The madness of war and of the men who wage it

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 1999)

One of my Top Ten films. This film was remarkable in 1957 because it followed a long line of "war movies" after World War 2 which glorified war and the soldiers who fought. This film displays the absurdity of war, and the corresponding absurdities of humanity, and toys with the notion that the two are firmly linked. Many may compare it to the more recent Saving Private Ryan, but the two films have completely different lessons. Bridge is about the absurdity of war and the irrationality of those who fight, whereas Ryan is about the way in which brave men deal with the horrors of war, and the debt owed by all of us for their sacrifice.
This film shares many of the same undercurrents as another one of my personal Top Ten motion pictures, Planet of the Apes (1968). I was surprised to recently learn that both films are based on novels by the same French writer, Pierre Boulle. The screenplay for Planet of the Apes was written by Rod Serling (TV's Twilight Zone) and bears his unique style. If you have not seen either of these films, and like films that make you think, watch Bridge first, then Planet, and note the similarities.