The Bridge on the River Kwai
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (directed by the great David Lean, of Lawrence of Arabia) is a historical epic based on a true WWII story about the building of a Burma railway bridge under Japanese coercion by British POW's and, it is a staggering cinematic achievement. It won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1957 and, it was also a huge box office success. The movie takes place in 1943, in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma {the film is shot in Sri Lanka}. The Allied soldiers {mostly British} who are brought there are expected to work for the Japanese building a "bridge on the Kwai" -- an important piece to a railroad designed to connect Malaysia with Rangoon. Everyone is expected to pitch in ... enlisted men AND officers.
Sadistic camp commander, Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), doesn't believe that the men who forced their troops to surrender should be relieved from heavy work. British Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness), an old school, stiff upper-lipped soldier, differs; pointing out to Saito that making officers perform manual labor is forbidden by the Geneva Convention. Saito scoffs & throws Nicholson in "the oven", a tin shack torture chamber that bakes in scorching sun. The stand-off btwn. these two continues for weeks until Saito realizes that he needs Nicholson's collaboration if the bridge is to be completed in a timely manner -- if it is not, Saito is honor-bound to commit hari-kari. Nicholson is granted pardoning & begins working on the bridge with vehemence.
He believes this to be a great way to restore his troops' morale & prove British efficiency; and he ignores the issue of whether building the bridge is aiding the enemy. A parallel storyline here concerns Maj. Shears (William Holden), a cynical American prisoner who escapes from the camp after Nicholson's arrival. Despite nearly dying, he makes it to a British outpost & recovers. There, he is 'invited' to return to the camp as part of a mercenary squad led by Maj. Warden (Jack Hawkins). Not at all enthused by this assignment, Shears, Warden, & others head out for the steamy jungles of Burma to destroy ... the bridge on the river Kwai. Drama ensues followed by a fiery climax. The point of it all: war is futile & those involved are subject to madness.
Wowza. This movie has gripping drama, superb production values, stunning visuals & 1st-rate acting -- it basically has it all. And the 3 main characters are all fascinating. Nicholson is intractable {especially under torture}, yet intelligent. His battle of wills with Saito - a colossal struggle that Nicholson 'wins' - is most compelling. Nicholson is willing to allow his men die to prove a point. There is a twisted logic in his reasoning as to why his men should do their best in building the bridge: HIS pride & ego. His initial motives for doing this are genuine, but during the construction ... the bridge becomes an obsession. And the fact that he destroys the bridge while being unaware of what he is actually doing adds incredible irony to it all.
Alec Guinness is brilliant here, presenting Nicholson as fierce, unshakeable, & showing that madness doesn't mean you're out of control. Through his actions & flawed reasoning, we see his sanity teeter totter, but never spills over into pure lunacy. Guinness & director Lean clashed about script particulars & how Guinness should play the part. But that push/pull benefitted them both. William Holden - cast by the studio to get a swoon-worthy Lead to counter Guinness & Hayakawa - is great as a reluctant hero who eventually fails. Jack Hawkins is the glue that holds together the film's 2nd half. And Japanese silent film star Sessue Hayakawa is sensational as the cruel, maladroit Saito, whose confidence implodes when he cannot break Nicholson.
I touched upon the 'war is futile' theme before, but it bears repeating. This war film is less about literal battles than it is about the battles going on inside the heads of these characters; where morality, judgment & sanity can be upended at any moment - causing admirable people to think & do all manners of madness. The madness of those who accept a suicide mission; return to a prison you escaped from; or make inexplicable choices with huge consequences. David Lean made smaller character pieces, but he was known for his big epics such as this and, 'TBOTRK' is just another glorious-looking, thrilling extravaganza to add to his late-career canon. Here, well-drawn characterizations + spectacle + the explosive finale combine to make one of his very best.
Sadistic camp commander, Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), doesn't believe that the men who forced their troops to surrender should be relieved from heavy work. British Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness), an old school, stiff upper-lipped soldier, differs; pointing out to Saito that making officers perform manual labor is forbidden by the Geneva Convention. Saito scoffs & throws Nicholson in "the oven", a tin shack torture chamber that bakes in scorching sun. The stand-off btwn. these two continues for weeks until Saito realizes that he needs Nicholson's collaboration if the bridge is to be completed in a timely manner -- if it is not, Saito is honor-bound to commit hari-kari. Nicholson is granted pardoning & begins working on the bridge with vehemence.
He believes this to be a great way to restore his troops' morale & prove British efficiency; and he ignores the issue of whether building the bridge is aiding the enemy. A parallel storyline here concerns Maj. Shears (William Holden), a cynical American prisoner who escapes from the camp after Nicholson's arrival. Despite nearly dying, he makes it to a British outpost & recovers. There, he is 'invited' to return to the camp as part of a mercenary squad led by Maj. Warden (Jack Hawkins). Not at all enthused by this assignment, Shears, Warden, & others head out for the steamy jungles of Burma to destroy ... the bridge on the river Kwai. Drama ensues followed by a fiery climax. The point of it all: war is futile & those involved are subject to madness.
Wowza. This movie has gripping drama, superb production values, stunning visuals & 1st-rate acting -- it basically has it all. And the 3 main characters are all fascinating. Nicholson is intractable {especially under torture}, yet intelligent. His battle of wills with Saito - a colossal struggle that Nicholson 'wins' - is most compelling. Nicholson is willing to allow his men die to prove a point. There is a twisted logic in his reasoning as to why his men should do their best in building the bridge: HIS pride & ego. His initial motives for doing this are genuine, but during the construction ... the bridge becomes an obsession. And the fact that he destroys the bridge while being unaware of what he is actually doing adds incredible irony to it all.
Alec Guinness is brilliant here, presenting Nicholson as fierce, unshakeable, & showing that madness doesn't mean you're out of control. Through his actions & flawed reasoning, we see his sanity teeter totter, but never spills over into pure lunacy. Guinness & director Lean clashed about script particulars & how Guinness should play the part. But that push/pull benefitted them both. William Holden - cast by the studio to get a swoon-worthy Lead to counter Guinness & Hayakawa - is great as a reluctant hero who eventually fails. Jack Hawkins is the glue that holds together the film's 2nd half. And Japanese silent film star Sessue Hayakawa is sensational as the cruel, maladroit Saito, whose confidence implodes when he cannot break Nicholson.
I touched upon the 'war is futile' theme before, but it bears repeating. This war film is less about literal battles than it is about the battles going on inside the heads of these characters; where morality, judgment & sanity can be upended at any moment - causing admirable people to think & do all manners of madness. The madness of those who accept a suicide mission; return to a prison you escaped from; or make inexplicable choices with huge consequences. David Lean made smaller character pieces, but he was known for his big epics such as this and, 'TBOTRK' is just another glorious-looking, thrilling extravaganza to add to his late-career canon. Here, well-drawn characterizations + spectacle + the explosive finale combine to make one of his very best.