The Burmese Harp (1956)

 Kon Ichikawa's "The Burmese Harp"

The BBC once described Kon Ichikawa's 1956 Japanese film "The Burmese Harp" as "one of the first films to portray the decimating effects of World War II from the point of view of the Japanese army." While this may be accurate, the thematic reach of the film extends beyond its central focus. "The Burmese Harp" is a Japanese film that implements a certain spiritual layer to its story, much like other global films released in the 1950s. Bresson's "The Diary of a Country Priest" and Ray's "Pather Panchali" come to mind.

The film's plot revolves around a battalion of Japanese soldiers stationed in Burma in the final days of the war. Their commanding officer, Captain Inouye, teaches the men to sing choral music to boost morale. To accompany this chorus singing, Private Mizushima plays the harp. After learning the war has ended, Mizushima is tasked with infiltrating a defense base and getting them to surrender to spare as many lives as possible. When the team of Japanese soldiers refuse, they are all killed in battle. Mizushima, now desolate, steals clothes from a monk and start to pass as one. His original battalion seek to find their missing harpist while he spends his days properly disposing of the dead Japanese soldiers. When they finally find their long, lost private, he is a committed monk and can't do back to Japan with them so as to continue his spiritual quest.

The spiritual element of the film can be found through our protagonist's main quest to lay to rest the bodies of his lost comrades. His conviction to reconcile with the devastating effects of the war leads him to seek spiritual clarity amongst the senseless confusion of death and destruction. On top of this, spiritual meaning is evoke through the use of music, both the choral singing by the soldiers and Mizushima's harp playing. 

What's striking about these moments of spirituality is that they exist side-by-side with death. The fallout of the devastation cannot be easily explained away or reconcilable. Rather, the peace you find through the horror is through a sensual calmness that music brings. The choral singing by the platoon is so effective, it was enough to have the Englishmen chime in as well, bringing both parties together. The existential release of these peaceful moments living simultaneously with the devastating sadness brought upon by chaos and finality creates a tone steeped in searching for something to fill the void. 

"The Burmese Harp" is a film that meditates on a lost sense of purpose. It quietly reflects on the loss of life in the war and the holes left in its wake. To elevate these notions, it clings to a sense of enlightenment to light the way in the darkness that followed. The final moments of the film provide no answers through its protagonist, only that it requires active searching. Truth and clarity will never come. But searching for meaning and peace within yourself, despite the overwhelming trauma, is sometimes the only antidote to unspeakable pain of existence.