In the film Harp of Burma, the theme of film lies in the main character’s goal to bury his good friends, and honor their lives as soldiers and commodores. The way the movie was portrayed was very minimalistic in the visual animation and you could tell it was made in the 80’s. This did not take away from the heart wrenching plot line revolving around anti-war and caring for humanity. Some argue that the film is not an anti war film, but rather a film that pleas for peace. I do think it’s an anti war film as well as a plea for peace. It shows evidence of both by the way the setting is portrayed and the way the music is placed in the film. The music in the film reminded me of the stereotypical, happy Japanese programming from the 80’s, which complimented the peaceful theme very nicely.
The conflict in the story is that the main character, Mizushima, is torn between staying with his friends in the service and going back to see his family and friends, and paying homage to his good friends who had passed away during the war by burying all of them and dedicating his life to the people he loved. The choice he made was to try to come to terms with the atrocities that happened to his friends and inadvertently himself as well. My favorite part was when he met up with the little boy who was also playing the harp because it really put into perspective how valuable life is and the importance of relationships with our loved ones around us. When compared to the movie, Letters to Iwo Jima, the movie looks extremely bright because no one killed himself or herself in this movie. Even though that is an important aspect of Japanese culture (dying for honor, not killing your self), examining it reality I think at anytime, committing suicide is never a good thing. Putting your life before someone else’s on the other had is considered selfless in most places. I enjoyed this film a lot and would watch it again.
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