The Burmese Harp 4K 1956 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

At the end of World War II, a detachment of the Japanese Imperial Army in Burma surrenders to British forces. In days of hardship and shame, the soldiers find salvation in choral singing. A private, whom everyone believes to be dead, hides under the garb of a Buddhist monk ...

Review 4K Movie

At the end of World War II, a group of Japanese soldiers learns of their country's surrender. While in Burma, they decide to surrender to the British. Soldier Mitsushima is sent to persuade the remaining Japanese soldiers to surrender, but he fails to convince them—the Japanese prefer to die. This makes a strong impression on the soldier. Stealing the robes of a Buddhist monk, he decides to devote his life to finding and burying the bodies of Japanese soldiers. He avoids meeting up with his unit and has no intention of returning to Japan, even when the British release the prisoners.

Like many Japanese cultural figures, Kon Itikawa refuses to acknowledge his country's guilt in starting the war. The emphasis here shifts, and the conflict of duty takes center stage. In the postwar period, when the emperor renounced his divinity in August 1945, the soldier's duty to die rather than be taken prisoner began to be viewed more simply. On the one hand, Kon Itikava shows the unbreakable spirit of prisoners of war, and on the other, in the person of Mitsushima, he presents the formula of a righteous man who renounces his homeland in order to fulfill his duty to the dead. The Burmese Harp, of course, does not shine with realistic details of war. Even the harsh conditions in which the prisoners find themselves seem somewhat conventional and poorly described. In a sense, it is even more of a musical than a war film, as the soldiers sing a lot. The very image of the harp played by Mitsushima somewhat detaches the film from reality and transports the war into a poetic realm. The harp is not the most convenient instrument to carry around, especially when the war is coming to an end and the soldiers are exhausted and dissatisfied with the constant hardships. It is difficult to imagine a ragged Japanese soldier carrying a clumsy harp with him; a harmonica would be much more appropriate here. But Kon Itikawa probably chose the harp for its piercing sound, which appeals to both the spirit and the soul. With its help, he created a poetic image of a Japanese soldier longing for his homeland.

What is surprising in the film is that the Japanese who surrender, as well as those who refuse to surrender, make their choice in a flash. No one experiences doubts or remorse. Those who were taken prisoner show little concern about having betrayed their homeland, although they maintain an abstract Japanese spirit through song. All this again suggests that Kon Itikawa was not making a realistic film, but rather a parable, which is why he refrained from detailing the psychology of the soldiers.