In a Japanese internment camp in WWII Burma, Colonel
Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness) on orders by Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa)
leads his men on the construction on The
Bridge on the River Kwai. After initial attempts to sabotage its
construction, Nicholson has a change of heart when he discovers that Saito will
have to kill himself out of shame if the bridge fails. Nicholson and his men
then decide to build the best bridge possible as a monument to British pride
and decency. Meanwhile, injured American Shears (William Holden) is reluctantly
redeployed back to the camp after a harrowing escape on a simultaneous mission
to destroy the bridge.
Very few films can convey the futility and silliness of war
better than The Bridge on the River Kwai.
When the film is over, there are no winners or losers, only the painful
memories of the living and the lost lives of the dead. It’s been years since I’ve seen this film and I really enjoyed
revisiting it. The beginning portion with the rebellion and imprisoning of
Nicholson seems like the blueprint for Cool
Hand Luke until the film takes a turn in the second half and becomes much
more than a “fight the power” film. The acting, cinematography and music were all top notch, and
there are many moments in the film that stick with you long after the credits
have rolled. Even if you already know how it’s going to end, the final 30
minutes are very powerful and suspenseful. Director David Lean would have more
Best Picture winners and historical dramas of greater length and scope, but he
would rarely again achieve the focused punch of this film.
This was such a good movie. It starts out with slightly funny and gets more and more serious until the nail-biting climax! I was on the edge of our couch! It was great. It was fun to see Alec Guinness as something other than Obi-Wan Kenobi. I kept wanting him to whip out a lightsaber and fricken own Saito, The Japanese Colonel! Even though Saito and Obi-Wan end up having respect for each other near the end, "All's fair in love and war." This movie will leave you humming this song:
Some of you might be like... what?? I know this song but I haven't even seen this movie...
From The Parent Trap 1:37 minutes into the clip. I had to use a clip from the original movie because seeing Lindsey Lohan as a cutie is just depressing. Come on Lindsey, step away from Charlie Sheen, put the crack pipe down, decline from the Herbie: The Love Bug trilogy and go back to performing in some decent films.
The elephants employed in helping build the bridge would take breaks every 4 hours and lie around in the water - whether the crew wanted them to or not.
Colonel Saito: Be happy in your work.
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