The Bridge on the River Kwai

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2006)

From Oscar winning and Golden Globe nominated director David Lean (Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago), the leading British actor and the ending are what most people remember best about this film, I'm glad I got a proper opinion on it watching it again. Basically, set during World War II, British POWs (Prisoners of War) have arrived at a Japanese prison camp in Burma. Commander of the camp, Colonel Saito (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Sessue Hayakawa) informs all prisoners that, regardless of rank, are to work on the construction of a railway bridge over the River Kwai that will connect Bangkok and Rangoon. The senior British officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Sir Alec Guinness) informs Saito that the Geneva Conventions state that captured officers are exempt from manual labour. Nicholson orders his officers to remain behind. Nicholson also forbids anyone from attempting to escape as survival in the surrounding jungles and other areas is considered unlikely. Saito threatens to have them shot, but Nicholson refuses to back down. British medical officer Major Clipton (James Donald) warns Saito there are too many witnesses for him to get away with murder. Saito punishes all the officers by forcing them to stand all day in the intense heat. That evening, the officers are placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is locked in an iron box. Meanwhile, three prisoners attempt to escape. Two of them are shot dead, but United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Shears (William Holden) manages to get away, although he is wounded. He wanders half-dead into a Siamese village, where he is nursed back to health before completing his escape downstream and eventually to the British colony of Ceylon. Meanwhile, the prisoners start work on the bridge, but do as little as possible and sabotage whatever they can. Saito has a deadline to meet and would be obliged to commit ritual suicide if it is not completed. Desperate, Saito finds an excuse to save face and announces a general amnesty, releasing Nicholson and his officers and exempting them from manual labour. After recovering, Nicholson inspects the work of the men, and is shocked by the poor job they have done. It is also clear the Japanese engineers have chosen a poor site, a part of the river with an unsteady bottomless surface. Nicholson believes they can do a much more professional job and is sure the bridge will later be used to transport troops and medical supplies. Despite protests from some of the men, the original construction is abandoned, and they begin to build a new bridge further downstream. Meanwhile, Shears is enjoying his stay in the hospital in Ceylon, when British Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) invites him to join a mission to destroy the bridge before it can be used by Japanese forces. Shears is so appalled he confesses he is not an officer; he impersonated one, expecting better treatment from the Japanese. Warden responds that he already knew and that the American Navy want him to join them to avoid embarrassment. Realising he has no choice, Shears "volunteers". Meanwhile, Nicholson drives his men hard to complete the bridge on time. He believes the construction is maintaining morale, and the completion of the bridge will exemplify the ingenuity and hard work of the British Army long after the war's end. The Japanese officers pitch in as well. Nicholson erects a sign commemorating the bridge's construction by the British Army. The commandos parachute in, one is killed, but Warden, Shears, and Canadian Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne) reach the River Kwai in time with the assistance of Siamese women and their village chief, Khun Yai (M.R.B. Chakrabandhu). During the night, while the British and Japanese officers celebrate the completion of the bridge, Shears and Joyce plant explosives beneath the bridge under the water line. A train carrying important dignitaries and soldiers is scheduled to be the first to cross the bridge the following day, Warden waits to destroy both. However, the next morning, the water level has dropped, exposing the wire connecting the explosives to the detonator. Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. Nicholson and Saito hurry down to the riverbank to investigate as the train approaches. Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. Nicholson yells for help, while attempting to stop Joyce from reaching the detonator. When Joyce is shot by Japanese fire, Shears swims across the river, but he shot himself. Recognising the dying Shears, Nicholson comes to his sense and exclaims, "What have I done?" As Nicholson runs towards the detonator, Warden fires a mortar, wounding the colonel. The dazed and wounded Nicholson stumbles towards the detonator, he dies and collapses on the plunger, just in time to blow up the bridge and send the train hurtling into the river below. Witnessing the carnage, Clipton shakes his head and says, "Madness! ... Madness!" Also starring André Morell as Colonel Green, Peter Williams as Captain Reeves, John Boxer as Major Hughes and Percy Herbert as Grogan. Guinness absolutely stands out with his superb performance as the very English, dignified, and patriotic colonel, Hayakawa is also memorable as the Japanese commander, and Lean deserved the Oscar for his direction. It is an interesting story, it has splendid locations and scenery, it is well written and well-acted, and the conclusion is one of the most iconic sequences in film, it is a little long, at 2 hours 40 minutes, but a fantastic war drama. It won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Music Score for Malcolm Arnold, it won the BAFTAs for Best British Film, Best Film from any Source, and Best British Screenplay, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Sir Alec Guinness was number 12 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, he was number 2 on Britain's Finest Actors, and he was number 11 on The World's Greatest Actor, the film was number 58 on 100 Years, 100 Thrills, it was number 14 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, it was number 33 on The Ultimate Film, and it was number 10 on The 100 Greatest War Films. Very good!