1 Hollywood-distorted fiction
This film is an attempt to sensationalize one of the most horrendous atrocities of WWII in the Pacific Theater, namely, the building of the 'Death Railway'. The film underscores the fact that thousands of Allied POW's died at the hands of the Japanese in building their strategic railroad through southeast Asia. Many of the charactors and events depicted in the movie are poorly represented, and thus are utter fiction. Subsequently, this movie has no place in my collection. For an accurate account of these events, read Clifford Kinvig's book 'River Kwai Railway'.
2 WWII POW drama
"The Bridge on River Kwai" is about a WWII Japanese POW camp full of mostly captured British soldiers. After a long battle of wills between the camp commandant and the Allied commander Lt. Col. Nicholson (Alac Guinness), an important bridge for the Japan war effort begins construction. At the same time a Allied commando unit is dispatched to destroy the bridge befor it can become useful. This team is headed by the only man ever to escape from the camp (and the film's only American), played by William Holden. This is probaby David Lean's fastest paced movie, though it might still be considered slow compared to Michael Bay or Tony Scott's standards. There was not as much focus on trying to be epic as some of Lean's other, later films like "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Doctor Zhivago", but that dosn't mean there aren't any wonderful shots of the Southeastern Asian jungles; indeed there are many. But the main focus was on Col. Nicholson's obsession with building the bridge and proving that Western intellect is superior to Eastern. He also brings up prisoners rights under the Geneva Code, specifically about officers do not have to do manual work as prisoners. But there is also a rule that states that POWs will not contribute to work that aids to the enemy's war effort. How did Nicholson forget that one? Is his ego and national pride so great that he will even brake the rules to prove his point? It is displayed earlier what lengths he will go to to prove his resolve; he was beaten and put in a punishment sweat box because he refused to make his officers work. This is a study in subtle madness, and an interesting one at that.
3 Struggle for bridge to freedom is never madness
"Officers --- to work!!" Colonel Saito
The soundtrack is awe-inspiring, alternating between the natural wilderness sounds of wildlife and insects calling and whirring in the depths of a sweltering southeast asian rainforest and then swelling into the whistling of World War II British POW work gangs and a stirring fully orchestrated marching tune.
The plot is an amazing blend of real life events with fiction, along the lines of the Great Escape and Stalag 17, both set in German war camps, being culled and amalgamated from the true experiences of brit and american pows.
The actors are all terrific. To me, Guinness's Col. Nicholson wins with his water-to-wine, rabbit-from-a-hat bravery and love of his men.
I find it very difficult to read or watch stuff about the Pacific World War II theater, from Pearl Harbor to the Battan Death March to the Battle of Midway to Iwo Jima to Burma. Scattered across all these places, in both marked and unmarked graves, are soldiers and civilians who lost their lives, many as prisoners of war.
They are free now, wherever they are. Their deaths were not meaningless, and their deaths are connected to our lives, because we owe our freedom, those of us in the free world, that is, to the outcome of WWII.
People who simplistically talk about the 'pointlessness of war' do an injustice to those who have found themselves staring down the wrong end of a gun. When your survival is at stake, then fighting for your freedom with whatever tools you have at hand doesn't seem pointless.
This movie would have been hard to watch too had I not originally seen it as a kid, when I really knew nothing at all so I just took it on face value.
The first thing that I noticed was the soldiers' whistling. I don't know what the original words to the Col. Bogey March are, but I'm sure they are very colorful, along the lines of "I've don't know but I've been told...!" The g-rated kids version is: "Comet, it makes your teeth turn green, comet, it tastes like gasoline, comet, it makes you vomit, so drink some comet, and vomit, today!"
Of course, later I realized that the imprisoned soldiers are whistling to keep up their spirits, maintain order, etc. I didn't realize they were supposed to be starving, bent over with dysentery and malaria, etc. In fact, when I saw this, I was blissfully ignorant of the whole concept of death camps and death marches.
What I noticed later was the story of the bridge being built, falling down, being built better, and why it is built, why it should be destroyed, and how it all is played out while men are dying.
Monty Python's Flying Circus had a hilarious sketch that spoofed the war movies where the commander rousts malingering patients out of their beds to report for duty. POWs on crutches and swathed with bandages are made to jog and do calisthenics, while a very Col. Nichols -ish John Cleese or Graham Chapman barks orders.
Is this a sign that Col. Nicholson has gone around the bend by this point in the proceedings? Good question.
The men are being used as slave labor to build a bridge that will help the enemy. Apparently word has come down to Saito that this bridge needs to be built, and that he is to use the British prisoners to build it.
But Saito has not been provided with any bridge engineers to oversee operations, or even a set of bridge building instructions, apparently, or at least, not any good ones.
Of course, it would behoove the British to not do a good job on the bridge. In fact for them to do a good job on the bridge would seem to be giving aid and comfort to the enemy. So before Nicholson takes over the project, the work is being done haphazardly, either by incompetence or on purpose. But it turns out that Nicholson and his officers know a thing or two about bridge building, something akin to what an Army Corps of Engineers would be able to accomplish.
And for Nicholson and by extension the British Empire he represents to do something badly just goes against the grain. Maybe it's counterintuitive to him, maybe it's that nature abhors a vacuum.
Also, Nicholson apparently decides that building the bridge well represents a goal, a carrot on a stick to keep morale up and, hopefully, prolong the lives of at least some of his enfeebled but tough men.
Some, including Major Shears, interpret Nicholson's forbidding his men to escape as bad leadership, a way of giving in and giving up to inevitable death. On the other hand, the chances for survival if one did manage to escape were about on the level of someone escaping from a Siberian prison camp.
Col. Nicholson may just as well have told them to lay down and die for all the good it would have done anyone. In fact, in terms of tying up the enemy's men and equipment, that was more effectively done by them staying in camp. If they ran away, Col. Saito would only have spent a minimal amount of men and resources trying to catch them, since he knows they'll likely die out there anyway.
We all have had a painful realization that we've lost sight of the big picture.
At some point while trying to help his men survive, Nicholson has lost track of the part about not helping the enemy. Hardly surprising considering the strain he is under. It's not like he had a neat little guidebook, with reminders like "be sure to include secret exploding bolts in the bridge construction".
Nicholson's eventual, agonizing realization is the more dramatic as he has only seconds to try and fix his mistake.
For those who insist this is an anti-war picture, as that may well have been Lean's take on the story, but does that mean he thinks the soldiers and civilians in WWII who fought for freedom, did so in vain? Does he think people should have just laid down and died, not tried to fight back? I'd like to have seen him try to realize his artisic vision had things turned out differently.
The relationship between Alec Guinness/Col. Nicholson and Sessue Hayakawa/Col. Saito. The dynamics of that are very complex.
Another reviewer commented on how excellent the commando team sent to destroy the bridge is. Bedeviled by one problem after another, they adapt and move on under incredibly tough conditions. The women who are part of the team are just as tough as they help the men hack their way across the wilderness.
Also, the motivations of the commando team are complex and fascinating, and I haven't begun to meal over that in my watching of this film. Reading the comments of other viewers has given me much to mull over next time I watch BOTRK.
This is a movie to be seen, and learned from, over and over and over again.
4 Throroughly Satisfying PoW Epic
This film is about a Japanese PoW camp in Burma in 1943, camp 16. A bunch of British soldiers are brought in to replace a previous batch almost all of whom have succumbed to starvation and disease. They are then set to work to build the bridge of the title. The first hour or so of the movie focuses on a battle of wills between the guy in charge, Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) who wants to put the officers as well as men to work on the bridge, in contravention of the Geneva Convention, and the British CO, Colonel Nicholson who isn't having it. Nicholson wins and, having done so, sets out to see to it that his men make an excellent job of the bridge and complete it on time. Thus giving them an objective, he hopes to keep them disciplined and their morale high. He doesn't see it as collaboration. Soon the war will end, he reasons, and generations of peaceful travellers will pass over the bridge and read with respect the notice announcing it to be the work of British soldiers. Back in Ceylon Major Warden (Jack Hawkins), Cambridge don turned special ops wizard, has different ideas. With the help of American Major Shears (William Holden) recently escaped from Camp 16, he is going to blow the bridge up on the very day of its ceremonial opening.
David Lean was one of the few directors of the sound era to make films that merited the term `epic' and that's what this is. It's almost three hours long, so make yourself comfortable and avoid likely interruptions, but it's a hugely enjoyable way to spend three hours, a brilliantly directed and brilliantly acted tale of two obsessively dedicated, perhaps slightly mad, military officers unaware of being set on a tragic collision course.
5 Don't you worry about old Nick, he knows what he's doing!
grunts a soldier from the British Army after Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness) has returned to lead them in their labors. Having spent several days in isolation from the tyrannical Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) because Nicholson would not let his officers work manual labor on the bridge, a bridge Saito is charged with having finished by mid May. The first hour of the film is a battle of wills between the two men, the last 90 minutes deals with the bridge itself and its place in the war. Eventually a team is sent in to detonate the bridge, leading to one of the most exciting climax scenes in the history of film.
The movie is presented here in a two disc set which features an excellent transfer as well as some great behind the scenes material you will find interesting. The package includes a short booklet detailing the challenges the filmmakers encountered while making the movie, including weather problems, difficulties with casting, and the actual set with the bridge itself, one of the most fascinating sights ever. The story about the destruction of the bridge is incredible, some of the details you don't see on screen.
As a film the casting and story are impeccable. Guiness is perfect as the stone faced Col. Nicholson, who honors the British army and their capability over anything else, which leads him to some rather questionable decisions while in command. Hayakawa is strong and convincing as the Japanese commander who rules with a desperate iron fist, as he is up against a deadline. William Holden stars as the only American in the movie, who escapes the camp and later becomes an integral part of the final plan (against his will). All three are fantastic. This is a movie I can watch at any time, repeatedly. One of the best purchases I have ever made.
6 Culture's Clash
David Lean has directed some memorable Oscar winning films, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) is one of them. It was followed by "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) (his best film), "Dr. Zhivago" (1965) and "Passage to India" (1984).
The storyline shows the confrontation between two Colonels: the British POW Nicholson and the Japanese Camp Commander Saito.
Both of them stick to their own conduct code, convinced of their rightness and try to outsmart the other in a memorable clash of wills.
The other key character is Cmdr. Shears, an American that pose as an officer, being of the ranks, and whose only care is to escape.
Shears goes all the way from a selfish survivor to a self sacrificed hero at the end.
The entire movie may be seen as a parable of war futility and human heroism.
All main actors give an outstanding performance: Alec Guinness (Col. Nicholson) as an officer that will stick to the rules no matter what the cost is; Sessue Hayakawa (Col. Saito) as a stubborn soldier trapped in the conflict of attaining his goal, but yielding to his rival; William Holden as the American common-sense soldier evolved into hero; finally Jack Hawkins as a ruthless military professional in charge of an almost suicidal mission.
Music score is great and "Colonel Bogey March", whistled by the British soldiers, remains as an unforgettable leitmotiv of the film.
This multi-awarded movie stands as war Classic and may be enjoyed by different audiences.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
7 Thinking Man's Action Film
The makers of today's action films should take a page from the makers of "The Bridge on the River Kwai". You don't have to pander to your audiences basest instincts to make a great action film. This film contains great action set-pieces, great acting (Alec Guiness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Essaye Hayakawa) and great conflicts between the characters. Director David Lean was at the top of his game when he made this film. Though the cast is uniformly excellent special note should be made about the characters played by Alec Guiness and Essaye Hayakawa. These are extremely complex individuals. Assumptions about the likability and nobility of their characters are turned on their head through the course of this film.
