The Burmese Harp

Once you get over the fact that it's poor military strategy to be singing choral music while trying to escape from the enemy (like, why tell them where you are?) in the jungles of Burma and then get over the additional hurdle of why a soldier would be waltzing around the battlefield with a harp, which seems to be unnecessary additional baggage, Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp is uniquely effective in demonstrating the horrible impact of war without actually showing much in the way of battle scenes. Filled with beautifully stark black and white images, it is a quiet and meditative story of friendship and loyalty that, despite its flaws in logic, packs a pretty decent punch.

The Burmese Harp is pretty good, but it doesn't seem to live up to the high praise that is continuously heaped upon it. There is plenty of thoughtfulness put into Ichikawa's take on the Japanese soldier's experience in WWII (one of the first to be sympathetic), including reflections on the hyperpatriotic, self-destructive stance of Japanese nationalism and the unnecessary toll caused by the conflict. But at the same time, the film never touches on the suffering of the Burmese or the Japanese role in the conflict there (later condemned as war crimes) in much the same way that many American portrayals of Vietnam focus on the toll on their own soldiers almost exclusively. Additionally, sentimentality is everywhere; such as the use of parrots to communicate with a hopefully miraculously living comrade, or the early scene in which the Japanese forces learn of the end of the conflict after British and Indian troops literally join them in song as they walk into their camp. There is a touching camaraderie between Yasui's Mizshima and his estranged unit, the film doesn't shy away from the horrors of war without showing them explicitly, and the humanism is clear throughout the runtime, but The Burmese Harp is held back by its less realistic, wistful narrative elements. (3.5/5)

I'm not sure why The Burmese Harp is considered a classic of Japanese cinema. I found it a bit boring.

The Burmese Harp is about a group of Japanese soldiers who are forced to surrender at the end of WWII, but one of them separates from the group and is confronted with the deadly toll that war takes. It is a truly beautiful film that enthralled me so much that I’d call the experience hypnotic. It pulled me in from the first frames because they start with the amazing sound of the army troop singing, and that becomes a theme throughout the movie. As a singer myself I’ve always loved the sound of a choir joining together in song even when the lyrics are foreign. That drew me in to The Burmese Harp but the emotion of the story kept me riveted. This is a timeless tale that looks at how the human spirit can be impacted by the harsh realities of war. I loved the way this story was told, and found myself deeply impacted by the themes. When the movie was done, I sat in silence for a few minutes reflecting on what I just saw, and any film that gets me in such a contemplative state clearly did something right. Every aspect of The Burmese Harp was successful in my mind. The actors did a great job, particularly Shôji Yasui who has to go through the biggest emotional journey. I appreciated how Kon Ichikawa framed the shots and took advantage of the scenery and sets. It looked amazing from start to finish. One of the truly great aspects of the film is the music and how Akira Ifukube blended his score with the songs that are sung in the film. There are a number of quiet moments in The Burmese Harp with minimal dialogue, but the score carries you through those scenes and maintains the emotion the whole way through. I suppose if someone wasn’t as engaged by the story, they could find it all melodramatic and even boring. I feel sorry for those people. This is a powerful tale and it also tackles a side of war that isn’t addressed as much in film. It’s been about a week since I saw The Burmese Harp and the visuals and music are still running through my brain. I cannot wait until I have an opportunity to watch it again.

As Ebert once said, "I hated, hated, hated, hated this movie." Maybe if you're into totally inexplicable plot devices like choral singing WWII troops, fake prop harps, silly anti-war heart string tugging, the most boring long stretches of nothing happening that one can possibly do, and super long letters read aloud, this could be your movie.

Often moving tale of a Japanese regiment at the end of WWII that surrenders to the British in Burma. This company is different because of their fondness for singing (often "Home Sweet Home" in Japanese, which is used for sentimental purposes but still evokes wistfulness). One of their number, Mizushima, is nominated to encourage another Japanese platoon, holed up in a mountain fortress, to finally surrender - however, they disbelieve that the war is over and are killed by the Brits. Mizushima himself is injured but resuscitated back to life by a Buddhist monk. Mizushima steals this monk's garb to make the journey back to join his regiment but the horrors that he sees (scores of unburied bodies) and remembers lead him to take a vow to stay in Burma as a real monk to make certain that all the bodies are buried. His old squad members cannot understand. Ichikawa makes excellent use of location shooting in Burma, often showing his characters nearly hidden in the landscape (suggesting the enormity of the situation in which they are engulfed). Some say this film ignored the real war crimes committed in Burma but it is assuredly pacifist and anti-war.

A young harp-playing soldier gets separated from his unit & disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to search for them. Along his existential journey, he gives into the yearning for truths & turns away from his soldier life altogether in this subtle but powerful antiwar Buddhist bromance.

An effective antiwar film, but overall a little uneven.

another WWII movie post WWII

A great groundbreaking film. At first I thought it would be horribly depressing, but instead it was deeply touching. Accompanied by beautiful harp and men's choir music I was reminded of the simple beauties of life, and was left with the idea that even in times of horrible suffering it is not our place to try and understand why life is so terrible but rather how we can make it better. 1001 movies to see before you die. Vatican 100 list.