A beautiful bridge

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2011)

IMDb Top 250: 83 I found myself in the possession of three films after Christmas this year: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago. These are all David Lean films, and so I decided to start my David Lean unit with the first of those films, the 7- Oscar winning "Bridge on the River Kwai". And oh my, what a start it was.
'Kwai' is a World War II film made 12 years after the war concluded. The film centers around the titular Bridge, and how British POWs build it under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson, and how a small group of Allied commandos try to destroy it. It's a grand idea for a plot, about the conflict of ideas and lack of communication.
The film is loosely broken into three acts. The first act follows Nicholson's standoff with the Japanese commanding officer in the POW camp about the rules of war, and the subsequent building of the bridge under two different leaderships. The second act is about a small group of Allies who venture into the jungle to destroy the bridge, and their encounters in the wild. The final act concludes the story of the two camps in a magnificent way.
An interesting angle of the film is that despite being a war film, there is little violence, and no swearing. All of the action that does happen is necessary, something that has influenced even modern films like 'Drive'. Both plots could have inserted extra action but didn't, and this restraint makes good movies into great movies. The Bridge on the River Kwai is about the people of war as much as their actions.
A product of this decision is that the first act could be considered slow. There is lots of standing, lots of talking, and lots of stubbornness. But by the end a viewer realizes how necessary it is. In 'The Good, the Bad & the Ugly', there is an extended sequence where the bad guy forces Clint Eastwood to walk through the desert, and for a while, very little happens. This scene could've been over quicker, but that would have defeated the point that Clint breaks down. That is an idea from 'Kwai'. A month goes by as the leaders verbally, and silently, duke it out with their ideals. The slow first act is necessary to emotionally invest in the scenario, and the film just gets better from there.
My summary of the film is 'a beautiful bridge'. The first half of this statement is beautiful, and it perfectly describes the visual aspect of the film. The cinematography is sublime. Sweeping jungle vistas, fauna, rushing rivers and more make simply seeing 'Kwai' a treat. I was lucky enough to get it on Blu Ray, and for an old film it looks fantastic. The bats in a certain river scene are absolutely breathtaking. You can simulate a lot in Hollywood, but this is an outstanding example of shooting on location in the jungles of what is now Sri Lanka.
But there's more than just looking at the film, the substance is even greater, starting with the actors. They are excellent. Alec Guinness, in his award winning performance, is the British general who we are so conflicted about. His decisions are both completely correct and absolutely wrong. He is an idealist, valuing discipline and honour above his duty as an Allied leader. His decisions beg to ask the question, "What would you do?" Nicholson is a layered character performed perfectly.
Colonel Saito is the commander of the Japanese at the camp, and is the primary... antagonist. His stance is portrayed ruthlessly and effectively. He and Nicholson butt heads, but are two sides of the same coin. They have an excellent dynamic, and their relationship is worth studying for its complexity.
Away from the clash of leaders is Shears, an American played by William Holden. In this film where ego reigns supreme, Shears is the realistic, reasonable, and wiseass one. He's the character who says, "What's the matter with all of you guys?" He's is well played and has the best line in the film: "You..." The casting is just excellent overall.
The second part of my summary is 'bridge'. Despite the obvious reason, 'Kwai' is a bridge between the old era of film and the new. Scenes with lots of talking, like the discussion about escape, are old fashioned, very 50's. But others, like the trek through the jungle and the ending, are far ahead of their time. The stealthy hunt for the Japanese soldier and the whole visual aspect of that scene is certainly influential on another war epic, Apocalypse Now. In general, The Bridge on the River Kwai is ahead of its time.
As I've said, the film gets better and better, culminating in the extraordinary ending. It is one of the best scenes in film and leaves much to discuss. A common statement from the Warden, the explosives-happy commando is to expect the unexpected. The event that makes the last scene unexpected is so obviously a factor but so easily overlooked, you'll gasp. Words to describe the climatic scene include explosive, awesome, shaking, and epic. And then you'll think. What did Warden mean? What did Shears mean? What did Nicholson mean? Did he do what he did on purpose? You can have a great discussion about those actions. And then to end it all, the realistic doctor saying "Madness! Madness!" And then zooming out, to admire the jungle... an amazing shot.
'Kwai' is a thinking film. You can wonder how you would do in that situation. The film also touches on the waste of war, honour and pride, and also the role of the young in battle. It's stupendous, a landmark film. 9.4/10