8 "This is war; this is not a game of cricket!"-Colonel Saito
The first Geneva Convention of July 27, 1929 stipulated many things in regard to treatment of prisoners. The Japanese signed, yet did not ratify, this convention's stipulations; Lt. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) continues to bring to the attention of Colonel Saito which stipulations he is violating. Forced by his command to surrender to the Japanese, Nicholson realizes that he is there to document the prisoners' abuses which he makes all too clear to Colonel Saito. The Bridge on the River Kwai is somewhat based on a true story, the characters are fictional. The movie is based on a book published in 1954 by a Frenchman who was an actual POW in S.E. Asia. There were two bridges built over the river Kwai during WWII, a part of the Death Railway which ran through Thailand into Burma where the Japanese hoped to expand their operations. This railway did claim thousands of lives due to exhaustion, tropical diseases, malnutrition, sometimes torture as this movie hints at by the shots of many crosses shown marking the graves of soldiers who died in the camp. Nicholson and his officers are cast into "ovens" for days on end without food or water. The medic for the camp goes to Saito pleading for their lives and gets the comment given in the title of this review. Nicholson is dead set on principles, and somehow manages to outwit Saito, later nearly befriending him. The clash of the two colonels is comical at times, and, as others have noted, the movie does not realistically depict the sufferings of POWs under the Japanese. The movie, to me, is a story of survival, honor, and wits on the part of beleaguered POWs. Whistling while on the march, building this bridge are important actions in maintaining the soldiers' morale. Escaping the camp, planning to blow up the bridge are others!
I saw this film on TV, probably in the very early 70's with my dad, my family's war movie buff. I've always wanted to whistle a tune like the British soldiers under Nicholson. I've always remembered this movie. This movie is such a classic, still so very suspenseful, no matter how many times it's seen. Recommended!!!
9 The bridge needs work.
This is not as complete a film restoration as was done for Lean's other epics ('Lawrence of Arabia', 'Dr. Zhivago'). Film grain and other artifacts are quite visible at times, especially during the opening and closing sequences, and the color seems faded throughout the film (although that may have been Lean's intention -- film historians would know for sure). Technical issues aside, this film is a masterful portrayal of two quite mad colonels, and the men caught under their leadership. It also is a powerful anti-war film, portraying both the futility of war and the danger that arises when blind military zeal takes precendence over reality. Columbia Pictures should take it upon itself to restore this classic film to its full potential, as it belongs in the pantheon of great cinema.
10 Wrong river but great story
This is one of those movies worth re-watching. All the things you expect from the British when they are captured by the Japanese and forced to build a bridge.
This movie was shot in Sri Lanka as it best fit the story. However the real river was not the Kwai. That just happened to be a better name for the river. And the real bridge was not wooden.
My favorite character was William Holden as Shears, The only pragmatic charter in the movie. Shears did not have to keep a stiff upper lip or save face or any of that sort of stuff. Where as Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson and Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito, had to go face to face with each other's interpretation of honor.
This is best depicted in one statement from Shears:
"You make me sick with your heroics. There's a stench of death about you. You carry it in your pack like the plague. Explosives and L-pills -- they go well together, don't they? And with you it's just one thing or the other: destroy a bridge or destroy yourself. This is just a game, this war! You and Colonel Nicholson, you're two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like a gentleman... how to die by the rules... when the only important thing is how to live like a human being."
11 Obsession, Bravery, Cowardice and Treason
David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) directs this 1957 adapatation of Pierre Boulle's (author of 'Planet of the Apes') great World War II novel. The film still stands as one of the greatest war films ever made with superb direction and an all-star cast that provide deep character studies with all the action and tension one expects from a war story.
Confined to an inhospitable Japanese prison camp burried in the jungles of Southeast Asia, a British POW, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), is subjected to the cruel torture of the camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) for choosing to stand for principle as to the treatment of his officers. Saito needs competent engineers and laborers to build a railroad tressle bridge on a tight schedule and, although at first infuriated by Nicholson's stiff upper lip and low opinion of Japanese culture, he begins to exploit Nicholson's ego to compel him to build the bridge properly and on time. Thinking that he will show the 'inferior' Japanese how much better the English are in engineering, Nicholson becomes obsessed with building the enemy bridge and oblivious to the treasonous implications of such an act. In the mean time, a cowardly American POW (William Holden) escapes to safety only to be later coerced by the English to return and sabotage the bridge in a commando raid. Leading the British demolition expert (Jack Hawkins), Holden's character returns to the bridge for the final showdown.
This is a brilliant war film with a plot that's primarily character driven as opposed to action driven: the tension comes from the clash of wills between all of the characters as opposed to a non-stop action clash of arms. The film also seems to deal with the uncertain consequences of bravery and cowardice in the sense that, although Nicholson at first bravely stands for his principles, he blindly becomes a treacherous coward. On the other hand, although Holden's character is the epidemy of cowardice and self-interest, it is he who becomes one of the true heroes of the story.
This film is very well directed and has great camera work. Filmed in Sri Lanka, the great cinematography captures every ray of heat and drop of humidity one finds in the dense jungle. The acting is top knotch all the way around. Finally, who can forget the timeless whistling tune sung by the POWs (actually an old World War I tune as opposed to World War II.) This is another great drama that should be in every war film lover's collection.
12 Psychological battle of wills!
This film is a real tour de force dilema . I have always considered this work as a true example of the leadership vision . In a corner we see the single minded leadership of the Colonel (Alec Guiness) who considers a honor concern to build the bridge demanded for the Japanese authority in the camp.
But there are other wills who see in this fact the possibility to escape and this commitment will be carried to the last consequences .
It is useless to comment it this war jewel , the timeless battle between the epic and the loyalty ; the will against the destiny ; the duty against the freedom .
This movie is now part of the cinema story and it is a wonderful example about the leadership means .
All the awards this film received were deservedly won .
One of the supreme masterpieces of David Lean ; by far, the best brittish director of the XX century.
13 Certainly one of the great cinematic war epics!
David Lean's THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is certainly one of the great war epics of the cinema. It might be an even better film than his equally celebrated LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. The latter film has, at the center of all the visual grandeur and epic scale, a character than is equally larger-than-life. The main characters of BRIDGE, on the other hand, are more humanly scaled, and I was grateful for that. Here is a cinematic epic that isn't just empty spectacle, but has intriguing characters and a literate thoughtfulness that is becoming a rarity in movies these days. In a lesser film, for instance, characters like Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness, in a performance that won a deserved Academy Award---as did the movie itself), and Shears (William Holden) might have been reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes. Here, they have fascinating complexities that help drive the plot and serve its theme, which can pretty much be summed up by the final words of the movie: "Madness, madness!" The beauty here is that both Saito and Nicholson might be mad, but their madness isn't necessarily without justification.
Of course, all this character development, which may or may not necessarily be interesting by itself, serves as a backdrop for what is essentially an adventure on a grand scale, and on that level it also works triumphantly, delivering beautiful widescreen cinematography, lush settings, and genuine suspense, particularly in its tense final moments. A glorious epic adventure that also never skimps on the human element, indeed makes it almost an integral part of the story---that is the magic of THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI. Highly recommended.
14 Madness! Madness!!!
This famous movie is now 50 years old but still remains one of the great classics in film. It it a story about honor, about an English regiment that surrenders to the Japanese in WW II Burma. To not lose the English honor the colonel decides to show the Japanese colonel to help build the best bridge possible, thereby also humiliating the colonel who, if not finished on time, would kill himself.
The English colonel remains naive, first he keeps sticking to the Geneva Convention but the Japanese don't give in.In the end he helps them with the bridge, of which he is very proud. But it is also aiding the enemy. His conflicts come to an amazing end.
15 Accurate history lesson? No. Great war film? Absolutely!
I just saw this for the first time a few weeks ago. I was very, very impressed - though I did not anticipate it. For the first 15-20 minutes it kept looking to me like I was supposed to think of Alec Guiness as the hero of this film. After all, his men cheered for him and the patriotic music was playing for many of his scenes. But I heartily disagree with his character's convictions: officers will be exempt from manual (or enlisted) labors. In other words, the enlisted men would build the enemy's bridge while the officers stood by and watched (or supervised). Only one word comes to mind: Treason. I was glad to see this was not the case and that the screenplay writers had other things in mind.
I have heard that this movie contains virtually no historical accuracy and that it has been criticized by the men who were actually involved in this particular incident. I can respect that. But it does not keep me from enjoying this movie. I think few people would watch this film, witness the colonel's attitudes toward the POW camp commander, and not think, "Surely, if this was real life, this man would be killed on the spot for what he is saying and doing." (Remember, most of the time Hollywood can't even successfully bring a fictional novel to the screen without butchering it.)
Another movie I have a deep respect for is Steven Spielberg's AMISTAD, which has also been reported as having numerous historical errors. Other films/shows which are based on true stories but contain historical inaccuracies (some to a lesser degree than others) include SCHINDLER'S LIST, BRAVEHEART, MAN ON THE MOON, SHADOWLANDS, television's LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, and just about anything from Oliver Stone.
It's always good to remember that Hollywood's primary purpose is to entertain. For education, books and documentaries (preferably those not put together by the Hollywood elite) are still the best (and most satisfying) ways to learn.
16 Alec Guiness fiesta
It's hard to beat the acting in this epic film. Alec Guiness, until then primarily known for comic roles, plays a ramrod straight British officer who has a tendency to get obsessed with matters of propriety and honor. He's deadly serious, but his performance comes right up to the edge of absurdity, including his amazing facial and body language at the climactic, ironic final moment. William Holden shows why he embodied the American male ideal in the 50s--the carefree, scheming existentialist who decides to care at the last, tragic moment. Sessue Hayakawa and Jack Hawkins are also memorable. This movie is one of my favorites. It unfolds slowly, but with a strong line of tension throughout that keeps you utterly hypnotized. The movie is almost the proto-typical blockbuster--fabulous photography, great scenery, powerful music, casts of thousands, and of course, that great big bridge that they actually built for the movie, and that, in the end, they...(I won't spoil it.) Rare is the movie that manages to have a compelling anti-war message while paying full tribute to the bravery of soldiers and the justice of war.
17 Blood, sweat and tears.
The 1957, Bridge On The River Kwai, is a W.W.II film loosely based on a novel written about true life events. William Holden, as Major Shears, has escaped from a Japanese POW camp where Alec Guinness, as Colonel Nicholson, is the ranking British officer. The cruel and fanatical Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been put in charge of constructing a railroad bridge over a river important to the Japanese. Saito and Nicholson struggle over using officers to help build the bridge. Saito uses vicious and brutal punishment in an attempt to break Nicholson, but the colonel never gives in. A compromise is reached and Nicholson persuades his men to build the bridge is a very short time. Meanwhile, Major Shears makes his way through the jungle and back to a base. He provides information about the bridge, but he truly wants to go home. He is forced into volunteering to guide a mission back into the camp to destroy the bridge. The leader is Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) who is very gun ho. When the two story lines mess, there is an exciting climax. Director David Lean uses the jungle scenery of Sri Lanka to appeal to the peace behind the madness of war. This film portrays the psychological effect of war on men and seems to place all men on the same level, regardless of country. It nominated for eight Academy Awards and won seven, including Best Picture, in 1957. A truly gripping story with beautiful scenery, it‰??s a classic epic that is a pleasure to watch.
18 The Bridge As It Should Be Seen
Like many people, I saw the BOTRK on television first, back in the media-challenged 1960's. Even through the pan and scan and low-res color of those ancient TV's, Lean's film riveted me to the screen. It wasn't until the late 1980's and hi-end VHS releases of films came out that I finally saw the widescreen version, and saw what I'd been missing for years. Lean was one of the few directors who could fill the widescreen and create drama without cutting a film to pieces in an attempt to generate excitement.
Alec Guiness etched himself into the ages with his performance as the pathological Col. Nicholson who abides by the letter of the law to the point of utter lunacy. When he and Sessue Hayakawa face off one sees the immovable object meeting the irressistable force. The whole attempt at breaking Nicholson plays like a prison/chain-gang film from the 1930's, but there is more at stake here - Nicholson's view is that order should be prevail regardless of circumstances, while Saito's view is that circumstances dictate order. The class and racial issues emenate from this conflict like waves of radioactivity.
William Holden appears in this film as a means of getting American finance - but he is nonetheless effective as the shirker, fraud, hero and cynic(his character from Sunset Boulevard onwards). Jack Hawkins is suitabily manipulative as the Oxford Don turned demonlition man.
