The Burmese Harp

Name: The Burmese Harp
Genre: Drama, War, Music
Released: January 21, 1956
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 73

1956

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Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Brandon Films | Release Date: January 21, 1956 | Not Rated

Summary: A conscience-driven Japanese soldier traumatized by the events of WWII adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.

Genre(s): Drama, War, Music

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 116 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Telegraph Staff (Not Credited)

Kon Ichikawa's 1956 epic about Japan's surrender in World War II is a haunting elegy on the theme of defeat, an achievement fully meriting this high-definition transfer, and essential for war-film devotees. [28 Aug 2010, p.7]

100

Staff (Not Credited)

Ichikawa's great anti-war film, about a Japanese soldier (Shoji Yasui) in Burma masquerading as a monk and falling into grace. [21 Nov 2008, p.C5]

Kevin Thomas

A haunting, elegaic reverie of a movie; its opening battle scenes recalling John Ford’s cavalry westerns. Read full review

Eric Henderson

Ichikawa Kon’s 1956 film The Burmese Harp is a tender almost-musical film about the horrors of war and the obliteration of identity. Read full review

Geoff Andrew

If the film was clearly a sincere castigation of the militarist fervour that swept Japan during the war, it nevertheless suffers from its rather deliberate heart-warming tone and a too leisurely pace that tends to over-emphasise moments of pathos. That said, it is hard not to be swayed by the pacifist sentiments. Read full review

This poetically photographed Japanese drama is an earnest but extremely circuitous and overstated antiwar film. It moves like a figure 8, making its point at the middle, then looping around for a second, none-too-convincing hour. Read full review

Dave Kehr

Kon Ichikawa’s 1956 antiwar film was widely hailed at the time of its release for its power and commitment, though by today’s standards it’s likely to appear uncomfortably didactic. Read full review

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