merry christmas mr. lawrence
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Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Japanese: 戦場のメリークリスマス, Hepburn: Senjō no Merī Kurisumasu, lit. Merry Christmas on the Battlefield), also known as Furyo (Japanese for "prisoner of war"), is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Ōshima Nagisa, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas.
The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed by Tom Conti) as a prisoner of war of Japan during World War II, as depicted in his books "The Seed and the Sower" (1963) and "The Night of the New Moon" (1970). It stars late musician and actor David Bowie (as Maj. Jack Strafer Celliers), the late composer and actor Sakamoto Ryuichi (as Capt. Yonoi), Kitano Takeshi and Jack Thompson; Sakamoto also wrote the score including the vocal version of the main theme Forbidden Colours, with lyrics written and sung by David Sylvian.
The film was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or. Sakamoto's score won the film a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music that year.