Entertaining and beautiful, but some real issues with tone and the portrayal

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2019)

Highlights:

Cinematography. Fantastic jungle scenes. The massive flock of birds scattering during a surprise encounter with the enemy was my favorite.

Dramatic climax. You have to suspend disbelief a bit, but it's gripping, suspenseful, and well-told.

Alec Guinness. Brilliant character, brilliant acting. His scene walking stiffly out of the hot box is fantastic.

The theme of maniacal devotion to duty blinding one to what's right. Obviously in Guinness's character, and in a minor key, the leader of the commando force (Jack Hawkins).

The whistling of the 'Colonel Bogey March.' A little crazy, but catchy. Also perfectly symbolic of the above two items.

Sessue Hayakawa. Just seeing the legend at age 71 was great and he has some nice early scenes, but it's too bad his character was so limited (part of the lowlights).

The context. It sits at an interesting crossroads between highly patriotic work of the 1940's, and deeper satire of military madness (e.g. Catch-22) and the disillusionment of the 1960's. Aside from the leaders being a bit off-kilter, one young solider says "I suppose I find it hard to kid myself that killing isn't a crime," and it's clear the escaped American (William Holden) wants no part of further battle.

Lowlights:

Treatment of the Japanese. They're shown as incompetent at building bridges, and weak at controlling the prisoners. It's remarkable how little the Japanese are present in the film. Also remarkable is how much control the British commander has in his interactions with them, and in just strolling around. In one scene, Hayakawa privately weeps in frustration. These things are simply ludicrous and seem to me to stem from feelings of racial superiority.

Overall lightness of tone. After the opening scenes it's almost a cartoon, and I think it did the real-life POW's and civilians who worked under horrific conditions a real disservice.

William Holden's character. He's the cool American who enjoys seeing a woman after escaping, hanging out in loafers, and acting in ways that are decidedly un-military. On the trek through the jungle on the daring mission, he's soaped and shampooed in a natural pool by a lovely young Thai woman, one of several who are (of course!) helping carry the gear. It's ridiculous.