It’s probably not the first role that springs to mind when thinking about David Bowie’s extensive acting resume. But the late superstar’s part as a resilient soldier in 1983 war movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence might be one of the very best testaments to his status as pop culture’s preeminent chameleon. Bowie isn’t the only reason that Nagisa Ôshima’s BAFTA-winning film — set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II — remains such a deeply intense, delightfully weird emotional trip. It also boasts an epic soundtrack composed by Japanese music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto, who starred in the film alongside Bowie. Pitchfork reports that Sakamoto’s score is now getting a vinyl reissue courtesy of Milan Records, the same label that released his recent score for The Revenant with The National’s Bryce Dessner and Alva Noto. It is the latest release in Milan’s Nicolas Winding Refn Presents series, a partnership between the record label and the writer/director that has previously been responsible for reissuing the iconic scores from The Terminator and RoboCop.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is out October 21. Check out the track list below.
01. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
02. Batavia
03. Germination
04. A Hearty Breakfast
05. Before The War
06. The Seed and The Sower
07. A Brief Encounter
08. Ride, Ride, Ride (Cellier’s Brother’s Song)
09. The Fight
10. Father Christmas
11. Dismissed
12. Assembly
13. Beyond Reason
14. Sowing The Seed
15. 23rd Psalm
16. Last Regrets
17. Ride, Ride, Ride
18. The Seed
19. Forbidden Colors (ft. David Sylvian)
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley