On B List of Movie Reviews
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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
4/03, 11/03, 12/04, 6/24
6/24:
"Madness. Madness!"
The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the best war movies ever made. What's nice is the straightforward story: build
a bridge for the enemy and blow it up before it's put to use. Of course, Colonel Nicholson's actions are treasonous. He
should've been killed by his own men.
Although there's a point to making the most out of the situation by giving his men something to do, it's still a stupid thing
to do. That's why Major Clipton (James Donald) is the representative for the audience. Historically speaking, the soldiers are
treated far too leniently in the film compared to what happened during the building of the Burma Railway. By the way,
it's too bad about William Holden's character. He really had no motivation to go back, and it ended up costing his life.
The performances are outstanding. Alex Guinness won the Oscar for Best Actor. As Colonel Saito, Sessue Hayakawa was nominated,
but I have to say William Holden deserved it more. Jack Hawkins does his part well. The whole thing was shot on location in
Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) as a stand-in for Burma (present-day Myanmar).
All in all, The Bridge on the River Kwai is a unique motion picture.