Japanese director Nagisa Oshima's first film in English stars Tom Conti as the title character, a British colonel in a Japanese-run POW camp during WWII.
Colonel Lawrence is an astute observer of the cultural codes of his captors and even forms a friendship of sorts with one Japanese officer (Takeshi). He is also witness to the strange dynamics between new camp commandant Yoni (Ryuichi Sakamoto) and a new prisoner, Jack Celliers (David Bowie), with
whom Lawrence served in Libya. Yoni is fascinated by Celliers, and plans to make him the prisoners' CO, replacing Hicksley-Ellis (Jack Thompson).
Oshima's ambitious film is not without faults, but these are oversh...
Released:
1983
Rated:
R
Length:
124 mins