But the real star of this film is the jungle matched to the widescreen. The sweep of green tangle in which this drama enacts strangles the life and sanity from the people enmeshed in the struggle. Lean knew how to create shots in depth, so his films are always more than what the characters are doing on the screen.
Like Apocalypse Now, another tale of Western soldiers in the jungle, this production was fraught with difficulties, the most damaging of which was a cameraman's failure to shoot the more important angle of the bridge's destruction. In the CGI world this could never happen, but in the awesome realtime destruction of BOTRK, Lean's crew had to rebuild the bridge, rescue the train, and redo the shot. It was worth it.
The DVD restores this film to it's proper aspect ration, sound, and probably has better color than the original, although, having never seen it in a theatre, I can't say.
For a real and disturbing look at what actually happened in Japanese POW camps, read "Prisoners of the Sun."
19 an absolute classic
A film by David Lean
The Bridge on the River Kwai is based on the fantastic novel by Pierre Boulle. The movie won 7 out of the 8 Academy Awards it was nominated for, including: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Alec Guinness). Watching the movie for the first time 45 years later, I'm happy to say that the film still holds up well over time.
It is a simple story. Set during World War II, the Japanese have a prison camp in Southeast Asia. They have an entire command of British prisoners of war, as well as a couple of Americans. The commander of the prison, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa, in an Oscar nominated performance) needs to have a bridge built across the River Kwai. The prisoners are to build it. This sets up a clash of will between Saito and Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), the officer in charge of the British. Nicholson still wants to lead his command, despite being in prison. He allows that the soldiers should work (to build morale, discipline, and to keep in shape), but absolutely forbids his officers to do manual labor. Saito demands that everyone works. Both men hold to their own personal code of honor and it is an intense emotional stand off between the two. While this is happening, the British soldiers are building Saito's bridge. Nicholson requires that take pride in their work and build the best possible bridge that they can.
That is half of the movie. The other half involves an American POW named Shears (William Holden). Shears seems to be fairly opportunistic and only out for himself. He manages to escape from the POW camp and eventually makes his way to freedom. While free and living at a British military base (waiting until he can return home), he is recruited into a mission to destroy the bridge that Nicholson is building. The bridge is strategically important and reluctantly Shears agrees. The storylines are separate for a while, but they do all come together near the end when the bridge is being completed and Shears (with British forces) are arriving to destroy the bridge.
This movie is a classic, and there is a very good reason for that. 45 years later (or so), The Bridge on the River Kwai is still a very good movie. This isn't your typical action movie with explosions every 10 minutes, but David Lean does a good job of building the tension throughout the movie. It may have some deliberate pacing at times, but if you're a fan of the classic movies, this is one you have to watch.
20 DVD Bonus Material
I was 12 when BOTRK owened and I've grown up with it. While the DVD transfer is excellent (picture and sound), what I am always after is the BONUS material. If you know the film as well as I do, seeing the BONUS disk first will add tremendously to your enjoyment of the feature.
The longer documentary (about 40 minutes - much of it in widescreen and color) is enough in itself. The other featurettes are mostly a b/w review of what you've already seen. The tid-bits are fascinating: the SHEERS character (William Holden) is not in the novel and was added simply to get an American male star attached to the picture for box office appeal. The same thing is true of the various women who appear, from SHEER's brief love interest in Ceylon to the women bearers who carry equipment through the jungle - all added to inhance international appeal. Most interesting was the story of Lean's harassment of Japanese star Hayakawa (COL. SIATO). He has to cry in one sequence and just couldn't get it. Lean yelled at him constantly, saying he was a bad actor. When Hayakawa did the scene again, he was actually crying! Also, when Guiness is in the "hot box" or "sweat box", he begged Lean for something cool to sit on; Lean refused and Guiness sweated real sweat! The train wreck that actually wrecked the train BEFORE they blew up the bridge, etc. I kind-of liked the Bonus Disk more than the feature. But that is the true beauty of DVD.
21 Classic "Lean" epic about true WW2 exploit
David Lean blossomed as a film director during the 50's. While he directed a number of earlier classics during the 40's, Bridge on the River Kwai was the first of many epic films that never lost the most important part of any epic tale--the human element.
Bridge focuses on the Japanese attempt to build a bridge linking their railroad through a perilous jungle in Southeast Asia. The prisoners of war are used essentially as slave labor to reach this goal. Colonel Nicholson(Alec Guinness who won an Oscar)are captured with his British troops. Nicholson's can-do attitude creates a myopic outlook which prevents him from seeing that he is collaborating with the enemy when he agrees to help complete the bridge. It's the infusion that Japanese Prison Commander Saito needs; his prisoner worker population is shrinking rapidly. Dysintery, Malaria, heatstroke and other inhabitants of the jungle have killed most of the workers. The bridge is behind schedule and the Colonel Saito is very displeased.
One of the last remaining prisoners is Shears (played with marvelous cynicism by William Holden). He just wants to do as little as possible and return home alive and well from the war. He has an escape plan. When he informs Nicholson of this, he's told that the British will not attempt to escape as there "is no place to escape to". Nicholson feels they'll be better treated in the camp and doesn't want his troops to face the harsh jungle. He orders his troops not to escape given the circumstances.
Shears and two other prisoners make a break for it. Of the three only Shears survives, is shot and eventually found within Allied territory. He's taken to a British stronghold to recover. Shears provides info on the bridge. He doesn't want become involved in an effort to go back and blow it up. Blackmailed by Major Warden (Jack Hawkins)he ends up volunteering for the mission with Warden and one other American.
Lean's direction captures the atmosphere of the jungle perfectly. While amazon.com rates the image as a 4 out of 5, I'd give it a 3. While a restoration effort was attempted, it's nowhere near as complete as that done for Lawrence of Arabia (another Lean film)or Hitchcock's Vertigo and Rear Window. Bridge has a much more brutal look which captures the essence of the jungle and the odds facing Shears and Warden. On the other hand, the film has a lot of analog artifacts and, although I can't be certain, looks like the negative has faded a bit. While it isn't in as bad a condition as Lawrence (or Vertigo)was, it certainly could use a face lift to improve the appearence.
The sound is pretty good overall. Columbia has expanded the original soundtrack into a Dolby 5.1 master and, while it doesn't take advantage of the full range, it coulds much better than the earlier VHS edition.
There are two editions of this classic film. The first has a second disc full of worthwhile extras that includes behind the scenes footage, a documentary on the film, appreciation by director John Millius many more items. The two disc set is certainly worthwhile for fans of the film.
The single disc edition is a dual layer like the first disc of the two disc set. It looks like it came from the same master. It features the full film, trailers and a brief talent biography on Holden, Guinness, Hawkins and Lean. It hasn't been updated since Guinness' death a couple of years ago. It's not bare bones but for the price difference it should suffice for most fans. It features the same interactive menu (a clever use of actual scenes from the movie)and a motion scene selection.
Bridge is a great film and it's certainly worthwhile in either edition. Which one you purchase depends on how much of a fan you are of the film and whether or not you'll watch the background material more than one time. The picture and sound are very good but it's also clear that Columbia sound undertake a more complete restoration of the this classic film.
Oh, a bit of trivia--the main titles have been changed. When the film was released screenwriters Michael Wilson (Lawrence of Arabia, Planet of the Apes) and Carl Foreman (The Guns of Navarone)were still blacklisted writers in Hollywood. Novelist Piere Boulle (who spoke no English)fronted for them receiving screenplay credit and received the Oscar for screenplay. It's only fitting that their names have finally been added to the opening credits. This happened shortly before Foreman's death (if I'm not mistaken)so at least one of them lived to see a wrong righted. Both (or their heirs)also finally received their Oscars with their names engraved. It was fitting given the film's themes and the price the main character (a stand in, no doubt, for both Wilson and Foreman)pays in the film.
22 An epic World War II masterpiece
After more than forty years, this movie remains one of the great war movies of all time. It proves that you don't need an enormous budget, a teen idol, and stuff blowing up all over the place to make a World War 2 masterpiece. The movie centers around a bridge being build by Allied POWs over the Kwai river (hence the title). Colonel Saito is the man in charge of the bridge, and the British Colonel Nicholson (played by Alec Guinness) is commander of the British POW troops. An American, Shears (William Holden), escapes from the camp, and later guides a crack British demolitions team back to the site of the bridge so they can blow it up.
A large part of the movie centers around the power struggle between Saito and Nicholson. The latter refuses to be treated harshly, and insists that his British forces will not cooperate in building the bridge unless he and the other officers can lead the project and do not have to do manual labor. Saito is a hardheaded despot, who cares nothing for Geneva convention rules but is forced to compromise if he wants his bridge finished on time. Throughout the movie, these two butt heads until they finally reach an understanding, and from that point on they work together very admirably and build a fine bridge.
The problem with having built such a spectacular bridge, however (in which Nicholson rightly takes great pride), is that the allies want to blow it up. At the end of the film, Nicholson is forced to make a choice between his pet project and his loyalty to his country. The result is a suspensful finale worthy of this great epic production.
The scenery is beautiful, the cinematography grand, the performances exceptionally great. No wonder this film won 7 Oscars. This is rightly considered one of the best movies ever made.
23 Has Masterpiece Quality
The jungles and mountainpeaks, rivers and animals make this a cinematic masterpiece. I would love to visit Ceylon but of course not during war. Its beauty is just absolute. The picture's story was also quite good. The overall theme to me was is there honor in wartime. To we become quite human and do what we can to survive or do we cling to the rules and stay soldiers to the end. In the movie Alec Guiness plays the rule oriented Major caught in a prison camp being told to build a bridge with his other subordinates, should he keep up the farce and play Major or leader until they are freed, following the rules no matter if it kills him. William Holden who is one of the subordinates disagrees, one other sees his point. Guiness becomes obsessed with his leadership and the bridge is his projection of obsession and his eventual demise. A stunning visual feast. Ceylon is and should be a dream come true not a place for negative energy to florish.
Lisa Nary
24 "Madness... Madness" and Yet
Directed by David Lean, this film focuses on an attempt by a team led by Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) to destroy a strategically important bridge over the Kwai river in Burma in 1943, a bridge built by British prisoners during World War II. An epic in every possible sense, the inhumanities of the Japanese are probably underplayed somewhat so that we can focus on two essential conflicts of will, one between Japanese Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and British Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) and the other between Warden and Shears (William Holden) who is forced to join Warden's team and thereby avoid a court martial for impersonating a U.S. naval officer. It should also be noted that Nicholson struggles with a conflict between his obligations as a British officer (i.e. to resist his enemy in any and every possible way) and his determination to demonstrate British superiority over the Japanese captors. Colonel Saito has his own conflicts, notably between imposing his will on Nicholson and the British troops and getting the bridge built. At the heart of this magnificent film are several moral dilemmas which help to explain why we become so emotionally involved with its narrative.
One of the many pleasures of seeing this film (especially in its DVD format) is the juxtaposition of lush tropical settings with the raw emotions of those who are building the bridge and those who are determined to destroy it. I am also struck by how carefully Lean develops the semi-adversarial relationships between Nicholson and Saito and between Warden and Shears. Although "Madness... Madness" is frequently quoted as an evaluation of those relationships, I disagree. Saito has been ordered to built the bridge, Nicholson agrees to accomplish that task but on his terms, Warden has been assigned to destroy it, and Shears (who considers all this "madness" but plays a key role in achieving that objective) lacks the circumspection which Lean enables us to have. Of course, war itself is madness...and yet there is (or at least can be) a redeeming if misguided integrity in how adversaries conduct themselves amidst that madness.
The excellence of this film was acknowledged by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, receiving in 1957 seven Oscars for ĘBest Actor (Guinness). Best Adapted Screenplay (Pierre Boulle), Best Cinematography (Jack Hildyard), Best Director (Lean), Best Editing (Peter Taylor), and Best Score (Malcolm Arnold). Years later, it was ranked #13 among "America's Greatest Movies" by the American Film Institute. I consider it ludicrous that Gone With the Wind (#4) is ranked higher than The Bridge on the River Kwai by the AFI. For those with a sensitive palate, the former is junk food whereas the latter is gourmet cuisine.
