Based on a children's novel of the same name written by Michio Takeyama, it tells the story of Japanese soldiers who fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II. [11], It was Ichikawa's first film released internationally, but the 143-minute film was condensed to 116 minutes, reputedly at Ichikawa's objection. The Burmese Harp is a prime example of emotional affliction within a film. [13], The film's initial release was met with positive reviews. [8] Shots of full moons invoke Buddhist symbols of awakening. But this love of music signifies more than just a temporary release from the stresses of men at war. But the Japanese continue singing casually in an effort to gain time to ready themselves for battle. Mizushima begs for them to surrender but they do nothing. She also gives the captain a letter, that explains that Mizushima has decided not to go back to Japan with them, because he must continue burying the dead while studying as a monk and promoting the peaceful nature of mankind. Inouye's men learn that the war has ended with the Japanese surrender, and so they surrender to the British. The type of reverence that commands the viewer and speaks to their soul. The Burmese Harp ends where it begins, with a shot of an engulfing, arid wasteland and the words, “The soil of Burma is red, so are its rocks”. Also involved are the daughter of one of Yukinojo's targets, two master thieves, and a swordsman who himself is out to kill Yukinojo. Although this is not adapted in the film, Ichikawa explored the topic in his 1959 film Fires on the Plain. The harp is an element of stability in the lives of all of the men. ", adapted in Japan as "Hanyo no yado". Instead of firing at them, though, the British soldiers begin singing the same melody, "Home! [3], Ichikawa hoped to make the film in color, but color cameras were too big, and thus costly, to be moved to Burma. He wrote it would be impossible for Ichikawa to know about the scale of Japanese war crimes soldiers inflicted in countries such as Burma, with academic Joan Mellen accusing the film of whitewashing. Eventually, they buy a parrot and teach it to say "Mizushima, let's go back to Japan together". 31 of 34 people found this review helpful. The Burmese Harp The final days of the Asia-Pacific War, the problem for the Japanese military to accept defeat and surrender, and to believe in the possibility of the regeneration of Japan from the ashes of war; 2. Written by A-Z list. Watch Episodes. Given only 30 minutes to convince them, Mizushima is unsuccessful - they would rather die with honor - and the British attack. Michio Takeyama's novel The Burmese Harp was popular, and director Kon Ichikawa was intrigued by the narrative, but was more interested in transforming the fairy tale tone to a realistic film, and secured Takeyama's permission. The Burmese Harp (ビルマの竪琴, Biruma no tategoto), also known as Harp of Burma, is a children's novel by Michio Takeyama. However, The Burmese Harp was the first serious, Buddhist movie actually made by Buddhists, to screen in America. They are weary, confused, but very bonded. The story concerns a small band of Japanese soldiers who are fighting in a remote part of Burma, unaware that the unconditional surrender of Japan took place three days earlier.One of the band, Private Mizushima (Shoji Yasui), plays a harp to wile away the time and to entertain his comrades. The director of “The Burmese Harp” is Ichikawa Kon, the same director of the groundbreaking film called “The Tokyo Olympiad”. When Mizushima's unit is ambushed by the British, they learn that the war is over and surrender peacefully, but Mizushima is sent to convince a holdout unit of Japanese in the mountains to give up. The Burmese Harp (1956) (ビルマの竪琴) is a Japanese anti-war film directed by Kon Ichikawa and based on a novel for children (same name) by Michio Takeyama. A member of the group goes missing after the war, and the soldiers hope to uncover whether their friend survived, and if he is the same person as a Buddhist monkthey see playing a harp. In the Burmese Harp, Captain Inoye and Mizushima are in the same army unit, fighting in World War II against the British in Burma. the.-burmese.-harp.-1956.720p.-blu-ray.x-264.-rosubbed-my-si-lu Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. plus-circle Add Review. Private Mizushima, a Japanese soldier, becomes the harp (or saung) player of Captain Inouye's group, composed of soldiers who fight and sing to raise morale in the World War II Burma Campaign. 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