David Lean's best work since Lawrence of Arabia

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2013)

I've made a list of the top 10 favorite movies that I would to watch over and over again. These 10 movies will forever be near my heart and always influenced me to be a movie director in the future. The Bridge on the River Kwai is definitely one of the top 10 favorite films on my list. Of course, I also enjoyed and love other great movies as well. Other movies included on the my list are: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Bullitt, The Terminator, Thief, Lethal Weapon, The Wild Bunch and Alien. The Bridge on the River Kwai is also included. The movie is set in Burma during World War II. The year is 1943, and British POW's are being held up in Japanese war camps. One of those British POW's is Colonel Nicholson, played by Alec Guinness, who won an Academy Award for his role in this movie. Nicholson and his fellow men are assigned to build a bridge that will be used for a railway that will go through the Burmese jungle. Meanwhile, another POW, an American, played by William Holden, plans to blow up the bridge and sets off into the jungle to escape from the camp. Eventually, Holden and his recruits are all rounded to destroyed what is being constructed. David Lean is a cinematic master. His work is eye-popping and very vivid to look at. However, he is not one of my favorite directors. But, what I like about this movie is the way he tells the story. Some people may called it a war movie. But, others, like myself, would say that this movie is both a war movie, but most importantly, a war movie about individuals. So many war movies reflect on the pain of war. A lot of them reflect on the horrors of war itself. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a war movie about people. The people in this movie are devoted to be put into a plot that involves having to struggle and survive this snaring scenario. As we watch Bridge on the River Kwai, we are reminded that the two leading characters are different men coming from different backgrounds. One is honorable, but arrogant among his men. The other is not honorable and damaging, perhaps. These two men are stuck in a story where the only thing that stands in their way is a bridge. As a matter of fact, the bridge also plays a significant role in the movie. The bridge is a mark of the Japanese colonel, who assigned Nicholson to build the bridge. The Bridge on the River Kwai won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture. I like it a lot. Much of it is based on the story, direction and characters. I like when movies break new ground with their original stories. It's films like this one that reminds us how much we love movies. David Lean should be proud of making this movie, since it struggled through a troubled production. An excellent movie for the generation of film-makers. ★★★★ 4 stars.