Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Film
Review: I have to say, I have just read a review of the film by Geoff Puterbaugh. There is no word to describe it but insulting! This film is the perfect example of the British 'stiff upper lip' and the integrity of one commanding officer who would risk his own life in order to save the lives and spirit of his battallion, even under the brutality of the Japanese high command in Burma. The Geneva Convention didn't only ban officers from manual labour, it also dismissed any form of slave labour. This film gives insight into the harshness of the Japanese labour camps and the force a Japanese commanding officer is willing to use on Allied soldiers to save his own endangered life. This film is a stark reminder of the lengths a truly noble man will go to in order to save his men from becoming slaves to the Imperial forces. Guinness was superbly cast, and truly deserved the Oscar he won. (MAGGY SAID HE'S SOUND)! This picture is a credit to anyone who served in the Allied forces in the Far East during WWII, and it is a credit to (the master) David Lean's brilliant filmography.... this film is a must buy.
Rating: 
Summary: This one doesn't hold up well with time (for me)
Review: Alec Guinness heroically goes into solitary confinement to win breaks for his men? Nope! He goes to uphold the principle that officers should not be obliged to do manual labor! When he finally drives home his silly point (surrounded by the wooden acting of William Holden and Hayakawa), he proceeds to unify his troops as an effective force building a magnificent bridge for the Japanese army to use against his own country! To me, it sounded like "cocky and stupid" played twice over. What's to admire in doofus behavior such as this?? I hope you enjoy it more. I hope never to see it again.
Rating:
Summary: Movie about the war of the souls
Review: For someone who has never seen this movie, you may believe it is a movie about WWII. You could not be more wrong. This movie in my opinion is the battle of two hardcore souls who are worried more about their honor and prestige than the cause at hand. Read all the reviews that describe the storyline which I will not bore you with here. This movie is a rare movie that by the time you approach the climatic end you actually fully understand and feel for the main characters. Because of that the film's ending just simply blows you away. This film is a must see!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent classic film! Great transfer to DVD!
Review: This DVD illustrates in great detail why this movie is considered one of the all-time greats. Even though the film is more than 40+ years old now, the quality of the film is greater than that of some recently produced movies. Since Kwai was filmed entirely on location (no Hollywood soundsets), the film has a high sense of realism. And, the analog-to-DVD transfer is superb. The audio and video quality are excellent, and many special features are included in the 2-disc set. While Kwai is generally remembered for the bridge blowing scene, it is my opinion that the movie should instead be cited as an example of superb character development. William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins all have great roles and do a magnificent job. Particularly interesting is the conflicts which exist between Guinness' character and that of the Japanese commandant (played by Sessue Hayakawa). You will not be disappointed by this film!
Rating:
Summary: A Dream Special Edition
Review: This limited edition with its extras is must for anyone who admires this truly great film. The documentary on the making of the film made for this limited edition is worth the price of this package. Filled with interviews of persons who worked on the film, it is a revelation of how this masterwork was made and why it is still admired by persons of all ages. The slide show of international posters for the film is superb and fun to watch. John Milius' analysis of the film is extremely perceptive. And of course, you get the original film. The visual transfer is excellent, one of the best I've seen. A masterwork driven by the battle of wills of two all-too human men. A must for any film buffs collection. Only "Grand Illusion" is better than "Kwai" and only "All Quiet On the Western Front" equals it on the "madness" of war.
Rating:
Summary: David Lean's classic. The don't make 'em like this anymore.
Review: There used to be a very special kind of movie. It was the one that seldom got beyond the story board, because of its cost, cast or complexity. But every once in a while, some brilliant producer would hook up with an equally brilliant director and they would figure out a way to make their vision a reality. If they were lucky, in the process they would produce a timeless classic. I can think of no better way to describe "The Bridge On The River Kwai". This film is really quite remarkable, for its scope, its setting, its cast, and its story. It is sad in a way to think that movies such as this will likely never be made again, at least not with cameras as much as with computers. What you see in this film is as close as you will likely get to experiencing the lost art of movie-making, the way the best used to do it before the era of technology and the allure of its digital slight of hand. The editing of the film's final minutes is a study in and of itself of how brilliant David Lean could be in the cutting room and behind the camera. Alec Guinness gives an Oscar winning performance, with no scene better than his last in this film. To be able to watch this motion picture in its restored splendor, accompanied by a remarkably effective digital theater sound is quite a treat. I am always moved by this film, a result with which I am sure Sir David and Sir Alec would be well pleased.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest movies of all time
Review: It got 7 Oscars in 1957. It is based on a real story. The song glues to your mind. And the 2 set DVD has nice extras that add to your admiration of this title. It is not the state of the art in restoration terms, but it won't let you down, abolutely. The story is well above any scratch you might see. It makes the battle between two cultures greater than any battle on the war.
