Not your typical war movie...

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2008)

Here war is just a backdrop to tell the story of how far one will go to maintain their sense of humanity amidst horrific conditions within a Japanese prisoner of war camp. For the soldiers of the British army, that means maintaining their regimental ways even IN the Japanese custody. While they come across as naive in their ways, they do endear themselves to the audience with this naiveté. Sir Alec Guiness (yes Obi wan Kenobi) is the shining star of the film despite the top billing of William Holden and Jack Hawkins; they were more familiar names to American audiences at the time. Here he's almost an immovable rock, upon which rest the hopes and dignity of the entire corps of soldiers he commands. His interactions with Sessue Hayakawa who portrays the initially ruthless taskmaster-like commander of the prison camp, brings a humanity to the often times tiring representation of the Japanese soldier as soulless monsters.