The Burmese Harp

During the last few days of World War II, a Japanese platoon surrenders to the British Forces in Burma and finds peace of mind through music. Cut off from his comrades, a missing soldier and skilled hard player who’s presumed dead, dresses up as a Buddhist monk.

During the last few days of World War II, a Japanese platoon surrenders to the British Forces in Burma and finds peace of mind through music. Cut off from his comrades, a missing soldier and skilled hard player who’s presumed dead, dresses up as a Buddhist monk. Although initially an act of survival, his monk disguise soon turns into an authentic spiritual transformation when he decides to stay in the country and care for the deceased. Without ignoring the harsh realities of the war, which leaves a trail of dead bodies behind, Kon Ichikawa offers one man’s mystical journey as an antidote to the horrors that surround him. One of the best films in the Japanese master’s career, “The Burmese Harp” is a mournful anti-war masterpiece where beauty coexists side-by-side with death. His effort won a special mention at the Venice Biennale and an Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957. Th.P.

Original title: Biruma no Tategoto

Σκηνοθεσία / Director: Kon Ichikawa

Σενάριο / Screenwriter: Michio Takeyama, Natto Wada

Φωτογραφία / DoP: Minoru Yokoyama

Μουσική / Music: Akira Ifukube

Μοντάζ / Editor: Masanori Tsujii

Ηθοποιοί / Principal Cast: Yasui Shoji, Mikuni Rentaro, Hamamura Jun, Mihashi Tatsuya, Ito Yunosuke

Ιαπωνία / Japan

1956

Ασπρόμαυρο / B&W

116'

Ιαπωνικά / Japanese