Most helpful customer reviews
|
|
Brilliant!, May 20 2004
By A Customer
This is the soundtrack to the 1983 feature film "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence". Sakamoto, who was in the now-legendary New Wave/synth group Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed and performed the entire evocative score. Addtionally, Sakamoto starred as a Japanese POW camp commandant, along with British POW's Tom Conti and David Bowie (as an Australian commando). The movie, while a disappointment at the box office, is quite an experience; a strange drama set in a Japanese-run POW camp in the Dutch East Indies in World War II, but worth watching. The ending is emotional; you may shed a few tears at the end!As good as the film is, the soundtrack is stunning, especially the title track; it's haunting, mesmorizing, and powerful. (The only clunker is the David Sylvian vocal on the "reprise" at the end, which was not on the film's soundtrack.) At the very least, get this brilliant soundtrack!
|
|
|
Essential Sylvian / Sakamoto collaboration, Sep 2 2003
By A Customer
This CD disappeared for some time, I remember hunting for years to find it again. This re-release gives fans of the movie and the two artists another chance to listen to a fine Sakamoto piece. Sakamoto was in Yellow Magic orchestra, Sylvian in Japan and then on his own. The collaboration with Sylvian is one of many: Bamboo Music/Bamboo Houses and Sylvian's first 3 solo albums -- all amazing when Sakamoto adds his unique keyboard touches. "Forbidden Colors" stands away from the rest of the album, I think, a wonderful song, one of my favorites. Buy the movie, it's still available, enjoy Bowie against Sakamoto and Tom Conti's fine performance. Then, you'll need this album.
|
|
|
This is still No.1 in my list of favorite music, Aug 12 2003
By A Customer
I watched the movie for the first time when I was 21.I listened to the entire soundtrack for the first time when I was 18. I have known the melody of the title theme....since I was in elementary school. I always whistled this melody without knowing what the music was called or who it was by. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence was the soundtrack of my life. PS.
I have recently noticed the track #2 on disc #2 of the compilation Clicks & Cuts 3 (on Mille Plateaux), by Antonelli Electr., starts with a melody that is very remniscent of one of the short tracks on Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. It made me really excited...
|
Share your thoughts with other customers: 
|
|
Most recent customer reviews
|
(4 customer reviews)
See all 4 customer reviews...
