, and to be brave.
They have completely different views on what they did after being captured. The former sergeant
felt that self-determination was the only correct and admirable choice. In the military court of
, the jurors also said that Japanese soldiers would rather sacrifice than surrender.
The so-called tolerance of humiliation is just an excuse for being greedy for life and fear of death.
But Lawrence believes that death is the act of a coward. As long as
is alive, there is the possibility of a comeback.
For war, the winner is always the one who has the last laugh.
This very soft and warm late-night meeting points out the main point of the film.
At this point, we finally understand that what the original author really wants to explore is the huge difference between Eastern and Western culture.
What is valuable is that, as a Japanese, director Nagisa Oshima also deeply reflected on the inferiority of the Japanese nation. The former sergeant
said that since he visited the shrine at the age of 17, he dedicated his life to the emperor.
Almost every Japanese soldier is like this.
In the army, everyone is loyal to the emperor and strictly follows the instructions.
only has the vague and deterrent concept of "collective", and the living "individual" has no living space.
It is precisely because of the extreme emphasis and admiration of the priority of "collective" that Japan has provided a breeding ground for militarism. The collective ecstasy of
is like a swamp, drowning people and unable to escape.
Even a well-educated talent like Shiyei who has insight into Western culture can hardly fly.
But unlike others, he was at least struggling from beginning to end.
Before Jack arrived, he was already human.
He insisted on treating prisoners of war in a fair and peaceful manner, and never used force like the original sergeant.
Jack arrived, and his desire was awakened. Every time
visits, every time an exception is made, and every thought touched by Jack becomes a sign that his individuality is above the collective consciousness, which is precious.
He also wondered how wonderful it would be to invite everyone in the prisoner-of-war camp to enjoy the flowers and drink under the cherry blossom trees in his hometown.
At this moment, he put down his vigilance, showed a smile, and his relaxed posture was so innocent.
In this sense, the professor's immature and awkward performance complements the role modeling.
reveals a natural aura, which also makes the film look sharp and unarticulate.
Oshima Nagisa's dangerous move is really a slant, surprising victory.
In short, Jack probably saw that Shinoi was a person worth saving, so he sacrificed himself with a kiss, resolved the deadlock, and gave him a new life.
It is a pity that until the end, Shinoi and Jack did not get a chance to have a good conversation.
and "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", which made the professor shine in the film music industry, is not the theme song of the two of them. When
is a sad, agile, peerless, Japanese-style classical electronic music sounded for the last time, the two protagonists are no longer alive.
All cruelty had to be taken over by the narrator, and Lawrence had to endure the story. The original sergeant
was right. Isn't it a heavy thing for to win?
Four years ago on Christmas Eve, he drunkly pardoned Lawrence, who would be executed the next day.
In a blink of an eye, the two are in reverse.
goodbye this time, he is the one who is on the stage.
is only this time, no one can give him a way out. The last frame of the movie
was frozen in tears in the eyes of the original sergeant.
Simple and innocent, without the slickness and grumpiness of the original.
Presumably, Jack's kiss also planted a seed in his heart.
Then, may God bless you.
hope that the seeds will be spread farther away with the wind.
* author: kiwi
