The Burmese Harp- reviewed

Reviewed :

The Burmese Harp – 1956, Japanese

English subtitled. Black and White.

Directed by Kon Ichikawa.

 

This is a somewhat challenging movie to review simply because I have never seen anything like it. The Burmese Harp is the most powerful anti-war movie I have ever seen,

While at the same time it is a war story.  The cinematic stereotypes of British and Japanese soldiers just don’t fit in this haunting, ethereal story of the end of World War II as it takes place in Burma.

The time is 1945 and we are with the Japanese Imperial army in Burma. The war in the Pacific is being fought fiercely in many islands and countries all over the Pacific.

The Japanese where tasting defeat in many of the dozens of places they had invaded by the time 1945 arrived and the writing was on the wall, but Burma remained an extremely important country to both take an hold, as it is next to India.  India was British as the time. By taking Burma, the British would have the enemy knocking on the door and that enemy would have the whole country next door to stage and prepare for an invasion.

Burma was a hugely important target for the Japanese and it was also a do-or die , must-stop the enemy here destination for Britain.

This Japanese did not successfully conquer Burma. They lost as many as 60,000 men there, dying in the monsoons, the jungles, the mountains and tasting defeat as bitterly as any army dying in a far away land ever has.

Think of that,  sixty-thousand men, dead and lost. The bitterest of defeats for the once all- powerful Imperial Army. 

The movie opens in Burma where we encounter a Japanese squad of perhaps 50 men led by an inspiring commander who is a classically trained musician. Because of his training, he has his troops sing occasionally, and they are glad to do it. The very heavy and slow slog of the war, being so far from home, all of the soldiers enjoyed the singing as the only joy they have known for a good long time. One of the soldiers, Muzishima, finds a harp there. He picks it up and finds that he has a natural gift of making beautiful, lilting music to accompany his singing comrades. They are managing about as well as they can in these difficult circumstances.

When we first see this Japanese army squadron , the war has been declared as over for 3 days already, but they don’t know it. They do their duty as soldiers while continuing to sing. In a scene appears almost magical , they are taken prisoner by the conquering British. The British treat them well, but they do not know if they will be killed, enslaved, moved to who know where, or have any idea of their fate. They are all good soldiers and face the unknown bravely, and make the most of their peaceful captivity and carry on.

Not far from the camp where they are held, there is a fiercely resistant holdout of a large number of Japanese troops who are firing down from a mountain and harassing the British.

The British ask the Japanese if they would volunteer one of their men to go to the Japanese holdouts and explain that the war was over, please hand over your arms and lets stop this fighting now that the was is over.  Mizushima, the harp player , is chosen and gladly accepts the mission. He wants to save as many of his comrades as he can. Of course the Japanese hold outs not only do not believe him, the call him a coward. Mizushima does his best in the short time the British have ceased shelling the hold outs, but is not successful in convincing his fellow soldiers. The British once again resume the bombardment of the Japanese hold outs, only this time, almost all are dead or gravely wounded, including Mizushima.

Mizushima is now separated from his comrades. They are taken to a larger British camp at Mudon, hundreds of miles away.

Mizushima recovers, but just barely. He steals some local clothes and shaves his head and from then on, he is taken by all of the modest Burmese that he meets as being a monk.

( Monks are greatly revered in Burma, “ where the Buddah lives “. )

Mizushima is overwhelmed by the simple graciousness that he encounters from the many Burmese he meets, many of which have nothing in this world except today bowl of porridge , which they happily share and give to this stranger.

We see Muzishima change. He affects the clothes of a monk, he encounters nothing but kindness from all of the local population as he attempts to get back to his squad who is now imprisoned at Mudon. He finally makes it to Mudon, then turns back. His comrade see him, they shout ( they had all taken him from long-dead ! ) and beckon him to join from the other side of the barbed wire fence. For some reason, he declines and heads back into the jungle, while noting that the British are treating the Japanese quite well and humanely, much to his surprise.

Thru a third party, the commander of the Japanese men receives a letter from Muzishima.

All of his comrades want to know what is in it, the commander decides not to open it from now.  They are confused and dumbfounded, how could their friend and comrade not want to join his old outfit ? What is he doing that is so important ?

The Japanese are finally repatriated back to Japan. They are returning to Japan on a freighter. The war is lost, they know that they will be returning to a very defeated, starving Japan, but are anxious to get back home and to make Japan a better country when they do. It is a sad and melancholy scene on the ship back home. At this point, the commander pulls out the letter from Muzishima and reads it to the men.

Muzishima had encountered so many thousands of dead Japanese as he traveled Burma.

He has decided to return to Japan, someday. However he is going to stay in Burma to bury the bones of the many thousand of his comrades so they can at last rest in peace in this country so far from their homes. The men understand, it is a very difficult decision, but it is the right thing to do.

I have seen just about every war movie made. The Burmese Harp is the only war movie that I would call tender. It is haunting. It is reflective. It is redeeming.

And it should be seen by a lot more people. I recommend it highly.

Note- Kon Ichikawa is one of the greatest directors of the 20th century, he also directed " Tokyo Olympiad, Fires on the Plain, and Alone in the Pacific, among many others.

This movie is  part of the Criterion Collection of fine films.