25 Very possibly the greatest war movie ever.
This is a great movie about a great story. It was a big budget movie featuring awesome scenery and cinamatography. As if that were not enough, the film is embellished with bravo performances by William Holden, Alec Guiness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa and others. No wonder "Kwai" won no fewer than seven academy awards in 1957 including Best Picture.
The story is brutally simple. British (and one or two American) POWs in Southeast Asia are being forced to work in railway gangs for the Japanese. The struggle between the British POWs and the Japanese makes for a great story, as the British Senior POW and the Japanese commander engage in a battle of wills. The outcome of the film packs a wallop, and I found it to be very satisfying. This movie never drags, and is punctuated with humor although the overall tone is deadly serious.
One nice thing about this film is that although it does not in any way glorify war or whitewash the awful consequences of war, it also avoids gratuitous violence, and is suitable for fairly young viewers to watch.
This is quite possibly the greatest war movie ever made. What more can one say?
26 london bridges in Japan
The movie is about a Japanese prisoner of war camp, during World War II, and a British unit that enters into it with a commander who is determined to keep unity and professionalism during their imprisonment, a truly noble idea. However, he is faced with a POW camp leader who doesn't abide by the rules. At the same time there is another important character; this is one American leader who has been prisoner at the camp since it was built. He just wants to escape and look out for his own interest. The director does a good job of contrasting both the stubborn and proud British officer to the independent and cunning American leader, and this can be said to compare and contrast the stereotypical Americans and the British in general during World War II. I liked how these views came into conflict, but in my opinion it took to long to show the conflict and then too long to resolve it. Well, it's okay, maybe one to chalk up among the many World War II movies you should see but it's nothing special.
27 One of the greatest ever!
The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of those classics that never gets old. The movie tells the story of prisoners of war forced to build a bridge for their Japanese captors. However the British commanding officer will have none of this and instantly puts up a fight. Later the movie follows the prisoners efforts at building the bridge as well as the story involving Allied commandoes who are attempting to destroy the bridge.
This classic is full of great performances that should not be missed. Alec Guinness, who won an Academy Award for his role, plays Colonel Nicholson, the stubborn British officer. His conflict with Colonel Saito(Sessue Hayakawa) provides much of the plot for the first hour of the movie. William Holden is Shears, a man who escapes from the prison camp only to return with Force 316 as they try to destroy the bridge. Jack Hawkins gives another good role as Warden, the team leader, who will do anything to complete the mission. Also worthwhile is Geoffrey Horne as Joyce, the youngest member of the team. This is not one of those action packed fliks that is so prevalent today. The movie is really more of a character study than anything else.
The limited edition DVD is perfect and should not be missed by any fans of this classic. The documentary on the making of the movie is very good. There is also a widescreen presentation with many other worthwhile extras. If nothing else, at least watch the last twenty minutes of the movie. It is one of the most tense scenes in movie history. You can just feel the anxiety as the end draws near. Do Not Miss This Classic!
28 Questions Prompted By Subsequent Viewings
Upon their initial refusal to work, Col. Nicholson and his officers are left to stand all day in the tropical sun. At dusk, Nicholson is beaten to the point of being unable to walk, and is carried to "the oven," a sheet-metal solitary confinement cell with no ventilation. Some number of days later -- possibly as much as three -- the camp doctor is allowed to visit Nicholson, whose first utterance (here's Hollywood talking) is, "How are the men?" Shouldn't Nicholson have been dead by that time or, at the very least, absolutely debilitated and unconscious from dehydration and heat exhaustion?
Everyone focused upon Nicholson's adversities, but seemed to overlook the rest of the officers. They too were placed in confinement, a ventilated sheet-metal cell approximately the same size as Nicholson's, but which held about eight men for the same amount of time Nicholson was confined. When Nicholson was finally freed, he stood to shake hands with the other officers as they were released. They looked pretty darned chipper. Shouldn't they have been in deplorable condition by that time, from being so closely pent-up for that period?
This unit of British soldiers had been beaten down and ordered to surrender. Upon their arrival at camp headquarters, we see how tattered they are, with decimated shoes and worn uniforms (wholly plausible in the circumstances). Yet in the first scene shown after Obi-wan Kenobi was set free, we see him crisply clad in fresh military khakis. Did they have new clothing parachuted in, or what?
"Bridge on the River Kwai" is an epic in the grand style of other great true and fictional British disaster films -- "Zulu" (where spears defeated Redcoat muskets because soldiers had to sign out for their bullets), "Titanic" (no explanation required) and "The Patriot" (wherein ragtag militia commanded by Melvin Gibson defeated an entire Empire's war machine). Don't miss "Bridge" -- it's an absolute classic.
29 A must see........
At a local movie theater on the first Monday of the month they run one showing of a classic movie. One day I saw that The Bridge on the River Kwai was playing. I walked out of the theater knowing I had seen one of the best movies ever made.
The plot is about a bridge being built by Allied prisoners of war. The battle centers around two strong willed men. Col Nicholson (Alec Guinness) a british commander who refuses to comply with Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa)who runs the camp. During this battle Cmdr./Maj. Shears (William Holden) escapes only to be called back into duty to destroy the bridge that now Nicholson has taken great pride in constructing.
This is one of those movies that is slow paced but done so deliberetly. Director David Lean paces the movie so by the end you don't even want to go to the bathroom, (Lean would use the same style in the brilliant Lawrence of Arabia).
30 This made me think of renting Bataan (1943) with Desi Arnaz.
I will watch just about any movie with William Holden in it and I have been curious to see the much hyped The Bridge On The River Kwai. Well, I was disappointed and was very bored by the film. It made me think of renting Bataan (1943) with a young Desi Arnaz. Not many bonuses in this DVD. I do like the computer special effects in "Main Menu" and the selection to show a frame of the rain during "subtitles selection". I love the sound of rain. Idea: Some company should make a DVD of two hours of rain.
31 No collection complete without
It's #13 on the American Film Institute's (AFI) top 100 list and is from David Lean the same director who made Lawrence of Arabia, both these movies earned 7 academy awards, including Best Picture for that year; so obviously he must know how to make a movie, a good movie.
32 Span The Bridge
1957's Bridge On The River Kwai is a stirring war film that is based on a novel that itself was inspired by real life events. The movie stars William Holden and Alec Guinness as an American commander, Major Shears, and an English officer, Colonel Nicholson, respectively who are captives in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The camp is run by the heartless and maniacal Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and he has been put in charge of constructing a railroad bridge over the river that will be extremely important to the Japanese war effort. Saito and Nicholson are at constant odds over the British captives role in helping build the bridge. Nicholson does not want to aid his enemies in such an important task and Saito uses abusive and sadistic means of punishment to try and break Nicholson, but due to Nicholson's high honor, he never gives in. Eventually the men reach a compromise and Nicholson throws his men into task of building the bridge with a fervent and obsessive nature. A parallel story line concerns Major Shears who escapes from the camp, makes an inspired trek through the dangerous jungle and finds his way back to a base in the South Pacific. He provides the commanders with the information about the bridge, but his true motives are selfish as he wants to go home. He is forced into volunteering to guide a British troop back into the jungle to the prisoner's camp to destroy the bridge. Along on this mission is the leader Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) who is way too gung ho about it for Shears' liking. The eventual intertwining of the two stories reaches a brilliant and rousing climax. Director David Lean uses the jungle scenery of Sri Lanka to beautiful perfection to recreate the images of World War II. He never resorts to gratuitous violence or mayhem , but expertly crafts a story about the psychological effects war has on three men who at first seem quite different, but in the end seem very much the same. The film was a rousing success and dominated the 1957 Academy Awards winning a total seven including Best Picture, Mr. Lean's first Best Director Award and a truly deserving Best Actor Oscar for Sir Alec Guinness.
33 1 Bridge, 2 Immovable Forces, 3 Great Stars, SEVEN OSCARS!
This review refers to Columbia/Tri Star 2000 release DVD of "The Bridge on the River Kwai"....
I am still whistling that wonderful theme song from this film(I watched it 2 days ago),"Colonel Bogey March". From the moment the British soldiers march into the Japaneese P.O.W. camp, whistling that tune I was once again hooked on this fabulous World War II movie!
The story, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle, is loosely based on actual events that occured during the war.The very proper Colonel Nicholson(Alec Guinness) leads his captured,but proud and tattered British troops into the Japaneese P.O.W. camp they have been assigned to.It is there that he comes face to face with the commander of the camp, the equally proper Colonel Saito(Sessue Hayakawa).Saito and Nicholson are immediatly at odds, concerning the assignment of the British, to build a railway bridge for their enemies over the River Kwai.Both men are highly principled in their beliefs, stubborn in their ways and will not give in where their honor is concerned.Saito seems to have the upper hand, using cruel and unusual punishment to try to persuade Nicholson, but to no avial. The bridge must be built and eventually they come to a compromise.Nicholson sets his men to the task in an almost obssessive way and takes great pride in the job his men are doing.
Meanwhile......an escapee from the camp, American sailor Shears(William Holden),whose only ambition is to get home, has now "volunteered" to lead a task force, including the over zealous British commander Major Warden(Jack Hawkins),back to the camp so they can blow up the bridge.And of course you know with Holden leading the team there will also be some romance mixed in with the action!
It's a great adventure from start to finish. Directed by David Lean with perfection, filmed in the breathtaking locales of Ceylon, with an engaging script by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, you'll fall in love with this epic film.It recieved the Best Picture(1957) Award from Oscar and also garnered a Best Director for Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness, as well as Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, and Music Scoring!
You will not miss one detail of the jungles in this beautifully remastered DVD. The colors are sharp and vibrant. It is presented in the original theatrical widescreen(anamorphic), aspect ratio 2.55:1, and every bit of scenery right to the edges is outstanding. The choices on the sound are 5.1 Dol Dig or 2.0 surround. The dialouge is crisp and clear, as is the musical score. The surrounding sounds are not quite as clear but is still good. It may be viewed in several languages or with subtitles as well. There is not too much on the special features on this edition(see tech info), however there is a "Limited Edition" for not much more than this one with a ton of extras(if only I'd known when I bought this one...),that is also by Columbia so I would guess the picture and sound are excellent as well.
One of the best war movies ever made..go for it..Laurie
34 My second favorite David Lean picture.
"The Bridge On The River Kwai" is one of the best movies ever made. It's my second favorite David Lean picture. The movie deals with the British soldiers who were forced, by Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa, Oscar-nominated) and Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness, Oscar-winner), to build a railway bridge in the jungle for the trains to cross, but Major Shears (William Holden) and other allied men were here to destroy it. The movie is the winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (David Lean). I have this movie on the Limited Edition 2-Disc DVD and I highly recommend it.
35 Another outstanding David Lean movie.
"The Bridge On The River Kwai" is easily one of the best movies ever made. David Lean is an excellent director. That's why he won the Oscar. The movie deals with the British soldiers who were forced, by Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa, Oscar-nominated) and Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness, Oscar-winner), to build the bridge in the jungle for the trains to cross on the railway, but Major Shears (William Holden) and the other allied men were here to destroy it. The movie is the winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture. I have "The Bridge On The River Kwai" on the 2-Disc Limited Edition DVD and I'm glad to own it. I also recommend other Lean films including "Lawrence Of Arabia" (my favorite Lean picture) and "Doctor Zhivago.
36 Classic POW Burma Flick
This movie shows a classic war of wills between two strong characters. Col. Nickelson was of the old India school. The discipline he and his men have is far superior to the Japanese. As is their enginnering and technical know-how. How was it then that the Japs were able to defeat the British so badly at the beginning of the war at Singapore and Burma? The answer is that the British were still playing the old game of war when WW2 started. They never expected the Japs to be as tough and ruthless as they were. This does not excuse the early war British defeats, but it helps to understand Nickelson's decision to build a bridge in order to save his battalion from ruthless, inhuman Japanese behavior. This film shows how cruel and ruthless the Japs were in WW2. As bad or worse than the Nazi's. People need to see what the real Japan was in that conflict. There is a tendency today to look upon Japan as some kind of victim because of our use of Atomic bombs against them. This is nonesense. One look at this movie should give one a good idea what the real Japanese mentality was in the war.
