MERRY XMAS MR LAWRENCE

This powerful prisoner-of-war drama features a stunning cast - including David Bowie in one of his greatest roles - and is the first English-language film by acclaimed Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (In the Realm of the Senses). Set in Java at a Japanese POW camp in 1942, a war of wills - and unspoken erotic attraction - unfolds between a rebellious prisoner, David Bowie, and camp commandant Ryuichi Sakomoto, who is impressed by Bowie's defiance while bilingual prisoner Tom Conti (Mr. Lawrence) engages in a more adversarial relationship with sadistic sergeant Takeshi Kitano (Hana Bi), who finally offers Lawrence a sinister 'Christmas' present. Fine performances by Conti, Kitano (his first dramatic role), Sakamoto (his acting debut, he also contributed the memorable score) and Bowie, combined with stunning cinematography and brilliant direction by one of Japan's finest filmmakers, make this a memorable and compelling war drama.

The first English-language project of Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (In the Realm of the Senses), it follows themes of racism and brutality as a war of wills unfolds between rebellious POW Strafer (David Bowie) and camp commandant Ryuichi Sakomoto. Sakomoto is most impressed by Strafer's enigmatic defiance; while bilingual prisoner Tom Conti (the "Mr. Lawrence" of the title) engages in a more adversarial relationship with sadistic sergeant Takeshi Kitano, who finally offers Lawrence a sinister 'Christmas present'.