aruzhanmeirkhanova A well-known Japanese director Kon Ichikawa, in his masterpiece "The Burmese Harp", reveals how small groups of Japanese soldiers reacted to the end of the World War II. The off-screen voice, which belongs to one of these soldiers, narrates how he alongside his comrades had to face difficulties not only on the battlefield, but also after the War had come to an end. Hoping to return to Japan and "rebuild" it, his group surrenders to the British, while the other one refuses to do so. All of the attempts to persuade this second group were in vain for the soldier Mizushima, the main hero of the movie, who could skilfully play the harp and accompanied the songs of his fellowmen. In half an hour, British bombarded the non-surrendering Japanese troops, whereas Mizushima managed to survive. Although he seemed to have got lost and the evidence pointed to his death, his comrades didn't abandon the attempts to find him. When they finally managed to do so, they discovered that while feeling guilt for his failure to prevent the death of the soldiers, Mizushima becomes a monk and decides not to return to Japan unless the bodies of his countrymen are scattered in Burma. This movie should be viewed as more than simply a narrative about the desperate monk and the soldiers, who had to cope with the consequences of the World War II. Each character and each scene symbolizes the Japanese view on their nation during this significant historical event. For instance, the group of Mizushima is portrayed as it had to surrender, but nonetheless had a great goal to come back to Japan and "rebuild" the motherland. The group of soldiers expressed its patriotism even more explicitly, by refusing to give up and preferring death for the sake of Japan. Such elements of the movie are particularly important in a way that each of the two groups of soldiers seems to represent the Japanese spirit and a strong sense of the national identity.A harp being another central element of this film seems to serve several functions. It is an instrument, which during the most difficult moments of war acted as a therapy, raising the spirits of the fighters. Moreover, it is a tool and language of communication, which sends different signals to the soldiers and is difficult to understand by the outsiders. It is also a distinctive feature of Mizushima, by which his comrades managed to distinguish him while being in search. And the way in which it is depicted in the movie makes it not a less significant hero than Mizushima.The role of Buddhism in this movie, however is more implicit. One might get an impression that a few references of the words "Buddha" and "sutra" makes the Buddhist context less significant, while the temples and statues, shown in the movie have a decorative function. Yet, such conclusions might be misleading. Although they contain partial truth, and even Mizushima as a monk, has little to do with the commonly accepted characteristics of monks, other than his appearance, the most important message of the movie still coincides with the Buddhist understanding of the world. In one of the final scenes, when the Captain is reading the letter of Mizushima, the Buddhist observer can easily identify the First Noble Truth that "life is suffering". This truth concerns not only the life of Mizushima, but all of the people who witnessed the war. It is definitely true that Mizushima's decision to remain in Burma was motivated by the self-imposed duty to bury his dead countrymen in an appropriate way, which in its turn is a deal of honour. Yet, it is also probable that the internalization of the Buddhist ideas influenced his decision to adhere to the monastic way of life. For these reasons, it would be incorrect to undervalue the role of Buddhism in this movie.Mizushima, being the central character of the movie, is worth being noted separately. He is the embodiment of the true Japanese soldier, an impression that comes to mind first while watching the movie. This is a complex character, who experiences an internal struggle and dilemma regarding his comrades. Although it seemed rational to come back home, his devotion to his fellowmen and his honour prevented him from returning to Japan. His even more serious decision to devote his life to the Dharma, Buddha and the Sangha make his heroic image even more appealing. In general, the fact that it was the mid-20th century product does not make its quality less worth-praising. Most probably, this is due to the realistic delivery of the atmosphere of the War period and the actors, most of whom, had undergone these times themselves. The efforts put by the movie crew seem to have been justified, due to the worldwide recognition and mainly a positive reception of the film. After all, this is an exceptional drama, with a breath-taking plot and full of different ideas that give a spectator some "food for thought".

Jugu Abraham What a wonderful film! It is an adaptation of a Japanese novel by Michio Takeyema. The performances, camera-work and the music (of Akira Ifukube) under the direction of Kon Ichikawa are as delightful as the tale of the novel. Anti-war plus humanism plus a inward look at the Japanese psyche and nationalism from a Japanese perspective. It also provides a lovely peek at Myanmar when it was known as Burma. One of the best Japanese films ever made.For those who might be reading the name of Akira Ifukube for the first time, he is one of the most respected Japanese composers who was initially influenced by the music of Igor Stravinsky but grew up on Japanese musical traditions. What he offers is always an unusual mix of European and Asian music, He contributed the music of the Godzilla monster films. The Ichikawa-Ifukube combination proved to be vital for this remarkable film of a very interesting novel.Director Ichikawa remade the film in color three decades later in 1985.

karmaswimswami "The Burmese Harp" meditates brilliantly on comradeship, killing, surcease from killing, guilt, remorse and reverence for the dead. From early in his career, this supple and nuanced story discloses Ichikawa to have a subtle mind that operated on many levels. Ichikawa's outsize talent would soon be declared in full force by "Fires on the Plain." This film broods on horror that one man tries to stop, and cannot, and spends the rest of his life in penance for. The story arc celebrates Buddhist thinking, and has such universal themes of guilt, commitment, personal accountability, isolation and shame that it could be transposed well to another place and time. Ichikawa's film occasionally tear-jerks, and some of the musical digressions could be trimmed, but "The Burmese Harp" is anchored by a deft human touch and a pervasive sense of ethnicity-transcending universality. Minoru Yokoyama, the cinematographer, has lovingly lensed this film with an attitude of creating iconography, which he has. Shoji Yasui's performance as Mizushima is one in which muses ever sing.

MartinHafer 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.