William Holden plays his usual out-spoken American bit which contrasts with the more stiff and formal British attitudes. One can see here the different approaches toward making war the Americans and British had.
A word on the music in this film. The "River Kwai March" is actually Malcom Arnold's arrangement of Kenneth J. Alford's classic march "Colonel Bogey". This march Alford wrote in 1914 at the outbreak of WW1 when he was bandmaster of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. The march was already well known before it was arranged for the movie, but since then has become even more popular.
Viewers should see this movie for the great acting, the clash of cultures and characters portrayed, and for the wonderful scenery. The film was shot in Ceylon before the political instability of recent years, but its topography strongly resembles that of Burma's. This is a movie that is about more than just war, it is a depiction of attitudes and nationalistic ideas toward waging war. It shows clearly the differences between the Far East and Western mentalities. We should keep these differences in mind when dealing with the Far East.
37 Life In A World War II Japanese Prison Camp
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is one of my favorite war movies. It is a story about life in a World War II Japanese prison camp situated in a Burmese jungle. The screenplay is actually an adaptation from an anti-war novel by Pierre Brouille. The main thrust of the film is the duel of wills between the commanding officer (Sessue Hayakawa) of the camp and the commander (Alec Guinness) of the British prisoners.
The production is marked by strong acting performances by Guinness and Hayakawa. William Holden plays the part of an American escapee who leads a band of commandos back to blow up a bridge which is being constructed by the prisoners. Holden is his usual competent self. Jack Hawkins is another respected actor in the cast.
Sessue Hayakawa began making American films in 1914 but spent his World War II years in Japan. The movie's theme song whistled by the prisoners on the way to work on the bridge became a popular recording during the late 1950's.
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI received several Academy Awards including best actor by Guinness. Hayakawa was also nominated for best supporting actor. Some other awards were for best picture, director, screenplay and cinematography.
38 Only some minor flaws mar this otherwise splendid film.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a fantastic film account of one man's misguided but honorable attempt to rally his men together in the midst of troubling circumstances.
When British Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) and his men willfully surrender to the Japanese army, they are sent to a prison camp where they must work on an enemy railroad bridge. But Nicholson won't stand for it, eventually having his men do it on his terms. Soon he's virtually running the prison camp, but his misplaced duty has him doing his best work for the enemy.
Though at many times it seems ludicrous that a British Colonel would really be so out there that he'd think he was doing a good thing helping the enemy, stranger things have happened. Once you let yourself believe it's possible, the film becomes extremely engrossing, entertaining and splendidly produced. Though it doesn't come close to the masterpiece that director David Lean later created in Lawrence of Arabia, this is still a great film. Guinness as always is wonderful, standing out from the cast as a gifted actor.
However, I can't dismiss certain flaws I felt the film had. The sub plot of an American escapee (William Holden) doesn't begin to mesh well with the colonel's story until the second half when he's sent back in with a team on orders to destroy the bridge. Also, the use of Asian women on that team is almost laughable. In the midst of the hot, humid jungle, they're always smiling at the men while serving them. When one was placing mortar shells into a weapon while smiling during combat at the end, she reminded me of the Price is Right girls showing off a prize. Though this depiction of women was standard in film for the time period it was made, it only comes off as silly now.
But by and large, this is a wonderful film that easily allows you to overlook these flaws. And worth multiple viewings just for Guinness excellent performance
39 The Greatest War Movie of All Time
In my list of the top ten movies of all time there is a place for "The Bridge on the River Kwai". This movie has just about everything; great acting, great directing, great music, great cinematography, a great, multi-layered story line, and a message for all humanity. The great acting includes William Holden who brings his usual swagger to his character. However, the audience finds themselves focussed on the acting of Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa and their mental chess game of a struggle for power. This aspect of the movie would qualify for greatness by itself. The cinematography is outstanding and underscores much of what the director tries to bring out. This is one of those movies worth seeing on the big screen if you can find a theatre that shows old(er) movies.
The story essentially involves British POW's having to build a bridge deep in the jungle of Burma. The Japanese prison commander is insistant that officers work along side their men. The British commander refuses to alow this to happen. This is the chess game between Guinness and Hayakawa. An American POW (Holden) escapes towards the beginning of the movie and is drafted to return to the POW camp in a guerilla action to destroy the bridge. During this 160 minute film, there is ample action, plenty of sub-plots and a lot of brilliant symbolism. My favorite is a gun battle between the guerillas and a Japanese patrol deep in the jungle. We have an early glimpse of a number of sleeping bats as the scene develops. When the action starts, the gunfire disturbs the bats who blacken the sky as they come to life. This imagery of turning peace into chaos is itself symbolic of the ultimate anti-war message of the movie. The idea of the British soldiers building, with misguided pride, a bridge in the jungle only to have it destroyed upon completion is a message about the pointlessness of war. The brilliance of this movie is that it can be enjoyed equally by WWII buffs and anti-war protestors. Each time you watch it you pick out a little bit more than you saw before. If you haven't seen this movie, you've been cheating yourself.
40 Humanity during times of war.
This is a must-see film for anyone who wants to even pretend to be 'up' on film history or attempt to pass pronouncements on current films. David Lean crafted one of history's best cinematic experiences with this 1957 film. Alec Guiness is great as the 'leader' of a group of British POW's under the supervision of a Japanese war camp superintendant. The prisoners have been forced to build a bridge over the river that bears the film's namesake. Less an action film than a drama, BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI gives us fascinating characters and shows us how they change over the course of the film. In the end we have learned much about each of them, and no one is quite what he seems to be at the beginning. While there is action, this is almost more of a character study in how humans bear up under extraordinary circumstances.
Highly recommended.
41 More than a War Movie
"Bridge" is in the ranks of the all time best movies, war and otherwise. The core of the story focuses on a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma that holds allied war prisoners, mostly British, led by Alec Guiness a colonel and engineer, a man driven by the duty to maintain his concept of society against all odds and deprivations. The commander of the camp underplayed magnificently by Sessuyu Hayakawa (forgive spelling errors) has the dishonorable job of overseeing this camp rather than fighting the enemy in battle. He can be harsh yet has a certain gentle nobility and does not understand the British mentalitity although he is required to harness it to complete an assignment ie. to build a bridge in this Burmese jungle for the transport of Japanese troops and materiele.
The clash between Guiness and Hayakawa is most subtle. Hayakawa attempts and fails to break Guiness who insists on maintaining class distictions including those between officer and regular soldier. The men,tending to be a slovenly lot are won over by Guiness, his bravery and his call for pride in themselves and their work. Because Guiness can control his men and can put them to good use in building the bridge for Hayakawa, a partnership begins between these two men. Hayakawa gets his bridge; Guiness gets a project to keep his men busy.
A third major player in this movie is William Holden,an American Lieutenant who is also a prisoner in the camp, a realist and a survivor who escapes from the camp in the first third of the movie. The fourth major player is Jack Hawkins, an intellectual and Commano officer, who enjoys war games and commandeers Holden to give up his freedom to go back to the camp with Hawkins and his commando team and blow up the Bridge which has now been completed and is in a most strategic position to effect the course of battle.
The climax occurs when the commando team reaches the camp and are ready to blow up the bridge by now a magnificent structure, a tribute to British workmanship.
The Bridge becomes to symbolize more than just a structure, Guiness in a kind of madness has fixated on the edifice and the process forgetting that his men are doing the work of the enemy for the enemy under the supervison of British officers. Hyakawa has given up his pride and honor for the sake of necessity and is going mad with shame. Hawkins, who is injured is totally fixated on the destruction of the Bridge. Holden just wants it all to be over, finish the job and leave.
The end culminates in the demolition of the Bridge along with tragic realization that the fixations of Guiness, Hayakawa and Hawkins are a form of madness that have distorted ideals and destroyed lives.
42 Intense human drama in the midst of the war action
The key to this film is the interaction of the major characters, and the underlying motivations of each. The principal interaction is between Alec Guinness' character, and that of Sessue Hayakawa's. There is a secondary, but important interaction between William Holden's character, and Jack Hawkins as yet another British commander. And then there's the interaction of sorts, although the two characters are separated from each other for the major part of the film, Between Holden's and Guinness' characters.
There is the problem of historical inaccuracy here. The portrayal of deep issues is given precedence over fact. The separate values governing each person's actions are spotlighted. Colonel Nicholson's perspective does appear warped, and he is the true tragic protagonist of the story. His nationalistic pride and an ego driving him to show superiority through building the best and strongest bridge although doing so aids the Japanese military blinds him to the reality of the situation.
The slow development of the plot will discourage many who have been exposed primarily to current films which cater heavily to more physical sensations at the expense of mental and spiritual considerations. But gaining the insight possible through this classic is worth the effort, even if it means multiple viewings, for those who are willing to take it.
43 A true classic
Where does duty stop and to whom is it due? These are some of the questions dealt with in this WWII film classic set in a prisoner-of-war camp in Burma. The matter-of-factness of Alec Guinness is captivating as is William Holden's vacillation between honor and trickery.
The prisoners are directed to build a bridge for the Japanese army. Told that all prisoners will work, Guinness points out the articles in the Geneva Convention that expressly forbid officers from working anything other than administrative chores. The camp commander refuses to comply and thus begins the battle of wills between them. The commander has his duty to his superiors, just as Guinness has his duty to the commander, to his country, and to his men. He does not see the problem of these conflicting duties until it is too late.
Holden is an American who is just trying to go home. After a daring escape, he winds up "volunteering" to return to the POW camp. Although he just wants to go home, he sense of duty pushes him back.
I would recommend seeing this film.
44 Excellent Quality
Again, in brief;
Good carton box; Clarity of tape with bright colors. Crystal-clear sound. Good enough.
45 Even after Private Ryan...
This is still one of the greatest WWII movies. The acting and directing is excellent, and the plot makes it one of the greatest war movies of all time. I'm surprised this was made in 1957; it was far ahead of its time. It rewards multiple viewings, and if you're trying to educate your kids about WWII, this is a good movie to show them.
46 A Bridge over time
As a 23 year old, it is hard to understand all of the hype that surrounded The Bridge Over The River Kwai. From what I understand, the scene where the bridge is blown up was one of the most dramatic special effects of its day. In this era of computer animation and digital enhancement, this is hard to imagine.
Evaluated in the context of its time, this movie is no doubt a classic. The acting, the direction and the cinematography are all first rate. The whole production is based on the true story of the American POW's who were held in a camp and forced to build the infamous bridge. I am guessing for all of its acclaim, it is very close to the actual events that happened.
Everything on the DVD is good. My only beef is with the chapter selections, there are not enough of them. You find yourself having to fast forward through chapters to get to a specific point. Other than this small issue, this is a DVD worth adding to your collection.
47 Absolute Classic!!
This is a great, classic film. The setting is a World War II prison camp somewhere in the jungle. Hot, sticky, and yucky. The prisoners are required to build a bridge. The prisoners do what they can to keep the bridge from being built, until one day, when a British Colonel whose spent too much time in the sun shows up as a prisoner. He actually designs and builds a great bridge. It's a good film about the struggle of and against human nature.
48 "Be happy in your work"
In 1957, a movie was premiered that was the most awe-inspiring of its time. It was a massive project, involving a collaboration of several countries and the building of a bridge. It was the film that put director David Lean on the map and brought home Best Picture and six other Oscars at the Academy Awards. Although Lean and producer Sam Spiegel later topped themselves with "Lawrence of Arabia" and their first film's flaws have since become apparent, "The Bridge on the River Kwai is still a landmark of motion pictures and still awes people (Major spoilers ahead).
