The Burmese Harp (1956)
Biruma no tategoto (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 56min
- Drama, Music
- 26 Apr 1957 (France)
- Movie
A conscience-driven Japanese soldier traumatized by the events of WWII adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Rentarô Mikuni | ... |
Captain Inouye
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| Shôji Yasui | ... |
Mizushima
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| Jun Hamamura | ... |
Ito
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| Taketoshi Naitô | ... |
Kobayashi
(as Takeo Naito)
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Shunji Kasuga | ... |
Maki
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| Kô Nishimura | ... |
Baba
(as Akira Nishimura)
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Keishichi Nakahara | ... |
Takagi
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Toshiaki Itô | ... |
Hashimoto
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Hiroshi Hijikata | ... |
Okada
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| Tomio Aoki | ... |
Oyama
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Norikatsu Hanamura | ... |
Nakamura
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Sanpei Mine | ... |
Abe
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Takashi Koshiba | ... |
Shimizu
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Tomoko Tonai |
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Tokuhei Miyahara | ... |
Nagai
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Yoshiaki Kato | ... |
Matsuda
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Masahiko Naruse | ... |
Soldier
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Bin Moritsuka | ... |
Soldier
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Sôjirô Amano | ... |
Soldier
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| Yôji Nagahama | ... |
Boy
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Kunitarô Sawamura | ... |
Old man
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Eiji Nakamura | ... |
Old monk
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Asao Sano | ... |
Soldier
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Shôjirô Ogasawara | ... |
Soldier
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| Tanie Kitabayashi | ... |
Old woman
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| Tatsuya Mihashi | ... |
Defense Commander
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| Yûnosuke Itô | ... |
Village head
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Shôki Fukae | ... |
Soldier
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Hiroshi Ichimura |
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Keiji Itami |
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Jun Kizaki | ... |
(as Kyôji Chiyo)
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Ken Mikasa |
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Victor Minenko | ... |
British Soldier
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Directed by
| Kon Ichikawa | ||
Written by
| Michio Takeyama | ... | (novel) |
| Natto Wada | ... | () |
Produced by
| Masayuki Takagi | ... | producer |
Music by
| Akira Ifukube | ||
Cinematography by
| Minoru Yokoyama | ||
Editing by
| Masanori Tsujii | ||
Production Design by
| Akira Nakai | ||
Art Direction by
| Takashi Matsuyama | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Toshio Masuda | ... | assistant director |
Sound Department
| Masakazu Kamiya | ... | sound |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Kô Fujibayashi | ... | gaffer |
Music Department
| Yoshie Abe | ... | harp |
Additional Crew
| Don Brown | ... | english subtitle translation |
| Haruhi Yokoyama | ... | choreographer |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Producciones Imperial (1959) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Contemporary Films (1960) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Brandon Films (1967) (United States) (subtitled)
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1975) (United States) (tv)
- The Criterion Collection (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- Globe Films International (1958) (Italy) (theatrical)
- New Star (2013) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Nikkatsu (1956) (Japan) (theatrical)
- AV Visionen Filmverleih (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
- Eureka Entertainment (2010) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (laserdisc)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Mizushima is a soldier in the Japanese army in Burma in World War II. He's a good soldier and frequently plays his harp to entertain his fellow soldiers. When the war comes to an end, he is asked by the British to go into the mountains to try and convince a Japanese troop to surrender. Given only 30 minutes to convince them, Mizushima is unsuccessful - they would rather die with honor - and the British attack. Deeply affected by what has happened, he becomes a Buddhist monk, traveling the countryside burying the remains of Japanese soldiers. He is unable however to rejoin his brothers-in-arms. Written by garykmcd |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Kon Ichikawa said the original novel was treated as a fantasy, but he chose to eliminate that aspect of the story. See more » |
| Goofs | The modern harp (with its pedal changes and its consequent ability to make changes of harmony, in particular)that is played throughout on the film's soundtrack does not match the much more basic instrument shown in the film. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Burden of Love (1955). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Hanyuu no Yado See more » |
| Quotes |
Captain Inouye:
[Excerpt from Mizushima's letter, which Captain Inouye reads to his men as they sail back to Japan]
As I climbed mountains and crossed streams, burying the bodies left in the grasses and streams, my heart was wracked with questions. Why must the world suffer such misery? Why must there be such inexplicable pain? As the days passed, I came to understand. I realized that, in the end, the answers were not for human beings to know, that our work is simply to ease the great suffering of the world. To have the courage to face suffering, senselessness and irrationality without fear, to find the strength to create peace by one's own example. I will undergo whatever training is necessary for this to become my unshakable conviction. See more » |