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NIKKATSU CORP.
THE BURMESE HARP
Produced by MASAYUKI TAKAGI
Original Story MICHIO TAKEYAMA Screenplay NATTO WADA
Cinematography MINORU YOKO YAMA Lighting KO FUJIBAYASHI
Sound MASAKAZU KAMIYA Production Design TAKASHI MATSUYAMA
Music AKIRA IFUKUBE Edited by MASANORI TSUJII
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 reporiting. 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.
Join us once you've completed your mission.
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.
Furither 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.
Dying in battle is meaningless?
It doesn't serve Japan or its people or yourself.
It's meaningless. - How dare you!
- A harp? What's the big idea? - I use it to signal.
Captain, you're responsible for these men's lives.
If they die in vain, the blame will be yours.
Who will apologize to their families and to the people of Japan?
Very well. I'll ask the men.
- Nakai, what about you? - I'll fight to the end, sir.
And the rest of you?
How's it really gonna turn out?
Just as I said.
If only we had time to discuss it calmly.
Unforitunately, time's almost up.
Please decide in the next three minutes!
It's unanimous: We'll fight to the death!
I'll ask the British
to give me more time.
- You're afraid of dying! - Coward!
- I'm not a coward! - Should we be taken prisoner?
Go home alone!
Very well.
I don't have time to argue with you.
What are you doing?
We'll never surrender!
My captain said not to let a single man die needlessly!
You'll pay for this, you son of a bitch!
MUDON
It's awful quiet.
Old lady, glad you made it! And in the rain!
It's her livelihood.
Old lady, let's trade. What do you have today?
That stupid Indian soldier.
Firing blanks to scare me.
A raw recruit, I'll bet.
How can he not know my face?
How about a molasses bar for this broom?
That's a broom?
I made it out of palm leaves.
You're a clever fellow. Okay, it's a trade.
I made this bamboo flute yesterday.
It sounds really nice. Trade for some bananas?
Okay, trade.
I don't want this monkey you gave me. Can I trade it for food?
No, that's a naughty monkey.
I won't take it back.
I'll trade these new socks for shrimp paste.
Okay, trade.
- Is that stuff good? - Tastes like our salted fish guts.
Old lady...
did you ask about what we discussed?
You forgot again, didn't you? It's hopeless.
We can't get information. We have to rely on you.
It's no use getting angry.
Please don't forget this time.
The wounded Japanese brought to the Mudon hospital -
were they really captured on Triangle Mountain?
And if so, was there a man from another unit?
And is he okay? Just ask that much.
I'm going to the hospital in a few days for some trading.
I'll ask about it.
- We'll pay what we can. - Don't forget.
Don't forget, please!
I understand.
Thank you. Good-bye.
She's kind,
but completely unreliable.
I wonder what happened to him.
It's been over ten days.
I should have gone myself.
- Don't feed the monkey now. - It's hungry.
That's the rice I saved. I was going to feed it tomorrow.
What? Yesterday you gave it my share!
- Go to sleep! - I smell sake.
Would you all shut up?
We haven't even begun to taste the suffering of defeat yet.
We ought to be grateful that we're just locked up here.
What do you say?
Let's starit our rehearsals tomorrow.
The shrike sings on a withered branch
While we beat the straw
Okada, take this.
It's all as it was last year
But something is missing
The chop, chop, chop of my brother's ax
- They're singing with us. - They come every day.
Sarge, you don't sing so well, do you?
I'm probably the worst in the unit.
- So you know you're bad? - I guess.
That monk's here again.
People always give him offerings. He rakes it in here.
Fall in!
Double file, forward!
- What is it? - What's wrong?
- Kinda looks like Mizushima. - Looks exactly like him!
Mizushima?
Mizushima!
Stop fooling around. You'll scare him.
Taking shelter from the rain?
Hello, old lady!
What are you doing here?
This is my house.
So this is where you live!
Did you ask for us?
Yes, this time I remembered to ask.
What happened to Mizushima?
Mizushima?
I mean, what did they tell you?
Calm down and I'll tell you everything they told me.
