A clash of wills, principles, and egos amidst the madness of war...

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2009)

British Army Colonel, captured along with his regimen by the Japanese on the island of Burma in 1943, refuses to abandon the rules of his government and build a railroad bridge across the Kwai river according to the plans of his mercurial Japanese counterpart, Colonel Saito. Saito, under orders from his superiors to have the bridge completed by a certain date, eventually yields to the Britisher's demands and construction gets under way, but a POW escapee from the American Navy has been recruited by British officials in nearby Ceylon to return to Burma and blow the bridge up. Complex clash of personalities, with Best Actor Oscar Winner Alec Guinness nimbly helping us to understand his character's motivations (he not only engineers the building of the bridge to aid the enemy, but helps construct a masterpiece--while underlings wonder if perhaps a temporary structure might have sufficed). To be engrossed by this Best Picture Academy Award winner is to eventually sympathize with Guinness' Colonel Nicholson, who figures it's better to build something worthwhile and long-lasting (even as a prisoner) than to do a sloppy job. David Lean (winner for Best Director) does some of his liveliest work behind the camera; opening the film carefully, like a good novel, he lays all these difficult, stubborn warriors on the table and allows us to get close to each one. That said, the big climactic finish--while suspenseful--is ultimately a let-down. Lean's staging is sufficient...perhaps the editing is at fault? Throwing out the people we've come to know so intimately for the sake of rousing visual action leaves a sour taste behind. Yes, it is the madness of war to finish with no winners, only losers; however, the way it plays out here feels half-hearted, and a line of dialogue from Jack Hawkins' Major Warden adds a curious layer of dissatisfaction and confusion. Pierre Boulle was also awarded an Oscar for adapting his own novel (he was fronting for blacklisted screenwriters Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson); Jack Hildyard won for his cinematography, Malcolm Arnold for his commanding music, and Peter Taylor for his (rather spotty) editing. *** from ****