Jan. 21, 1956|Japan|116 Min.|R
Genre: Adventure;Drama;Music;War;Western
Description: Private Mizushima, a Japanese soldier, serves as the harp player for Captain Inouye’s unit during the World War II Burma Campaign. The group uses music to boost morale among the troops. While taking refuge in a village, they discover they are under surveillance by British and Indian forces. Captain Inouye instructs his men to sing and act jovial to deceive the British into thinking they are unaware of their presence. However, instead of attacking, the British soldiers join in singing “Home! Sweet Home!”. Inouye’s men soon learn of Japan’s surrender and decide to lay down their arms.
At a British camp, Mizushima is tasked with persuading a group of Japanese soldiers still fighting on a mountain to surrender. He narrowly avoids being shot by the holdouts before convincing them the war is over. Despite his pleas, the soldiers choose to fight to the death. Mizushima attempts to buy more time but is misunderstood and beaten unconscious. The cave is bombed, leaving him as the sole survivor.
A monk aids Mizushima in recovering from his injuries. To avoid detection, Mizushima disguises himself as a monk and begins a journey to the camp in Mudon where his comrades are held. Along the way, he encounters the bodies of fallen Japanese soldiers and takes it upon himself to bury them. Meanwhile, Captain Inouye and his men remain hopeful of Mizushima’s survival, even training a parrot to call for his return to Japan.
Cast director: Toshio Masuda
Cast actor: Rentaro Mikuni, Shōji Yasui, Jun Hamamura, Taketoshi Naitô, Shunji Kasuga, Kō Nishimura, Keishichi Nakahara, Toshiaki Itô, Hiroshi Tsuchikata, Tomio Aoki
Original name: ビルマの竪琴