{"product_id":"merry-christmas-mr-lawrence-戦場のメリークリスマス-original-japanese-movie-poster-1983-b2-size-51-73-cm-f252","title":"“Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” \/ 「戦場のメリークリスマス」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1983, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) F252","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"113\" data-end=\"413\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"124\" data-end=\"166\"\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e printed for the original Japanese release of \u003cstrong data-start=\"212\" data-end=\"261\"\u003eMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence \/ 「戦場のメリークリスマス」\u003c\/strong\u003e, the powerful wartime drama directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"302\" data-end=\"319\"\u003eNagisa Oshima\u003c\/strong\u003e and starring \u003cstrong data-start=\"333\" data-end=\"412\"\u003eDavid Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Conti, Takeshi Kitano, and Jack Thompson\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"415\" data-end=\"860\"\u003eOne of the most distinctive international films of the early 1980s, \u003cstrong data-start=\"483\" data-end=\"516\"\u003eMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence\u003c\/strong\u003e explores imprisonment, honour, cultural misunderstanding, psychological conflict, and repressed emotion inside a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War. This Japanese poster is especially striking, with one of the film’s most memorable symbolic designs: a bloodied sword, a red butterfly, and a tropical battlefield at dusk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"862\" data-end=\"1306\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"862\" data-end=\"881\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"881\" data-end=\"884\"\u003eReleased in \u003cstrong data-start=\"896\" data-end=\"904\"\u003e1983\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"906\" data-end=\"939\"\u003eMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence\u003c\/strong\u003e is set in a Japanese POW camp in Java during World War II. The story centres on the tense relationships between Major Jack Celliers, a defiant British prisoner; Captain Yonoi, the disciplined Japanese camp commander; Colonel Lawrence, a British officer who understands Japanese culture; and Sergeant Hara, whose brutality is offset by moments of unexpected humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1308\" data-end=\"1579\"\u003eThe film was directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1333\" data-end=\"1350\"\u003eNagisa Oshima\u003c\/strong\u003e, from a screenplay by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1373\" data-end=\"1390\"\u003eNagisa Oshima\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1395\" data-end=\"1414\"\u003ePaul Mayersberg\u003c\/strong\u003e, based on writings by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1437\" data-end=\"1465\"\u003eSir Laurens van der Post\u003c\/strong\u003e. The principal cast includes \u003cstrong data-start=\"1495\" data-end=\"1555\"\u003eDavid Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Conti, Takeshi Kitano\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1561\" data-end=\"1578\"\u003eJack Thompson\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1581\" data-end=\"1922\"\u003eThe film premiered in competition at the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1622\" data-end=\"1646\"\u003eCannes Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e and received major international acclaim for its bold treatment of cultural conflict, wartime trauma, masculinity, and psychological tension. \u003cstrong data-start=\"1789\" data-end=\"1817\"\u003eRyuichi Sakamoto’s score\u003c\/strong\u003e, including the now-iconic main theme, remains one of the most celebrated film soundtracks of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1924\" data-end=\"2290\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1924\" data-end=\"1941\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1941\" data-end=\"1944\"\u003eThe Japanese poster uses a highly symbolic and beautifully composed design. The upper section shows a tropical evening landscape, with silhouetted palm trees and dark mountains beneath a dusky sky. Across this scene stand the four principal male figures, each isolated against the landscape and identified by stylized white signature-style names.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2292\" data-end=\"2627\"\u003eAt the centre, a large vertical \u003cstrong data-start=\"2324\" data-end=\"2340\"\u003ekatana blade\u003c\/strong\u003e divides the composition. Blood runs down the steel and pools across the stark white lower section, creating one of the poster’s most powerful visual motifs. A single red butterfly appears beside the blood, adding a poetic but unsettling contrast between beauty, violence, and fragility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2629\" data-end=\"2677\"\u003eThe principal Japanese tagline at the top reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2679\" data-end=\"2719\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2679\" data-end=\"2693\"\u003e「男たち、美しく。」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2693\" data-end=\"2696\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2696\" data-end=\"2719\"\u003e“Men, beautifully.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2721\" data-end=\"3100\"\u003eThe lower left features the English title \u003cstrong data-start=\"2763\" data-end=\"2795\"\u003eMERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE\u003c\/strong\u003e, followed by detailed production credits, including \u003cstrong data-start=\"2848\" data-end=\"2865\"\u003eJeremy Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2867\" data-end=\"2884\"\u003eNagisa Oshima\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2886\" data-end=\"2905\"\u003ePaul Mayersberg\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2911\" data-end=\"2931\"\u003eRyuichi Sakamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e. The lower section is dominated by the bold blue Japanese title \u003cstrong data-start=\"2996\" data-end=\"3013\"\u003e「戦場のメリークリスマス」\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong data-start=\"3020\" data-end=\"3033\"\u003e「大島渚監督作品」\u003c\/strong\u003e printed above, identifying it as a work by director Nagisa Oshima.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3102\" data-end=\"3260\"\u003eThe overall design is \u003cstrong data-start=\"3124\" data-end=\"3165\"\u003eelegant, severe, and deeply memorable\u003c\/strong\u003e, perfectly capturing the film’s fusion of beauty, violence, discipline, and emotional tension.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3262\" data-end=\"3370\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3262\" data-end=\"3278\"\u003eRelease note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3278\" data-end=\"3281\"\u003eThis poster was printed for the film’s \u003cstrong data-start=\"3320\" data-end=\"3369\"\u003eoriginal Japanese theatrical release campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3372\" data-end=\"3472\"\u003eIt is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"3381\" data-end=\"3423\"\u003eoriginal period Japanese cinema poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3474\" data-end=\"3638\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3474\" data-end=\"3487\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3487\" data-end=\"3490\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3490\" data-end=\"3514\"\u003eExcellent condition.\u003c\/strong\u003e A highly attractive example, with \u003cstrong data-start=\"3549\" data-end=\"3637\"\u003estrong colour, clean imagery, sharp typography, and excellent overall display impact\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3640\" data-end=\"3718\"\u003ePlease review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3720\" data-end=\"3821\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"3731\" data-end=\"3775\"\u003eoriginal 1983 Japanese theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr data-start=\"3776\" data-end=\"3779\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"3785\" data-end=\"3820\"\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3823\" data-end=\"3855\"\u003eIt is now \u003cstrong data-start=\"3833\" data-end=\"3854\"\u003eover 40 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3857\" data-end=\"3898\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3857\" data-end=\"3898\" data-is-last-node=\"\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57055760318842,"sku":null,"price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-07-10T121008.568.jpg?v=1783653051","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/merry-christmas-mr-lawrence-%e6%88%a6%e5%a0%b4%e3%81%ae%e3%83%a1%e3%83%aa%e3%83%bc%e3%82%af%e3%83%aa%e3%82%b9%e3%83%9e%e3%82%b9-original-japanese-movie-poster-1983-b2-size-51-73-cm-f252","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}