Rather excellent - well deserved place in the Top 50

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2002)

I caught this movie over the Christmas period and am very glad that I did - it's actually very good and I'd firmly recommend it. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" has a nice and simple plot - British POWs, caught in Japan in WWII are forced to build a bridge (over the Kwai river) while one escaped member brings back information about the plans of the bridge. The film doesn't rush itself to tell its story clocking in - as it does - at 161 minutes. It instead takes a nice, leisurely but never boring pace.
The acting here is excellent. It's quite unsurprising to see that Alec Guinness earned himself an Oscar for his portrayal of Colonel Nicholson. It's a show of great writing and acting that this character - who initially seems overly stubborn grows in the viewer's eyes to become a man whom we have an enormous amount of respect. The dynamic relationship with his captor Saito (Sessue Hayawka - who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor) is brilliant and both characters have a dimension sorely lacking in many movies. The rest of the cast - including the contingent sent to destroy the bridge - similarly are fleshed out ably by a terrific script adapted from Pierre Boulle's book.
David Lean directed "Lawrence of Arabia" and his ability to do epics can be seen firmly in this earlier work. The eponymous bridge is beautifully framed throughout the movie and - it being a real bridge - we're always convinced of the sheer size of the task involved, which is highly important since the movie revolves around the various character's reactions to the bridge (and the natural metaphors that arise from a bridge). Everything looks beautiful and crisp - from the jungle to the camp to the whole Kwai river and naturally Lean easily deserved the Oscar for Best Director for his work here.
The film throughout moved fluidly along right up to the sharp, hard hitting ending. There is a great tale in this movie and - for once - something to think about. Everything about the production is polished and it's no wonder it got itself Best Picture at the Oscar ceremony. Firmly one to recommend I'd pitch it at - for myself - a well above average 8.5/10