#379: ICHIKAWA, Kon: The Burmese Harp (1956)

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ICHIKAWA, Kon (Japan)
The Burmese Harp [1956]
Spine #379
DVD


An Imperial Japanese Army regiment surrenders to British forces in Burma at the close of World War II and finds harmony through song. A private, thought to be dead, disguises himself as a Buddhist monk and stumbles upon spiritual enlightenment. Magnificently shot in hushed black and white, Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp is an eloquent meditation on beauty coexisting with death and remains one of Japanese cinema's most overwhelming antiwar statements, both tender and brutal in its grappling with Japan's wartime legacy.

1116 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Japanese
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2007
Director/Writers


Original story by Michio Takeyama.
Screenplay by Natto Wada.

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-page booklet featuring an essay by Tony Rayns.

Commentary

None.

Video interviews

With director Ichikawa and actor Mikuni.
Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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