"Madness! Madness!" The last words said in the film by Colonel Clipton can be used to sum up the film. Most of the major characters were mad in a way, but some more so than the others. Let's take Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson, one of his most renowned performances. Nicholson is a stiff upper lip officer, who believes that by building a `proper' bridge, he is helping the future and providing the prisoners with better work and self-esteem. He doesn't seem to take into account that this bridge will be used by the Japanese in Burma against the allies and that men are dying on the River Kwai. There are three other main characters in the story. Shears, played by William Holden, Colonel Saito, played by Sessue Hayakawa and Major Warden, played by Jack Hawkins. Shears, from what we can tell, doesn't want anything to do with the war or the P.O.W camp. He bribes officers and, when he escapes, tries to weasel his way out of going back. As an actor, Holden has always been underrated, yet this movie will have you asking why. Hayakawa was 68 years old when he was cast as Saito, yet he doesn't look or act like it. Unlike Nicholson, he only builds the bridge because he has to. Like Shears, he does his duty because of what would happen if he did otherwise. The third character, Warden, is different on the other hand. He sees the war as a game, playing with his plastic explosives as if he's a kid with firecrackers. He also believes only in the mission, carrying around suicide pills should anyone have to be killed.
Speaking of the River Kwai, the actual story was worse than it is here and this is one of only two problems I have with the story. Hundreds, if not thousands, of prisoners of war died along this railway from causes such as malnutrition, dysentery, malaria, gangrene, beatings, exhaustion and torture. And some just wanted to die. This sugarcoating of the actual story is one of the most controversial parts of the movie, but what did you expect? This is a Hollywood Epic. The other problem with the film is lack of focus. We leave the Nicholson-Saito story just when we are to decide whether to cheer or boo Guinness so events involving the commandos can be fitted. Both are major stories, yet the producers can't decide which is more important.
The Colonel Bogey March has become one of the most renowned scenes in film history. Originally, however, the song was almost not used because it had some rude lyrics. So, it was decided to whistle it. The scenes where the march is first used seem to foreshadow other coming events. The P.O.Ws march past "the graveyard" and the hospital where the sick are kept. They are like new recruits marching past battle hardened veterans as they go to war. Shears remarks to Corporal Weaver, "We're going to be a busy pair of gravediggers". The second time the march is used is near the end, as the gang marches across the bridge just before the commandos strike. The march, as happy as it is, is an omen of what is to come next and what happens is not always that good.
"There's always the unexpected". Filmmaker John Milius (Who is interviewed on the Limited Edition DVD) once said that the commando mission in this movie is the best he has ever seen on film. Why? This movie follows "Murphy's Law" or everything that can go wrong will go wrong. The team parachutes off course and one of them gets killed. Then they have to take an alternate route because of Japanese Patrols. Then Warden gets shot because the youngest member hesitated at killing a soldier, delaying them further. However, they continue on and on. They finally reach the bridge, marveling at the quality of the structure and the apparent comradeship of the prisoners with the Japanese. They think that, from there, it's easy sailing. However, here's Murphy's Law again, for nature has some tricks up her sleeve. Also, the same officer who got Warden injured is still unprepared for killing when the moment comes.
Ironically, the person who destroys the bridge is the same man who advocated its construction. Nicholson's actions, however, still spark debate to this day. Many believe that he would never do such a thing and that he must have been knocked unconscious we he did what he did. However, what about his last line "What have I done?" In my view,
though he loved the bridge like it was his own child, he realizes the enormity of what he has been doing and that he must murder his child.
In the end, the bridge is destroyed, but for what cost? Everyone involved is either dead or doomed to die. Their fates have been sealed. On the other hand, life has survived. The first shot we see in the movie is of a bird floating around in the sky. This represents nature's tranquillity, before it is disrupted by the machines of war. The last shot we see is of the same bird and once again is tranquillity. Only this time, it is a return to peace. Men may have kicked aside life in their quest to build and destroy the bridge, but they are just temporary visitors. Nature is a permanent resident.
49 One of the all-time war movie greats.
"Bridge Over the River Kwai" is an Oscar winning World War II film, loosely based on a book by the French writer Pierre Boulle. However, Hollywood had to change the plot to make it more palatable to American viewers by introducing an American star into the cast. The plot was also modified to accommodate a greater role for women: one female beauty makes a brief appearance, and several Asian women absent from the original novel play a key supporting role towards the end.
What makes this movie a gem is not just the exciting plot, although that is an essential ingredient in making this a successful movie. A British contingent of soldiers in a Japanese prisoner of war camp are required to build a bridge across the river Kwai for the Japanese. But because this bridge is a threat to the Allies, they send in a troop of commandos to destroy the bridge. There is only one problem: the British commander (Colonel Nicholson) who built the bridge has taken so much pride in the construction work of his soldiers, that he does not want it destroyed. The tension rises to heart-stopping levels, with a thrilling climax. There is some violence in the movie, but it is minimal and only towards the end, and unlike modern war movies there is no focus on the gory details. The climax features stunning scenes that at the time were unprecedented in movie making history. And the ambiguity of the conclusion leaves plenty of room for after-movie discussion and contemplation.
But what really makes this movie so stellar is the characterization and the psychological conflict at the beginning of the movie. What the second half of the movie offers in terms of intrigue and action, is more than matched by the psychological conflict in the first half. The Japanese commander of the prisoner of war camp (Colonel Saito) requires British officers to perform manual labour. Colonel Nicholson insists that this is contrary to the Geneva Convention, and together with his officers refuses to comply. This battle of personalities is the feature of the first part of the movie and is compelling, gripping, and involves brilliant acting. The repeated notion of "madness" also hints at underlying themes about the futility of war, making this a profoundly anti-war movie. This is evident in the complete reversal of the British colonel's attitude to his officers working and the final lines of the movie about "madness".
Although not suitable for younger viewers because of the occasional intensity of the action and the themes of war, "The Bridge On The River Kwai" is generally a clean and wholesome movie when compared with modern movies. Given that the cinematography, characterization, and acting are all superb and thought-provoking (as well as the enduring whistling tune of the "Colonel Bogey March"), it is little wonder that this film rightly takes its place among the all-time war movie greats. In fact it's easily one of the best movies I have ever seen.
50 A True Classic
Last night I enjoyed the pleasure of watching "The Bridge on the River Kwai" for the first time, and it was an experience I won't soon forget. David Lean crafts a visual masterpiece; the stunning landscapes and awe-inspiring scale of the bridge are utterly amazing. Character-development is this film's other primary strength; each of the main characters provides a unique portrayal of pride and its effects on man, encouraging the viewere to think as he/she is entertained.
The film is moderately-paced throughout. There isn't an abundance of action for today's impatient audiences, but the film never becomes boring. The second disc features an abundance of extras for a movie of this age, including an excellent one-hour documentary. Overall, this is a great purchase for any fan of classic cinema.
51 Well-done revival of a classic
DVD technology on this edition makes the clarity of image as good as it originally was in the theaters.
What with George Orwell loose about the shop during the century's early years, and the head-cases of Fourteenth Army roaring about the jungle during the war, it is perhaps little wonder why modern day Myanmar has so many problems. As Sessue Hayakawa's camp commandant shows, Englishmen can drive Asians crazy.
As lovingly described in George MacDonald Fraser's wartime memoir, Quartered Safe Out Here, Fourteenth Army seems to have been a haven for lunatic British officers and other ranks willing to have a go at a variety of desparate adventures.
These characters collide with William Holden, a Bogey who represents the average sensual man central to American policy during the war and since, who is unwilling to get shot at for the dear old school-house, said dear old school-house having been for many American, Depression era enlisted men reform school, the orphanage, or the Big House.
Of course, Lean made this film before Vietnam which displayed clearly that American policy is no more exportable than British. Our "development" model tells people in other lands that we share self-interest, but it is simply not the case that all men are motivated by self-interest.
Also, the presentation of the Burmese gals in the movie is absurd, for the movie assumes without argument that an Asian woman will fall in love with an American: a trope common enough in the 1950s, ridiculous today.
In Kwai, Alec Guiness drives the Japanese commander crazy by his insistence on simultaneously collaborating with the enemy, and showing him that, don't you know, only Englishmen know how to build a bridge. The central paradox of WWII and the subsequent world is that the POW's situation has been generalized, and most men in an administered world wind up constructing pieces of same in an alienated fashion.
The average sensual man tries, as do the POWs in the camp, to get away with a minimalist committment. As a representative of a generation of British and American men which has died off, Guinness sees that it would demoralize the men to do a bad job but this causes him to violate his own military's rules.
Guinness' old-school thinking is a form of Benthamite utilitarianism in which the individual including the commander is willing not only to sacrifice his life for the greater good of the whole, but his personal integrity. Holden's way of thinking will be more familiar to modern day me generation men both British and American who base their worldview on individual, inviolable rights.
Recently, David Bowie revived the iron beauty of this committment as a cinematic trope in Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, where Bowie plays a Lord Jim type figure who is willing (because of personal betrayals back home) to sacrifice himself for his men.
However, American audiences rejected Lawrence, and it is unlikely they would, today, accept the clash of world-views in Kwai. Today, there is no sense of the upper-class military officer willing to sacrifice himself for his men, and indeed, this entire theme was short-lived. It probably arose as a result of the *kindermord* of the trenches of WWI in an attempt, by the generation of the 1920s, to make some sense of the death of older brothers; for from the 17th century to the Edwardian era, British officers scorned their men as scum, scrapings, leavings and riff-raff, a scorn memorialized in the Duke of Wellington's comment: "I do not know whether they will frighten the French: but by G-d they frighten me."
The final judgement of the MO (medical officer) makes what sense there is, and that is the pity of war, a pity we've perhaps forgotten. America has returned to the Philippines, and England (with strange enthusiasm) to Afghanistan. For there is, as Kipling knew, an attraction to colonialism as an alternative to solving problems back home.
52 A Must: Grand Scale Epic Depicting Tragic Nature of Humans
Though William Holden is given the first billing of the credits, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is without doubt Alec Guinness's film. And the film's setting may lead you to think this masterpiece as a "war movie"; that is not exactly true.
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" begins with intense battle of will. As British Colonel Nicholson (Guinness) refuses to join the work of building a bridge, Japanese Colonel Saito tests his will in the most extreme ways. But many keen-eyed viewers will soon realize that both have something in common, which finally draws each other after Nicholson's long, long suffering under the hot sun in Southeast Asia. Ironically, Nicholson finds himself deeply involved in nearly impossible task of building a bridge more than he actually knows. But to what purpose?
As this storyline shows, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" brilliantly works as a fable, and the superb acting of Alec Guinness, whom younger generations probably remember as Obi-Wan of "Star Wars," will rivet your eyes on the screen. The cinematograhy is also great, capturing the humid climate of the place to give the film authentic atmosphere. But most of all, this is made before CGI became popular in moviemaking -- just imagine they had to make all of those production designs!
Looking back from now, David Lean's epic-scale story seems to lose its power in the latter half of the film, in which Holden's character tries to destroy the bridge. His character is a little unconvincing, compared with Guinness and Hayakawa, and Lean, I am afraid, stretched the film too long to depict Holden's deadly mission though his trek in the jungle itself is an engrossing one. And you may feel Hayakawa'a performance is a little theatrical -- but keep in mind, he first became an instant star in Hollywood in 1915 with "Cheat" (directed by Cecil B. DeMille, another director who preferred big-scale movies). But don't worry, you soon forget these things.
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is a masterpiece that only golden age of Hollywood could produce; not flashy special effects but talented actors with dedicated crew made it possible to exist. Watch it.
Pierre Boulle, a French writer who wrote the original book of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" based on his own experience during the WW2 and his days in prison camp, is also the author of "Planet of the Apes." The latter book (and the original film, to some extent) is also intelligent and iroical as well as David Lean's masterpiece. Try it.
