The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 18, 2025

Kon Ichikawa's "The Burmese Harp" (1956) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Kon Ichikawa; archival program with actor Rentaro Mikuni; and theatrical trailer. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The last stronghold

Note: The text below was first used in our review of British label Eureka Entertainment's release of The Burmese Harp in 2010.

The final days of World War II. A Japanese regiment is sent on a mission in Burma. While moving through the jungle, the invaders begin singing. Occasionally, corporal Mizushima (Shoji Yasui, Kokoro) also plays his handmade harp.

In a secluded village, where they have tried to regain their strength, the invaders are surrounded by British soldiers who have heard them singing from afar. However, moments before the two sides clash, it becomes clear that Japan has surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.

At a prison camp, while the invaders await repatriation, Mizushima is summoned and ordered to persuade another Japanese regiment barricaded at the top of a nearby mountain to surrender. When he fails, the British soldiers launch a massive attack on the stronghold, and Mizushima's comrades assume that he has perished in the ensuing massacre.

But somehow, despite being badly injured, Mizushima survives, and a Buddhist priest helps him get back on his feet. On the way back to the prison camp, overwhelmed by the human carnage, Mizushima decides to stay in Burma and help the souls of the dead find peace.

Based on Michio Takeyama’s famous novel, The Burmese Harp was Japanese director Kon Ichikawa’s breakthrough film. In 1956, a couple of months after it premiered in Japanese cinemas and became an instant hit, The Burmese Harp was screened at the Venice Film Festival, where it was nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion award. Later the same year, The Burmese Harp also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

The message of The Burmese Harp is simple -- in war, there are no victors, only suffering and death. Mizushima’s journey through Burma is an effective examination of man’s fascination with violence and death, which often fuels wars.

Despite an abundance of material that could have produced plenty of powerful political statements, The Burmese Harp remains a notably subdued film. Mizushima's profound transformation is not idealized either. He is simply one of many men who inevitably realize that war is hell on earth.

The narrative has a very loose episodic structure. A few key events are seen through Mizushima's eyes, and then as witnessed by his comrades, and occasional flashbacks are inserted among them. However, these events are not introduced in chronological order.

In an exclusive introduction included on this release, Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns notes that Ichikawa initially intended to shoot The Burmese Harp in color. However, because of various technical limitations, a decision was made to shoot it in black and white. In 1985, Ichikawa remade The Burmese Harp in color with an entirely different cast.

*In 1956, The Burmese Harp won the San Giorgio Prize and OCIC Award, Honorable Mention at the Venice Film Festival. During the same year, the film also won the Best Film Score Award (Akira Ifukube) at the Mainichi Film Concours.

The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of The Burmese Harp is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked". The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this combo pack release:

"Undertaken by Nikkatsu Corporation and the Japan Foundation, this new 4K restoration was created from two 35mm master positives. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from an optical soundtrack print.

Mastering supervisors: KON Pro Inc., Chizuko Osada.
Image restoration: Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc."

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-27 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

I have two releases of The Burmese Harp in my library. The first is this Region-B release, which British label Eureka Entertainment produced in 2010. The second is this DVD release, which Criterion produced in 2007. I only used the former to do various comparisons.

In native 4K, the 4K restoration cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety in native 4K and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The overall quality of the 4K restoration is very good. However, I must immediately mention that both presentations of it reveal fluctuations, affecting clarity, sharpness, and depth. I was not surprised because these fluctuations are also present in the Blu-ray and DVD releases of The Burmese Harp linked above. They are inherited, and while some areas of the film look better now, their impact remains largely the same. In native 4K, a lot of close-ups and several panoramic shots look healthier and sharper. The gamma levels are now rebalanced, so some areas of the film tend to look slightly darker. This is a positive development, but not in all areas. Why? In some places, like the cave footage, there is a small but obvious crushing that eliminates existing detail. On my system, such trade-offs were quite easy to identify, but I am unsure if most viewers will notice them or care that they exist because there is a lot more to like, especially if the 4K restoration is viewed on a very large screen. (For what it's worth, I am fairly certain that this is why the native 4K restoration is not graded with Dolby Vision or HDR. Both would have exacerbated the trade-offs). Image stability is very good. (A separate Blu-ray release is available for purchase as well). My score is 4.25/5.00.

The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track on this release seems to be the most nicely rounded. However, there are many areas where the limitations of the original soundtrack create small fluctuations. If you turn up the volume more than you typically do, you will notice that the upper register is now very solid and clean, too. Dynamic contrasts are very, very modest.

The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Kon Ichikawa - in this archival program, Kon Ichikawa discusses the production history of The Burmese Harp. The program was produced for Criterion in 2005. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• Rentaro Mikuni - in this archival program, actor Rentaro Mikuni recalls his work with Kon Ichikawa on The Burmese Harp and comments on some of the key themes in the film. The program was produced for Criterion in 2006. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (12 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a trailer for the recent 4K restoration of The Burmese Harp. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Tony Rayns' essay "Unknown Soldiers", as well as technical credits.

The Burmese Harp 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp delivers a timeless message about the pointlessness of war. While its style and tone are drastically different, I think that it is one of the closest relatives of Cornel Wilde's masterpiece Beach Red. So, if you choose to acquire one of these films for your library, consider creating a spot for the other as well. Criterion's combo pack introduces a very good new 4K restoration of The Burmese Harp. A standalone Blu-ray release is available for purchase as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.