You know the hospital, the soldier -
Just give us the gist. This squall's going to pass.
They said they were on Triangle Mountain.
There was a man from another unit.
They were all running around, bullets flying everywhere,
so he probably died there.
So he's dead after all.
He died in battle.
That's the same kind that monk had.
Did you meet the monk too?
This is the brother of the monk's bird.
My husband spent all day yesterday in the woods
and caught five parrots.
The monk came along and asked him for directions.
My husband gave him a parrot
to earn a favorable rebirith.
He sold three. Only this one is left.
Old lady...
will you sell me that bird?
It's a very cute bird.
This is thanks for all the information.
This is for you too.
Thank you.
Go ahead. Take the bird.
This bird can learn Burmese, Japanese -
anything you want to teach it.
That was the end of our hopes for Mizushima.
We couldn't learn any details.
We didn't even have a way to search for his remains.
We could only believe he had died in battle.
It's been five days already.
Can't you see that whatever you do is futile?
The armies of Britain and Japan
can come and fight all they wish.
Burma is still Burma.
Burma is the Buddha's country.
I'm starving.
- Which way is Mudon? - I don't know.
- Which way is south? - That way.
A Japanese cartridge.
They're here too.
Aren't you going to Mudon?
Yes, but the corpses of the Japanese soldiers -
In Burma, the bones of many foreign soldiers lie unburied.
It's a terrible pity.
You may take this boat to Mudon.
Thank you.
Please be our guest in this room whenever you visit Mudon.
You seem to have undergone
some very severe training.
Good night.
At last. Tomorrow is the day!
They'll be so surprised to see me like this.
Playing so early?
I'm sorry. I play the harp for money.
Why do you play that tune?
If I play this, the English give me money.
May I play?
Please teach me to play like that.
They're sure to give me more money.
I'll teach you,
but the monks will complain if we play here.
The British hospital workers are singing a hymn.
A Japanese soldier probably died this morning.
Aren't you going to the prison camp?
The camp is the other way.
Mizushima!
Don't scare him like that.
That monk was Mizushima after all.
But we couldn't know that at the time.
I know now that I can't go back with them.
It's a Burmese ruby!
Strange to find such a big one along the river.
Must be the spirit of the dead.
Hey...
What is it?
That music.
It's a harp.
Who's playing it?
- That's a famous song. - I don't mean that.
I mean the way it's played.
The way the notes are played together.
That's how Mizushima played it. - It's the kid we saw at the temple.
Let's ask who taught him how to play.
What do you think?
If Mizushima's alive,
is there any reason he wouldn't want to return to us?
- There can't be! - Unthinkable!
Why was that boy playing Mizushima's song?
How do you know it was Mizushima's?
We don't, but the captain says it was his style.
And the captain's a musician.
Mizushima died on Triangle Mountain. How could he teach the kid?
- Maybe before he died. - Idiot! He didn't have time.
- Did anyone see him die? - You saying he didn't?
- We can't be sure. - I've seen deseriters pose as monks.
The monk on the bridge may actually have been Mizushima.
- That's right! - Why didn't he say anything?
That man didn't understand Japanese.
But he looked just like him.
That's enough!
Captain...
I know it's disappointing to hear this,
but I think it's best to forget about Mizushima.
He died bravely trying to carry out his mission.
To doubt his death
is actually to dishonor his spirit.
When dressed as a native, he looked exactly like one.
By the same token, there must be Burmese who look just like him.
You believe he's alive, so you think you see him
or think you hear his harp playing.
I'm grateful that you care so much for your men,
but you'll only hurit your men if you let worry ruin your health.
There's no hope for him. Please just give up.
I suppose you're right.
Attention! Eyes right!
Face front!
At ease!
Isn't that Mizushima?
Hey!
Mizushima...
let's return to Japan together.
Let's return to Japan together.
We're getting nowhere.
Maybe that's too hard for you.
Please just check one more time.
That's impossible.
We've done all we can.
The troops that took Triangle Mountain have returned home.
The Japanese survivors aren't in this town.