53 As good as the real story
I had mixed feelings about this movie when it first came out...I was 13 and living in Japan - into WWII themes (looking for "War souvenirs" and playing with Japanese kids...) I loved the suspense and vivid colors and was haunted by the ever-enduring jungle and its sounds..(Ceylon, or Sri Lanka was an excellent choice for a filming locale - looked alot like Burma,
where most of the story was to have taken place). The characters, of course, were what I focused on as I grew older and
viewed the movie again and again. The American, played by William Holden, of course, had to be anti-war and vaguely anti-British and colonial...This was to be expected and was not a great surprise. Major Warden, played by Jack Hawkins, was my favorite. He played a type of Englishman that I greatly admired when I was 20; a combination of scholar and warrior which the British can only carry off. Brilliant student of foreign languages and archaelogist who gets a thrill out of leading indigenous peoples to victory over the enemy (T.E. Lawrence and
Sir Leonard Wooley come to mind)...
Katchanaburi in Thailand is the site of the real Bridge, some of which can still be seen today...The bridge was hit by B-25s flying from India...not as romantic as parachuting into occupied Burma and humping the jungle. I was amazed by the similarity of the movie location and the real location...the movie people cetainly did their homework on that one. There is an Allied cemetery there in town, and a nice museum near the bridge (reconstructed), which can be crossed...some good Thai restaurants also make a very relaxing and educational visit.
Even though the movie and the real story were different in those respects, I feel that the movie was very enjoyable and entertaining in its own right.
54 culture doesn't signify goodness
This isn't another more war movie but one of the most difficult to fully understand and truly superb.
Colonel Saito direct the prisoners camp. He doesn't understand the war moral of the English and American prisoners owing to his surrendering. He thinks they aren't men but only trash. But English colonel Nicholson represents another view of professional military life. Saito thinks he's soft and coward, but this is false: Nicholson has a puritan ethics that wins finally. Otherwise the Japanese experts are unable to build the bridge and Nicholson wants to collaborate because he conceives these work at first only as a task to preserve the moral of his men because escape it's impossible in the jungle... except for the strong resolute soldier played by William Holden. But the stiffness of so many years of military command and surely the accumulated penalties of the war undermines the reason of Nicholson and he gets too much involved with the bridge and so, in clear treason by full collaboration with the enemy although he's unconscious of that until the attack of the commandos to blow all the works. It seems that the madness of Nicholson has something of contagious and his men obey him without discussion. Only the English physician is astonished by all the nonsense.
But for me, the most disturbing personage in this film is curiously a relatively secondary one: the chief of commandos played by Jack Hawkins, because he's an scholar from Cambridge, but -as the lively Holden understands- he has a strange drive towards death: explosive management, weapons and a taste for destruction being a cultivated man. One of the best films of all themes and all time.
55 "Madness! Madness!"
The last line sums it up very well, but I guess that's what war does to people. People are changed in many ways by it, and this is a good example of that. William Holden plays another roguish character who gets turned head-over-heels once more in his mission, as does Alec Guiness. Whatever the case, the movie starts out rather slow, then kicks it in as Holden joins the Canadian and the Britt on thier mission to destroy the bridge. Meanwhile, Alec Guiness and his men struggle to build that bridge and take pride in it. Guiness's character is rather interesting. In some ways he's a very resolute man, yet in others somewhat fooled by his own resolution. Once again, that's what war and imprisonment do to you.
The climax is quite the nail-biter as you see person after person fall... But I won't spoil the whole bloody thing. Still, everyone seems driven on by their own different senses of pride and that, in the end, is what is their mutual downfall. The only person who seems to have a grip on reality by the end of this all is the doctor. And, I should mention, he's the one who stands on the riverbed looking at the battle-scarred area around him screaming 'Madness! Madness!' as the credits start to roll.
Very good movie. Reccomended.
56 Whistle (and go mad) while you work
If someone had the inclination, "Bridge on the River Kwai" could have been divided into two very respectable movies. The first, concerning a group of British prisoners of war charged with erecting the title piece, would have been a neat little psychological drama and character study starring Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa. The second, an action-adventure thriller, would follow William Holden, accompanied by Jack Hawkins, as they braved the harsh Asian jungle in a plot to blow up said title piece. Each movie, as I see them in my own head, would have their fair share of suspense, action, snappy dialogue, intriguing characters, and powerful narrative thrust. Each would have been a critical success, a popular smash, and an enduring classic. However, they are not two movies. They are one cohesive whole. And here the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
David Lean skillfully weaves these the two narrative threads together. Even with a 160 minute running time, Lean never wastes a moment. Everything leads to something else, and it is always entertaining. Lean is that rare director who has a firm handle on both the visual and narrative elements of his films. He reigns both in here with considerable skill, only showing what the audience needs to see, and what he wants them to see.
As in most war movies, madness is a theme that runs rampant. Each of the main characters has dipped into some sort of madness, which manifests itself in four unique and intriguing ways.
Guinness is Col. Nicholson, a by the book British officer. He carries around a copy of the Geneva Convention, and expects his Japanese captors, isolated for many months in the jungle, to adhere to them. Guinness' greatest work here is in portraying Nicholson's stubbornness in the face of grave danger, and his pride in a job well done. It could have been a showy role in the hands of a lesser actor, as there is a temptation to externalize Nicholson's crumble from sanity. Guinness is subtle beyond the call of duty (even in his physical portrayal; one moment has him, after a long stint imprisoned in an oven-like box, paraded in front of his men. Catch Nicholson trying to march with military precision on legs terrorized by atrophy. It is a heartbreaking, and heroic, moment).
Colonel Saito, played by Hayakawa, is a man caught in a most unenviable position. In the beginning, he appears to be holding all the cards. But as we soon see, he is as much a pawn as the prisoners he's captured, indebted as much to his superiors as to his honour of duty. The problem with the character of Colonel Saito, and really the only hole in the whole film, is that he is supposed to be a menacing character. But we never see him be menacing; we have to rely on the word of Commander Shears. A scene of him killing in cold blood would have gone a long way later on, when his transition to Guinness' subordinate would have been even more powerful.
Major Warden, played by Hawkins, comes late to the story, but has much to say about how the second half will play out. He too is controlled by a sense of British duty, but his madness exhibits itself in a less controlled way. Warden, who's spent most of his time playing war games in a tropical paradise of a base, expects his mission to be a walk in the park. The horrors he encounters (both physical and psychological) are unexpected and hit him much harder than the others. Hawkins, as both the English gentleman and the tormented soldier, does a fine job.
Holden plays probably the most intriguing character. His Commander Shears has lived with his madness the longest, and has developed an ironic anti-hero callus to shield himself from the horrors. We first see him digging graves for his fallen comrades, of which he is the last to survive. From there, his situation gets much worse. Shears adopts a mocking tone when confronting his superiors, parakeeting their catch phrases ("When you're done, there's always one more thing to do"; "Be happy in your work") to the point of ridiculing them. And even when he manages to escape the physical prison, he manages to get drawn back there against his will.
The prevailing madness of the film comes to a head in the end as Major Clipton, the camp's doctor and arguably the only character not afflicted by insanity up to this point (and probably my favourite character), has a Conrad-like epiphany. It's a moment that rivals Kurtz' "The horror! The horror!" from "Heart of Darkness" and "Kwai's" war-movie progeny "Apocalypse Now".
Even though many of its themes are psychological, it's no surprise why "Kwai" became both a popular and critical success. It has all the elements of a grand classic: an all-star cast, tight suspense, lush scenery, humour, drama, finely drawn characters, intense action, and well-scripted dialogue. And of course, there's the great whistling scene; nothing better than a bright melody to cut through the horrors of war. It's a charming little scene that both brings a smile to your face and warns of tough times ahead.
57 Top War Film
As war films go, this is the best. Thematically, it balances the bureaucracy and the reality of the military, showing the absurdity of it all. I remember when it first came out. "The Colonel Bogey" theme was EVERYWHERE. Everybody was whistling it. But, ironically, I don't think it made it's point to a lot of viewers. The musical theme became an anthem for the militaristic. They may have seen the film, but they didn't see the film. In my top 10. Must see on a clear day.
58 Don't hestitate! Limited Edition is the way to go!
What prompted me to buy this movie is the fact that it had won 7 Oscars and it was listed on the American Film Institute's #11 best movies of all time. There are two DVD versions in the market. The regular version and the limited edition. I opted for the latter despite the cost because if this is a "very good movie", I wanted to be treated with whatever was on that second DVD and I'm happy to say that this is one hell of a movie!
I don't think today's movies can do what was done on "The Bridge on the River Kwai". It's even hard to believe that this movie was made with a two million dollar budget. The movie is brilliant as it tackles two major storylines between two leaders Colonel Nicholson for the English and Colonel Saito for the Japanese. Two fanatics + another (the commando / British Major) who comes later in the story.
The movie was brilliantly done and for a movie that was made in 1957, the video was very nice and it's letterboxed and in digital 5.1. You can hear the insects and birds all around you.
After you are done with the movie, you are then treated with the nearly an hour documentary on the film which is filled with interesting tidbits such as the problems of making the film to learning how demanding the director was. Very interesting. Also, an appreciation of the film by John Milius (director of "Big Wednesday). The original B&W featurette, a short USC film narrated by William Holden, movie trailers for other movies by the Spiegel/Lean duo, cast information and more.
This is an awesome DVD. Highly recommended!
59 Fantastic!!!!
There is probably not a film of human drama that compares to this. If you haven't seen it, then you must...if you don't own it, you should. A film about stout hearts and courage, honor and especially pride, this is a must see!
60 The Bridge on the River Kwai - Limited Edition
I recently bought this DVD. It is outstanding, a disk every war movie buff will want to own. At first I was a little leary of the price, but it is well worth it. Besides being a fantastic copy of a first rate movie, the additional features on disk two make it a must have for fans of David Lean's work. For those who only know Alec Guiness as Obi Wan from Star Wars this will give you an entirely new appreciation for his work as well. Incidentally, for anyone undergoing POW resistance training (I've been through the US Air Force course) this movie presents an excellent study of the psychology of captive and captor and how even prisoners are not without power.
61 A Masterpiece From David Lean
Within the Conflict that was World War II, there were many more smaller, more personal conflicts which, when added up, made a significant impact on the outcome of the War; though trying to explain them, or war in general, is like attempting to decipher the indecipherable. In "The Bridge On the River Kwai," director David Lean takes you deep into the Burmese jungle to examine some of these deeper conflicts, and the effects of extraordinary circumstances on some ordinary men: British Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is a man of rigid principles and ideals, to whom acquiescence in any quarter is not an option; Japanese Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) lives by an inflexible code of conduct and is adamant in his adherence to it, through which he maintains his dignity and honor; American Navy Commander Shears (William Holden) just wants to make it through the war alive and get back home.
As an integral part of their war effort, the Japanese have ordered a strategic bridge to be built across the Kwai River to facilitate the transport of troops and equipment. This monumental task has been given to Saito, the commandant of an allied prisoners-of-war camp; and not only must he build it, it must be completed by a specific date. And time is short. Toward that end, Saito has pressed into service every prisoner, including officers, whom according to the Geneva Convention of 1864 (which established rules for the humane treatment of prisoners of war), are to be excluded from any manual labor. When a fresh contingent of British prisoners arrives to bolster his complement of workers, Saito finds himself up against a formidable opponent, Nicholson, who immediately informs Saito that his officers will not work, in accordance with the rules of the Geneva Convention. And it's the beginning of another war-- a war of wills-- between two men determined to win at any cost. To Saito, this is more than just another assignment, it's an obligation, and failure is not an option. If he does not succeed in having the bridge built-- and on time-- he will be forced to take his own life, in accordance with his own moral code. Nicholson, on the other hand, is unyielding to the point of madness, and will die before he accedes to Saito's demands.
Meanwhile Shears has managed by some miracle to escape and has made his way back to Ceylon. And he's home free-- after some recuperation time at Mount Lavinia Hospital, he'll be on his way back to the states. Or so he thinks. But unbeknownst to him, the British are aware of the bridge being built on the Kwai, and are planning a commando raid to destroy it. And Shears has something they need: First hand knowledge of the precise location, and of the jungle through which he made his miraculous escape. Subsequently, the Navy agrees to "loan" Shears to the British, to aid them with their mission. So instead of a ticket home, Shears is faced with another arduous trek through an uncompromising jungle, all for a mission of which the odds against success are nearly incalculable.
