The Burmese Harp (1956 film)

The Burmese Harp , Biruma no tategoto? , a.k.a. Harp of Burma is a 1956 blackandwhite Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It was based on a childrens novel of the same name written by Michio Takeyama. It was Ichikawas first film to be shown outside Japan, and is one of the first films to portray the decimating sic effects of World War II from the point of view of the Japanese army. The film was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, during the first year that such a category existed.

Private Mizushima Shji Yasui, a Japanese soldier, becomes the harp or saung player of Captain Inouyes Rentar Mikuni group, composed of soldiers who fight and sing to raise morale in the World War II Burma Campaign. When they are offered shelter in a village, they eventually realize they are being watched by British soldiers. They retrieve their ammunition, then see the advancing force. Captain Inouye tells the men to sing, laugh and clap, to give the British the impression that they are unaware of their presence. Instead of firing at them, though, the British soldiers begin singing the same melody. They learn that the war has ended with the Japanese surrender, and so they surrender to the British.At a camp, an Australian captain asks Mizushima to talk down a group of soldiers who are still fighting on a mountain. He agrees to do so and is told by the captain that he hasminutes to convince them to surrender. At the mountain, he is almost shot by the holdout soldiers before they realize he is Japanese. He climbs up to the cave and informs their commander that the war has ended and they should surrender. The commander confers with the other soldiers, and they unanimously decide to fight to the end. Mizushima begs for them to surrender but they do nothing. He decides to ask for more time from the Australians, but when he creates a surrender flag, the others take it the wrong way and believe he is surrendering for them. They beat him unconscious and leave him on the floor. The cave is bombarded and Mizushima is the only survivor. ........

Source: Wikipedia