But that tune -
You hear a ceritain way of playing,
a few notes floating on the breeze,
and it's enough to make you think a dead man is alive.
You must be dreaming.
Mizushima...
let's return to Japan together.
You got it! Good boy!
Captain!
What's the point of training it to say that?
I know how much you regret Mizushima's death,
but such behavior is unmanly.
Hearing this bird repeat those words day and night
will only demoralize us.
We're already homesick as it is!
I beg of you, sir: Pull yourself together.
We all saw that monk carrying a white box of ashes.
That's a Japanese custom!
I thought it odd too, but there's a similar custom in Burma.
He was the only one carrying a white box.
I have to find out who that monk is.
If we meet again, I'll put this parrot on his shoulder.
If it's Mizushima,
he'll respond to what the bird says.
If he doesn't, then I'll know I'm wrong...
and I'll give up.
I'm sorry to put you all through this.
Bear with me just a little longer.
Mizushima...
so it was you after all.
Now that I see this box here, I know for sure.
Mizushima...
what happened on Triangle Mountain?
And what happened after that?
I know nothing.
But I think I know how you feel.
You've made a weighty decision.
How hard it must have been.
High in the castle in springtime
At a flower-viewing banquet
The sake goblet makes the rounds
Casting its shadow against the walls
Moonlight shines
Through boughs
Of ancient pine
Where has it gone
That light of days long past
- It's Mizushima! - That's his harp!
- It's coming from the forest! - No!
It's coming from that buddha!
Mizushima!
If you're in there, open up!
Can't you hear us?
Mizushima!
That's Sergeant Ito's voice.
That's Kawakami.
That's Baba.
Hey, everybody! We're going home!
The repatriation order arrived! We leave in three days!
Really?
The captain said so. He's at headquariters now!
Mizushima! Let's return to Japan together.
That's right. That stubborn bastard Mizushima.
We have to take him back to Japan!
Mizushima, show your face!
Let me think.
How can we get this parrot on that monk's shoulder?
We only have three days!
Well, at least now we can go around and look for him.
I've got an idea!
We'll starit singing tomorrow real loud. He's bound to show up.
Your company really likes to sing.
Deep in the countryside of Shinoda
The mother fox
Longs for her cub
Deep in the countryside a red dragonfly...
- I don't think he's coming. - I'm losing my voice.
Whose bright idea was this anyway?
Look! The old lady!
Congratulations!
I heard you're going home. I'm very happy for you.
I wish you happiness back home in Japan.
Thanks for all your help.
I'll tell my mother back home all about you.
You've all suffered so much.
Old lady...
something to remember us by.
Thank you.
Here's another memento.
This is for you.
This is a good-luck charm.
Thank you very much.
People starited calling me "the Japanese granny."
It'll be Ionely here without you.
Still speaking in Osaka dialect, eh?
I always will.
That's the Japanese the officers stationed here taught me.
Is it now?
Old lady, do you think
you could give this parrot to that monk?
That's impossible.
He's a wandering monk,
and a highly revered one too,
but nobody knows where he is.
We're leaving tomorrow.
We're not asking you to search all over Burma,
but if you see him, could you give him the bird?
What a strange request.
We have enormous respect for that monk too.
In that case, I'll do it. Don't worry.
Really?
From now on, you'll be with your brother
on the monk's shoulder, serving Buddha together.
Please make sure he gets it.
I'll visit again before you leave.
Good-bye, and thanks again!
I wonder if she'll really do it. She doesn't seem very serious.
We have no other choice.
There's nothing else we can do.
At least there's a chance.
Finished packing?
There's nothing to pack.
Just put me on that boat.
What's wrong with your voices?
He said Mizushima would show up if we sang.
Now we all have sore throats.
That was stupid.
Captain...
don't you care if Mizushima doesn't come back?
He's coming!
What?
- Who's coming? - He's coming!
- You reek of booze! - Mizushima!
Where?
I mean, that monk is outside the fence.
That same beggar kid is with him.
He has two parrots on his shoulders.
Hey, Mizushima!
Let's return to Japan together.
The old woman found him. That's our parrot.
