Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, also known as Furyo (俘虜, Prisoner of War), is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed by Tom Conti as Lt. Col. John Lawrence) as a prisoner of war in Java (Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies) during World War II, as depicted in his books The Seed and the Sower (1963) and The Night of the New Moon (1970). It stars David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano and Jack Thompson; Sakamoto also composed and played the musical score including the vocal version of the main theme "Forbidden Colours", with lyrics written and sung by David Sylvian.
The soundtrack from the film was released on 1 May 1983 in Japan and towards the end of August 1983 in the UK. It was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also starred in the film. It was Sakamoto's first film score, though it was released several weeks after the film Daijōbu, My Friend, for which he also composed the music.
Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film has since become a cult classic, largely due to its soundtrack. For the film's soundtrack, Sakamoto won the 1984 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music as well as the 1984 Mainichi Film Award for Best Film Score. David Sylvian contributed lyrics and vocals on "Forbidden Colours", a vocal version of the main theme, "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", both of which were released as singles.
1 Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence 4:34
2 Batavia 1:18
3 Germination 1:47
4 A Hearty Breakfast 1:21
5 Before The War 2:14
6 The Seed And The Sower 5:00
7 A Brief Encounter 2:23
8 Ride, Ride, Ride (Celliers' Brother's Song) 1:03
9 The Fight 1:29
10 Father Christmas 2:00
11 Dismissed 0:10
12 Assembly 2:16
13 Beyond Reason 2:01
14 Sowing The Seed 1:53
15 23rd Psalm 2:00
16 Last Regrets 2:40
17 Ride, Ride, Ride (Reprise) 1:04
18 The Seed 1:02
19 Forbidden Colours 4:42
