Burmese Harp, The

Aroview: Another muted anti-war elegy conceived during Japan’s post-WWII recovery, this tells the journey of a Japanese private, who upon escaping slaughter and disguising himself as a Buddist monk, comes to terms with death through spiritual enlightenment.

A moving plea for passivity and an end to violence, Ichikawa’s direction is appropriately whispered, dignified, and characterized visually by majestic use of black and white.