From the beginning of the film to it's spectacular climax, Lean builds and maintains a subtle tension that underscores the drama, which makes this a compelling, unforgettable motion picture. Lean is the Master of epic films such as this, filling them with sweeping visuals while integrating them with the emotional involvement of his characters perfectly. Lean knows what he wants and how to get it, and he takes a terrific story (and this definitely is one) and tells it by using every bit of space--visually and audibly-- at this disposal. And most importantly, he knows how to get the kind of performances from his actors to put it all across so convincingly and believably.
Alec Guinness deservedly received the Oscar for Best Actor for his role of Nicholson, whom he embodies from the inside out, disappearing so utterly into the character that the actor is forgotten, leaving nothing but the real man in his stead. It's a superlative piece of acting from one of the truly great actors of all times. Holden, as well, delivers an outstanding performance as Shears, capturing that somewhat embittered, off-handed sarcasm and resignation of a man trapped by circumstances beyond his control, who nevertheless does what he can to make the most of it, while awaiting the first opportunity for escape that affords itself. Holden's work here is Award-worthy, as well, but was destined to forever remain in the shadows of what is probably the definitive Guinness performance. And what a rare treat, having two performances of this caliber in a single film.
Other notable performances include Hayakawa, entirely convincing as the tormented Saito, and Jack Hawkins, as demolition expert Major Warden, the absolute personification of the undaunted British stiff-upper-lip.
The supporting cast includes James Donald (Clipton), Geoffrey Horne (Joyce), Percy Herbert (Grogan), Ann Sears (Nurse) and Andre Morell (Green). Beautifully filmed and expertly crafted and delivered, "The Bridge On the River Kwai" is one of David Lean's masterpieces. It's an emotionally involving, dramatic action/adventure that offers some real insight into the determination and tenacity of the human spirit. This film (especially the ending) is one you will never forget; a classic in every sense of the word, it exemplifies the magic of the movies.
62 In retort to Geoff Puterbaugh's review
I just read Geoff Puterbaugh's review and I must say; The man was obviosly taking part in other activities (possibly involving psychotropic substances)while watching this film (I hope for his sake he was, otherwise he has no excuse for such an opinion, unless of course he happens to be retarded). I am not going to go into detail about this film. There are better writers with similar opinions to mine who have written splended reviews. But this movie is an all time great. Giving it an OK review I would disagree with, but respect. Giving this film a bad review, and backing it up with an idiotic explanation forced me to write my one and only review. Alec Guiness states clearly that he is standing up for his principals not because he is lazy and does not want to do work, or because he finds himself above manual labor, but because you have to draw the line somewhere. He knows that if you give an inch to your enemy he will take a mile. That, I feel is his point.
63 One Of The Coolest Cases I've Ever Seen
The case that this DVD was put in is the same as the Lawrence Of Arabia set, and on top of that the extras are quite numerous. If you collect DVD's or even if you don't, this is one to pick up. As far as the movie goes...it just happesn to be one of the greatest ever. When somebody tells me that the Fight Club or Matrix DVD's are the best ones out there, I just show them this or the Lawrence Of Arabia sets and, if they know anything, they change their mind.
64 A Classic....
Hearing a lot of good things about this movie I decided to finally purchase it. It was very enjoyable and entertaining. The video transfer is excellent and the Dolby 5.1 surround was very good too. The extras include a new "making-of" and several old featurettes. It also has the usual trailers and cast and crew info. If you are a fan of this movie, I'd recommend this Limited Editon version that has very nice packaging and a lot of behing the scenes stuff. If you haven't seen it yet, rent it and give it a try.
65 Excellent insight into the minds of soldiers
It may be hard for some in today's "every man for himself" mentality to relate to the strong personal honor that underlies many characters in this movie. The central 'combat of wills' is between Saito, the Japanese ruler of a prison camp deep in asia, and Nicholson, who is a traditional multi-decade British soldier that has lived his entire adult life within the rules and structure of that system.
As a lover of feudal Japanese culture, I found it fascinating as Saito claimed the heritage of "Bushido" (the 'way of the warrior' of the samurai), yet had no problem using all prisoners as slave labor in order to save his own neck. Instead of following the Geneva Convention and treating the prisoners as the "rules" insisted, he bent them in order to not have to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) because the train bridge was not finished in time.
On the other hand, Nicholson refused to allow Saito to use his officers as laborers (although he didn't seem to mind his *men* being sent off to work the tracks) and goes into The Oven to suffer as a consequence. Later, when work is running behind, he even goes into the hospital and talks the sick men into helping out - risking their health and lives for the 'common good' of the railway (which in fact is helping his *enemy*).
I wish the movie were a bit longer, so we could go even deeper into the various characters. Each one has been molded by time and experience into a certain lifestyle, and each has doubts at time that he has chosen the correct path. A fascinating movie.
66 A Classic Film
I have to say, I have just read a review of the film by Geoff Puterbaugh. There is no word to describe it but insulting! This film is the perfect example of the British 'stiff upper lip' and the integrity of one commanding officer who would risk his own life in order to save the lives and spirit of his battallion, even under the brutality of the Japanese high command in Burma. The Geneva Convention didn't only ban officers from manual labour, it also dismissed any form of slave labour. This film gives insight into the harshness of the Japanese labour camps and the force a Japanese commanding officer is willing to use on Allied soldiers to save his own endangered life. This film is a stark reminder of the lengths a truly noble man will go to in order to save his men from becoming slaves to the Imperial forces. Guinness was superbly cast, and truly deserved the Oscar he won. (MAGGY SAID HE'S SOUND)!
This picture is a credit to anyone who served in the Allied forces in the Far East during WWII, and it is a credit to (the master) David Lean's brilliant filmography....
this film is a must buy.
67 This one doesn't hold up well with time (for me)
Alec Guinness heroically goes into solitary confinement to win breaks for his men? Nope! He goes to uphold the principle that officers should not be obliged to do manual labor!
When he finally drives home his silly point (surrounded by the wooden acting of William Holden and Hayakawa), he proceeds to unify his troops as an effective force building a magnificent bridge for the Japanese army to use against his own country!
To me, it sounded like "cocky and stupid" played twice over. What's to admire in doofus behavior such as this??
I hope you enjoy it more. I hope never to see it again.
68 Movie about the war of the souls
For someone who has never seen this movie, you may believe it is a movie about WWII. You could not be more wrong. This movie in my opinion is the battle of two hardcore souls who are worried more about their honor and prestige than the cause at hand. Read all the reviews that describe the storyline which I will not bore you with here. This movie is a rare movie that by the time you approach the climatic end you actually fully understand and feel for the main characters. Because of that the film's ending just simply blows you away. This film is a must see!!!!
69 Excellent classic film! Great transfer to DVD!
This DVD illustrates in great detail why this movie is considered one of the all-time greats. Even though the film is more than 40+ years old now, the quality of the film is greater than that of some recently produced movies. Since Kwai was filmed entirely on location (no Hollywood soundsets), the film has a high sense of realism. And, the analog-to-DVD transfer is superb. The audio and video quality are excellent, and many special features are included in the 2-disc set.
While Kwai is generally remembered for the bridge blowing scene, it is my opinion that the movie should instead be cited as an example of superb character development. William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins all have great roles and do a magnificent job. Particularly interesting is the conflicts which exist between Guinness' character and that of the Japanese commandant (played by Sessue Hayakawa).
You will not be disappointed by this film!
70 A Dream Special Edition
This limited edition with its extras is must for anyone who admires this truly great film. The documentary on the making of the film made for this limited edition is worth the price of this package. Filled with interviews of persons who worked on the film, it is a revelation of how this masterwork was made and why it is still admired by persons of all ages. The slide show of international posters for the film is superb and fun to watch. John Milius' analysis of the film is extremely perceptive.
And of course, you get the original film. The visual transfer is excellent, one of the best I've seen. A masterwork driven by the battle of wills of two all-too human men.
A must for any film buffs collection. Only "Grand Illusion" is better than "Kwai" and only "All Quiet On the Western Front" equals it on the "madness" of war.
71 David Lean's classic. The don't make 'em like this anymore.
There used to be a very special kind of movie. It was the one that seldom got beyond the story board, because of its cost, cast or complexity. But every once in a while, some brilliant producer would hook up with an equally brilliant director and they would figure out a way to make their vision a reality. If they were lucky, in the process they would produce a timeless classic. I can think of no better way to describe "The Bridge On The River Kwai".
This film is really quite remarkable, for its scope, its setting, its cast, and its story. It is sad in a way to think that movies such as this will likely never be made again, at least not with cameras as much as with computers. What you see in this film is as close as you will likely get to experiencing the lost art of movie-making, the way the best used to do it before the era of technology and the allure of its digital slight of hand. The editing of the film's final minutes is a study in and of itself of how brilliant David Lean could be in the cutting room and behind the camera. Alec Guinness gives an Oscar winning performance, with no scene better than his last in this film. To be able to watch this motion picture in its restored splendor, accompanied by a remarkably effective digital theater sound is quite a treat. I am always moved by this film, a result with which I am sure Sir David and Sir Alec would be well pleased.
72 One of the greatest movies of all time
It got 7 Oscars in 1957. It is based on a real story. The song glues to your mind. And the 2 set DVD has nice extras that add to your admiration of this title. It is not the state of the art in restoration terms, but it won't let you down, abolutely. The story is well above any scratch you might see. It makes the battle between two cultures greater than any battle on the war.
73 a bridge not to far
the bridge on the river kwai very! very! good flik good dvd picture transfer was prety good for a film made in the fiftes sound quality was fantstic comparded to the laserdisc copy not that it maters because he movie is top end cinima extras 3 out 5 but this aint a bugs life so buy it it wont let you down
74 3 Fanatics + 2 Stories + 1 Ending = WWII Pacific POW epic
Rated #11 on AFI's (American Film Institutes) 1998 top 100 movies of the last 100 years. This 1957 DVD Limited Edition (7 Oscar Winner including the BIG 3; Best Picture, Director - David Lean and Actor - Alec Guinness) World War II Japanese Prisoner Of War camp Classic remains one of the best psycological war movies made. (1953's "Stalag 17" a WWII German POW camp is the other. Ironically William Holden won a Best Actor Oscar).
The story is about 3 main fanatical characters; First is Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) the Japanese prison camp commander. Second is Colonel Nicolson (Alec Guinness) the English commander of the POW's (introduced by the now famous whistling tune, "Colonel Bogey's March"). Third is an English (demolition expert) Commando Major (Jack Hawkins) guided by an escape POW (William Holden) a reluctant, coerced sailor who's kismet is chosen for him. These 3 Soldiers and 1 Sailor have impossible missions to accomplish with all their fates focused at one common place at one specific time.
The 2 Stories are; One build "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in a very compressed time line. The Second is to destroy this same bridge. The stories have many twists and turns while the finale is surprisingly abrupt after a long complex journey.
This 1957 wide screen classic is beautifully restored and plays very well even without all the special digital effects of today. The realism is so vivid. Seen phyically on the POW's and soldiers bodies and faces. The Dolby 5.1 puts you in the thick of the jungle with an eerie feeling. A frighteningly close environment, dense, with very little visibility but the sound is 360 degrees. Only these sounds to cue your imagination and senses.
As always with a DVD 2 pack there is an abundance of background information about the movie. A nice collectors package.
75 Limited edition DVD review
A very long film by modern standards that could have been cut down in the long marching through the jungle scenes, none-the-less, a classic film. The DVD is a good restoration of such an old film. However there are a lot of floating hairs particularly in the opening and ending scenes. A few places the picture jumped like you were watching the movie on a reel film that misaligned for a few cells. Thankfully this only happened twice for a short period during most of the film. The sound was adequate. Overall th
