"Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!"

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2007)

Nobody could craft an epic film better than David Lean, as I learned earlier this year when I watched the magnificent 'Lawrence of Arabia' for the first time. Though he had achieved earlier success with such films as 'Brief Encounter (1945)' and 'Great Expectations (1946),' 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' was the first of Lean's multi-million dollar wide-screen spectaculars, for which he is now most fondly remembered. Shot on location in the jungles of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the film concerns the building of a railway bridge by Allied prisoners-of-war during World War Two. As it becomes less and less likely that the bridge will be constructed before the deadline, conflict escalates between the proud British leader, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) and hot-tempered Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). The film proved very successful at the 1958 Oscars, taking home seven awards (including Best Picture) from eight nominations.
Whilst William Holden's cynical, hard-edged American was likely considered the main star attraction, the film's most memorable character  and, indeed, one of the greatest in cinema history  is Alec Guiness' Col. Nicholson. The embodiment of British courage and dedication, Nicholson finds himself in a battle of wills with the ruthless Col. Saito, who, despite representing the enemy, nonetheless exhibits many of the same qualities: egotistical pride, obstinacy and unwillingness to compromise. For Col. Nicholson, the construction of the railway bridge becomes something of an obsession, its completion symbolic of "Western methods and efficiency that will put {the Japanese} to shame" and the culmination of his 28 years in the military. When he uncovers the plot to destroy the bridge, Nicholson betrays his fellow countrymen to the Japanese, his narcissistic pride in the landmark prompting him to neglect his sworn duty to Britain.
I'd like to take some time to consider the film's climax, undoubtedly one of the most awe-inspiring cinema spectacles of all time. I had initially anticipated that, after the intricate task of planting the explosives overnight, the detonation of the bridge would be a rather straightforward task. However, David Lean weaves so much action and suspense into the finale that the closing credits left me reeling. As the distant rumble of a train announces its impending arrival, Col. Nicholson notices that the reduction in river-level has exposed the wires connecting the explosives to the detonator. Not yet comprehending the situation, he summons Col. Saito and they both descend to the riverside to investigate. Once his fears are confirmed, Nicholson  to his subsequent dismay  attempts to thwart his army's attempt to destroy the enemy bridge, and both Lt. Joyce (Geoffrey Horne) and Cmdr. Shears (William Holden) are fatally shot.
Interestingly, there have been suggestions that Maj. Warden (Jack Hawkins) fired the lethal shots at his own comrades, abandoning the mission objective in an attempt to prevent their live capture by the merciless Japanese. Whilst this isn't explicitly shown in the film itself, it reportedly corresponds with Pierre Boulle's original novel (in which, notably, the bridge is not destroyed) and would certainly explain why, afterwards, Warden tries to rationalise his actions: "I had to do it. I had to do it. They might have been captured alive. It was the only thing to do." Alternatively, Warden didn't shoot them, but is attempting to justify his use of the mortars, which basically obliterated any slim remaining chances on their survival. Meanwhile, Nicholson, struck by shrapnel from a mortar attack, crumbles hopelessly onto the detonator (either intentionally or inadvertently) just as the train begins to cross the river. The actual collapse of the $250,000 bridge, a shot which owes a lot to Buster Keaton and 'The General (1927)', is an amazing spectacle, and Maj. Clipton (James Donald) sums up the entire climax - and war in general - with his horrified exclamation of "Madness! Madness!"