The Burmese Harp (Biruma no tategoto) (ビルマの竪琴)

NIKKATSU CORP.

THE BURMESE HARP

Produced by MASAYUKI TAKAGI

Original Story MICHIO TAKEYAMA Screenplay NATTO WADA

Cinematography MINORU YOKOYAMA Lighting KO FUJIBAYASHI

Sound MASAKAZU KAMIYA Production Design TAKASHI MATSUYAMA

Assistant Director TOSHIO MASUDA

Starring

RENTARO MIKUNI SHOJI YASUI

JUN HAMAMURA, TAKETOSHI NAITO KO NISHIMURA, SHUNJI KASUGA

TANIE KITABAYASHI TATSUYA MIHASHI, YUNOSUKE ITO

Directed by KON ICHIKAWA

THE SOIL OF BURMA IS RED,

AND SO ARE ITS ROCKS...

The war ended long ago,

but it left indelibly sad stories in our hearts

What follows is one such story

that happened to our company

It's a story we shall never forget.

By July of 1945

the tides of war had turned against Japan even in Burma

Our company retreated from one mountain to the next.

We wanted to reach the border somehow

and cross over into Thailand.

Why don't we sing?

Singing is meant for times like these.

Mizushima...

play your harp.

A night in late autumn

The solitary traveler

Looks up at the sky

With a desolate heart

His beloved hometown

His parents dear

The path of his dreams

Is one that leads back home

We often sang.

Our Captain had graduated from music school

and eagerly taught us the basics of choral singing.

Those songs lifted our spirits in times of sorrow and pain.

In our Company,

we had a special harp fashioned after one used in Burma

PFC Mizushima learned how to play it.

He'd never studied music,

but he had a natural gift and quickly mastered it.

He composed wonderful accompaniments and variations

and played along as we sang.

- Kobayashi, watch these. - All right.

PFC Mizushima reporting. I'm leaving now to scout ahead.

- Thanks. - I'll signal on the harp, as usual.

I'll play "Danger" if I see anything, "All Clear" if it's okay to advance.

You look better like that than in uniform.

He looks Burmese.

You should settle down here. The natives would love you.

Me Burmese.

Burma nice country.

What's taking him so long?

Shall we send out a second scout?

- The harp! - Mizushima's playing the harp.

Which tune is it?

You still can't tell? It's the "All Clear."

I always confuse them.

Sarge has a tin ear, huh?

Move out!

- What happened? - Did a fox cast a spell on you?

- Some thieves cornered me. - Thieves?

What did they take?

What could they take? All he had on was a longyi.

- They took my longyi! - And wrapped you in banana leaves?

They gave me these. They had quite a few.

They held me up and asked me to exchange the longyi. for banana leaves.

What a polite holdup!

You look even better in those leaves.

With a gold collar, you'd look just like a cannibal.

A banana waist cloth keeps you cool.

Our greatest worry was food

Enemy paratroopers had laid traps in the villages,

so we Couldn't afford to be careless.

Where's the village chief?

Through distant clouds the snows of the Himalayas glisten

We bathe ourselves in its melted waters

Somewhere afar your hidden spirit

Soothes with those waters this burning heart

Can you see the Himalayas?

Not from here.

The sutras and tradition tell us

that the Himalayas are the home of the soul.

We long to see them, even if just once.

Your playing has gotten very good recently.

Not at all.

You should just settle here and play. You've always said you love Burma.

I want to go home to Japan.

Japan...

Your hospitality was quite unexpected. We thank you.

We'll sing a song of gratitude.

"Setting Sail," first verse.

I knew it was too good to be true.

- Stay put! - The ammo boxes!

Nobody move.

Is it the British?

Sing! They're forming a line in the woods.

We'll make them think we don't know they're there.

Get ready for action as we sing.

Blossoms fall in my jade cup

The moon is reflected in my sweet wine

Lost in thoughts of peace and order

I look down on the fields of glory

Rising toward the far hill

Five stalwart youths in high spirits

Clap your hands!

Laugh!

They could attack at any moment.

Night's falling.

We need to keep them off guard. Laugh and clap your hands!

What about the ammo boxes?

One shot and they'll all explode.

One shot and we'll be blown to pieces.

O merciful Buddha...

False alarm. They're not the enemy.

Wait!

Listen. The song's in English.

That night, we learned that the war had ended three days earlier.

We gave up our arms.

We have surrendered.

Not only us,

but our country as well.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

We don't know where we'll be taken, what we'll have to do,

or even if we'll be allowed to live.

All of Japan has been heavily bombed.

Many are dead. Many are homeless and starving.

Our country is in ruins,

while we're imprisoned thousands of miles away.

All we can do now is watch and wait.

It's no use fighting our fate.

Far better to accept it like men

and wait for the day when we can rise again as a nation.

Up until now, we've lived and died together.

Now we must share this fate together too.

If we die here in Burma,

we'll die together.

But if by chance we're able to return home,

we'll do so together, leaving no man behind.

We'll rebuild our country.

That's all I can say for now.

What's Mudon like?

So we're finally going to the Mudon prison camp.

- Good thing, too! - What's so good about it?

You think they'll kill us all?

Are you serious?

So what's Mudon like?

How should I know?

- Where's Mizushima? - Here.

The captain's calling you.

A Japanese unit has been holding out on a mountain.

The British have laid siege to it for the past three days.

I've asked them to let one of us go

and talk our men into surrendering.

I don't want a single man to die needlessly.

That's the mountain there.

What do you say? Will you go?

It's a half day's trek by foot.

I'll go, sir.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'll proceed as necessary.

Thank you.

The rest of us will go south to Mudon.

It'll be tough to walk the 200 miles to Mudon alone,

but the British have assured you safe passage.

I'll proceed to Mudon once I've fulfilled my duty.

Very well. Persuade them to surrender. But you only have 30 minutes.

We won't wait any longer.

What happened? They suddenly stopped.

Must be having their afternoon tea.

- Son of a bitch! - Wait! He's Japanese!

- Careful! - How'd you get here?

- Well done! - Where'd you come from?

Where's your commander?

Hey. what's this?

We can use every man we can get at a time like this!

Stand at attention!

I'm Mizushima from Inouye Company. I'm here on a mission.

What? You're a messenger?

The Japanese army has surrendered.

Further resistance is useless. Please surrender as quickly as -

Shut up! How dare you!

Surrendering is an insult to those who've died!

Unlike your unit, we're not filthy cowards!

- We'll fight to the death! - What good are you then?

Live, endure, work for your country!

For our country?

How dare you!

How does surrendering help our country?

No one here wants to live with that humiliation!

As long as nobody surrenders, how can Japan lose?

That's right!

A coward like you can't be Japanese.

- Leave! - I refuse!

Not until you reconsider.

You'll die if you stay. Aren't you afraid?

I don't want to die meaninglessly.