But Mizushima never had such a vacant look.
Maybe it's not him.
How about if we sing?
Mizushima, we're going home tomorrow!
- It's good you came back! - Come back with us!
What's the matter? Say something!
Mizushima!
Mizushima, what happened to you?
- Good day. - Old lady!
We've got nothing left to trade.
These are for you. Free of charge.
No, I can't go back.
That's a strange phrase to learn.
Get that damn bird out of here!
This is the other parrot.
He kept the one you gave him.
He told me to bring you this one in return.
What?
He asked me to give this
to the captain.
He asked me to do that,
and since it's the last thing I can do for you,
I brought it.
Time to go!
There's a letter from Mizushima.
There's no time now. I'll read it later.
But Captain, what if Mizushima changed his -
Mizushima isn't going
to change his mind.
Even if I read this now, it wouldn't make any difference.
Ready for depariture!
All units ready for depariture.
Company, forward march!
At ease, march!
Is everyone here?
I'm going to read Mizushima's letter.
I think I understand how he feels.
When I went to the repository that day
and saw that white box, I understood.
But I felt uneasy and said nothing about it.
I think this letter will answer your questions.
"My captain and brothers at arms...
it's difficult to express how much I miss you all,
how much I want to join you, work with you,
talk with you and sing with you.
It's even harder to express how I long to return
to my war-ravaged country
and see the ones I love.
But I cannot return.
I cannot leave the bodies of my comrades lying scattered
along the hills and rivers of Burma.
It was when I turned back for them
that I met you on the bridge.
I can't express how I felt at that moment,
but by then I had already decided to stay.
I couldn't rejoin you,
or even tell you my name.
I had only one intention, and that was to hurry norith.
No, I can't go back.
As I climbed mountains and crossed rivers,
burying the bodies left in the grasses and streams,
my hearit was racked with questions.
Why must the world suffer such misery?
Why must there be such inexplicable pain?
As the days passed, I came to understand.
I realized that, in the end,
the answers were not for human beings to know,
that our work is simply to ease the great suffering of the world.
To have the courage
to face suffering, senselessness and irrationality without fear,
to find the strength to create peace by one's own example.
I will undergo whatever training is necessary
for this to become my unshakable conviction.
The Burmese priest who has been my teacher
has formally accepted me into the priesthood.
The captain's words that we should all return
and work together to rebuild our country...
are still fresh in my memory.
But when I saw how many dead were left behind,
I could no longer feel the same way.
I will stay behind to create a place
where those thousands of young souls can find repose.
After many years, when that task is done,
I may return to Japan if possible.
But even then I may not.
My life may end here.
I'm writing to you from my room in the monastery.
The parrot you sent me...
sometimes says the words it learned from you:
'Hey, Mizushima, let's return to Japan together.'
Each time I hear those words,
I'm staritled.
Today, filled with unbearable sadness, I forgot my monastic vows...
and played a song of farewell to you on my harp.
I am now resigned to my fate.
There is no end to words of farewell.
Those of you who still think of me,
please accept my deepest thanks.
From snow-capped mountains
to the coast where the Southern Cross shines,
I shall wander throughout Burma.
Whenever my Ioneliness becomes unbearable, I'll play my harp.
Thank you for everything you've done for me.
I shall always pray for your happiness.
Yasuhiko Mizushima."
When I get back to my house in the mulberry orchard,
I'll take a nice long nap on the veranda.
I wonder what's become of the factory.
I miss the sound of those motors.
I'll whistle as I ride my bike through the Ginza delivering telegrams.
And I'll go to movies and -
You really think it'll all be so easy?
You really think Mizushima will never come back?
What?
You never cared about him before. What's gotten into you?
Let Mizushima lead his own life.
Everyone lives as he pleases.
I was a station employee...
It's true that I hadn't given Mizushima much thought before.
I didn't even think about him much as we sailed home.
All I thought about
was how his family would feel as they read his letter.
In an oddly sincere way,
I hoped the captain would find a good way to explain it.
THE SOIL OF BURMA IS RED,
AND SO ARE ITS ROCKS...
THE END
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