Japan Synopsis
戦場のメリークリスマス
“Java, 1942— A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.”
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.
Audience Engagement
401 audience reviews — more than 92% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 82th percentile among Japan films.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Recorded Picture Company
Drama + History in Japan
82 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Drama and History genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence itself).
The 1982–1984 Japan Window
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence holds position #15 of 57 Japan films in the 1982–1984 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
#1Space Cobra
★ 8.3 · 1982
#2Super Dimension Fortress Macross
★ 8.1 · 1982
#3Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
★ 7.9 · 1984
#4The Transformers
★ 7.9 · 1984
#5Captain Tsubasa
★ 7.8 · 1983
#6Kinnikuman
★ 7.8 · 1983
#7Voltron: Defender of the Universe
★ 7.6 · 1984
#8Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
★ 7.6 · 1982
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence premiered alongside 17 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 17 other Japan films in 1983.
The 599th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- java · 3
- prison camp · 2
- court martial · 1
- pacific war · 15
- war crimes · 10
- indonesia · 9
- prisoner of war · 6
- based on novel or book · 288
- world war ii · 55
- 1940s · 35
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,539 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (66th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.4 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #669 of 1,933 (top 35%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom |
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Spoken Languages | English, Japanese |
| Production Companies | Recorded Picture Company, National Film Trustee Company, Antares-Nova, Oshima Productions, Asahi Broadcasting Company |
| Runtime | 2h 4m |
| Release Date | May 28, 1983 |
| IMDb | tt0085933 |