

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
“Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.”
Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel John Lawrence, who has a profound knowledge of Japanese culture, and Sergeant Hara, brutal and simpleton, will witness the struggle of wills between two men from very different backgrounds who are tragically destined to clash.
Genres
Drama, History, War
Studio
Recorded Picture Company
Language
ja
Status
Released
How Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence performed
Budget
N/A
Worldwide Gross
$2.3M
Gross Profit
N/A
Return
N/A
Opening Wknd (est.)
$332K
Source: TMDB. Domestic/international split (~48/52, genre-typical) and the opening-weekend figure (30% of the domestic run, typical for Drama) are MoviesRankd estimates. Profit is gross revenue minus production budget and excludes marketing — studios typically need ~2–2.5× budget to break even.
Where to Watch

Cast

Celliers
David Bowie
Celliers

Lawrence
Tom Conti
Lawrence

Yonoi
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Yonoi

Hara
Takeshi Kitano
Hara

Hicksley
Jack Thompson
Hicksley

Kanemoto
Johnny Ohkura
Kanemoto

De Jong
Alistair Browning
De Jong
Celliers' Brother
James Malcolm
Celliers' Brother
Celliers (12 Years)
Chris Broun
Celliers (12 Years)

Commandant of Military Prison
Yuya Uchida
Commandant of Military Prison

President of the Court
Ryūnosuke Kaneda
President of the Court

Lieutenant Iwata
Takashi Naito
Lieutenant Iwata
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