Before I review THE BURMESE HARP, I should point out that I had previously watched another Japanese anti-war film, FIRES ON THE PLAIN ("NOBI"). I mention this because it definitely colored my view of BURMESE HARP, since FIRES did a much better job of conveying the horror of war--so much so that BURMESE HARP seems to pale a bit in comparison. So, if you like the message in BURMESE HARP, then seeing FIRES ON THE PLAIN is an absolute must.

This film is set in the final days of WWII. The focus of the film is a small company of Japanese soldiers who are mostly trying to avoid being killed as well as find something to eat. Within this groups is a soldier who is almost like a mascot, as he carries a small harp with him and uses it to raise the morale of these dispirited troops. When they receive word that the war is over, the harpist (Mizushima) volunteers for one last mission--the try to convince some hard-core Japanese soldiers that the war is finished. However, these men don't believe him and soon they are attacked and killed--leaving Mizushima alive but wounded. As he makes his way back to the internment camp where his comrades are being held, he comes upon many war dead--so many that his mind seems to snap. From then on, instead of returning, he decides to don the robes of a Buddhist monk and travel the land burying the dead and dedicating his life to peace.

When it comes to the technical aspects of the film, the music is wonderful and gives a rather surreal edge to the movie. Additionally, the cinematography is excellent as well. There is one problem, however, and that is that the film is poorly paced. In other words, while an exceptional film, it probably would have been better had it been trimmed a bit (the Leonard Maltin Guide also stated this--I read its review after I saw the film). I really think the message could have been more powerful had 15 or so minutes of the film had been trimmed--and this is something I rarely feel. Normally, I love longer films.

By the way, this isn't so much a criticism of this particular film, but when I saw it I found myself a bit torn. Although many Japanese soldiers suffered and died in the war and it was a great loss, I wondered how many Japanese-made movies talked about the Rape of Nanking, their forcing Korean women to be "comfort women" (i.e., sex slaves) and the wide-spread killing of prisoners of war? If you know of any such films, let me know.

In the War's closing days, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.

In Japan, Nikkatsu, the studio that commissioned the film, released it in two parts, three weeks apart. Part one (running 63 minutes) opened on January 21, 1956, and part two (80 minutes) opened on February 12, both accompanied by B movies. Its total running time of 143 minutes was cut to 116 minutes for later re-release and export, reputedly at Ichikawa's objection.

I have only recently become aware of Nikkatsu, and more so in the context of their gangster films. This is really quite a feat, and the use of music is excellent. I appreciate these stories of post-war Japan (and the surrounding countries). Such a marked difference from post-war America, which was mostly celebration... everywhere else was destroyed.

Many in the United States have heard about how Germany (and maybe about how Italy) had to do a lot after World War II in order to deal with the residual effects of their actions during the war. It's also worth looking at how Japan had to do the same. Kon Ichikawa's "Biruma no tategoto" ("The Burmese Harp" in English) does a good job with this.

In July, 1945, a Japanese platoon in Burma gets captured by the British army. One of the men - named Mizushima - has to go to the mountains to convince another Japanese platoon to surrender. But the latter platoon refuses to do so and all the members get killed in a shootout. As Mizushima walks back to his platoon, he comes across the bodies of more soldiers who perished in the war. Thus he sees his new mission in life: no longer can he be a soldier, but becomes a Buddhist monk, with the aim of healing all affected by the war.

I see Mizushima as representing what Japan as a society had to do following its defeat in WWII. Aside from the fact that the Land of the Rising Sun has had to be a pacifist country (the US forced it to have a constitution prohibiting military intervention),the bombing of Hiroshima made the Japanese people averse to militarism in general. Certainly this movie's anti-war stance makes it all the more relevant in this day and age. I recommend it.