Rating: 
Summary: a bridge not to far
Review: the bridge on the river kwai very! very! good flik good dvd picture transfer was prety good for a film made in the fiftes sound quality was fantstic comparded to the laserdisc copy not that it maters because he movie is top end cinima extras 3 out 5 but this aint a bugs life so buy it it wont let you down
Rating:
Summary: 3 Fanatics + 2 Stories + 1 Ending = WWII Pacific POW epic
Review: Rated #11 on AFI's (American Film Institutes) 1998 top 100 movies of the last 100 years. This 1957 DVD Limited Edition (7 Oscar Winner including the BIG 3; Best Picture, Director - David Lean and Actor - Alec Guinness) World War II Japanese Prisoner Of War camp Classic remains one of the best psycological war movies made. (1953's "Stalag 17" a WWII German POW camp is the other. Ironically William Holden won a Best Actor Oscar). The story is about 3 main fanatical characters; First is Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) the Japanese prison camp commander. Second is Colonel Nicolson (Alec Guinness) the English commander of the POW's (introduced by the now famous whistling tune, "Colonel Bogey's March"). Third is an English (demolition expert) Commando Major (Jack Hawkins) guided by an escape POW (William Holden) a reluctant, coerced sailor who's kismet is chosen for him. These 3 Soldiers and 1 Sailor have impossible missions to accomplish with all their fates focused at one common place at one specific time. The 2 Stories are; One build "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in a very compressed time line. The Second is to destroy this same bridge. The stories have many twists and turns while the finale is surprisingly abrupt after a long complex journey. This 1957 wide screen classic is beautifully restored and plays very well even without all the special digital effects of today. The realism is so vivid. Seen phyically on the POW's and soldiers bodies and faces. The Dolby 5.1 puts you in the thick of the jungle with an eerie feeling. A frighteningly close environment, dense, with very little visibility but the sound is 360 degrees. Only these sounds to cue your imagination and senses. As always with a DVD 2 pack there is an abundance of background information about the movie. A nice collectors package.
Rating:
Summary: Limited edition DVD review
Review: A very long film by modern standards that could have been cut down in the long marching through the jungle scenes, none-the-less, a classic film. The DVD is a good restoration of such an old film. However there are a lot of floating hairs particularly in the opening and ending scenes. A few places the picture jumped like you were watching the movie on a reel film that misaligned for a few cells. Thankfully this only happened twice for a short period during most of the film. The sound was adequate. Overall the restoration could have been better. I've seen better in films almost as old. The DVD special features were okay. The best was a documentary produced in 2000 that is very good. This special feature alone makes this set of DVD's worth it. It has good interviews with many of the crew who worked on this film. It runs about an hour and is very interesting. None of the cast was interviewed. Most of them are no longer living. The original featurette produced in the 60's was moderately interesting. It sounds like the same guy that did the Twilight Zone voice-overs narrated it. It views more like an extended trailer. The best information is given in the newer documentary. The 'USC Short Film Narrated by William Holden' looks to be a film produced in the 60's to show film students how to watch and evaluate a film. The only reason this seems to be included is that it uses 'The Bridge Over the River Kwai' as an example of how to watch a film. Interesting in a funny sort-of-way, but probably you would watch it once then never again. An Appreciation and Discussion by Filmmaker John Milius was the most annoying of the special features. It consists of mostly this guy Milius stating why he thought the movie was a classic. I kept thinking who is this guy and why do I care why he liked the movie? Most of his comments about the film were very inane. Thankfully it runs only about 8 minutes. The photo gallery was done in an interesting way. It runs through automatically with the music of the film. However, the posters shown are all very similar and after about 5 minutes I became bored. It runs about 8 minutes. Finally trailers for the film as well as for Guns of Navarone, Lawrence of Arabia, Fail Safe and a couple other that slip my mind are included. The trailer for Fail Safe is very funny in a historical perspective way. Overall the DVDs are a good value for the film, the exclusive documentary, and the trailer of Fail Safe. If I knew of a better film restoration of the movie I would get it, but I don't think a better restoration will be forthcoming.
| 
