Paul Mayersberg

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence -- MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale of culture clash that was one of Oshima's greatest successes.

The Man Who Fell to Earth -- Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts a high technology company to get the billions of dollars he needs to build a return spacecraft.

Thomas Jerome Newton, a mysterious and complex personality, appears in New York. Despite his curiously frail physical presence, the strength of his intellect and scientific knowledge appear to transcend contemporary human experience. His inventions are of such originality that they will revolutionize the nation's systems of communication, and lead, in approximately three years, to the creating of the largest corporate empire in the United States ...

In this captivating, exhilaratingly skewed World War II drama from Nagisa Oshima (In the Realm of the Senses, Empire of Passion), David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Basquiat) regally embodies the character Celliers, a high-ranking British officer interned by the Japanese as a POW. Music star Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also composed this film’s hypnotic score) plays the camp commander, who becomes obsessed with the mysterious blond major, while Tom Conti (The Duellists; Reuben, Reuben) is British lieutenant colonel Mr. Lawrence, who tries to bridge the emotional and language divides between his captors and fellow prisoners. Also featuring actor-director Takeshi Kitano (Sonatine, Fireworks) in his first dramatic role, MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE is a multilayered, brutal, at times erotic tale of culture clash that was one of Oshima’s greatest successes.