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Summary: My Favorite Film
Review: This is my favorite film of all time. I've seen it many, many times but could see it again at the drop of a hat. It is flawlessly made technically (as you would expect from perfectionist Lean). But there's an underlying question here that I've never quite figured out and maybe that's why I keep coming back to it. The question has to do with Colonel Nicholson's motives. Why didn't he realize until the very end ("What have I done?") that he was helping the enemy? Alec Guinness thought he was insane. I'm left wondering if the film's point is that making war is at odds with the natural inclinations of the human spirit. This is one of the few films that I can call "must-see".
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Summary: Great war film by genius David Lean!
Review: Quite simply, this is the greatest war film ever made! Wonderful cinematography, screenplay and acting. Alec Guinness gives a star making performance! He will be missed by many who appreciate his work!
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Summary: Guiness in the Pacific
Review: An interesting film about a group of British soldiers that had been captured during the Pacific Campaign in World War Two. The British commanded by Colonel Bogey, played by Alec Guiness ( An amazing performance I might add) try to defy the rule of the Japaneese commodant who commands the prison camp. The Japaneese order the prisoners to construct a bridge over the river Kwai to provide troop transport for the Imperial Japaneese Army. Bogy refuses, and a large fued ignites. All in all, a wonderful film, but it does not hold for as long as intended.
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Summary: Tremendous War Film
Review: One of the best films ever made. Very few war films before or since that have come close to River Kwai. Kwai was one of the first films to show war in a negative view. I would not go as far as saying the film was anti-war, it was more realistic about what war does to men then other films of its day. Alec Guinness gives a tremendous performance (worthy of Oscar he received) as the British officer in charge off the POWs. William Holden gives one of best performances of his carrier as an American solder. By far my favorite film from Director David Lean
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Summary: Masterpiece
Review: This is one of the best movies of all time. Though it lacks action and dramatic depth it is so honeroble and heroic you can never predict what will happen next. It is my 2nd favorite movie of all time, my favorite is Lawrence of Arabia but they are both directed by david lean one the best directers in the world.
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Summary: A timeless masterpiece
Review: Today Sir Alec Guiness costar of The Bridge on the River Kwai died, his passing is a great loss to the world for he was a truly a magnificent actor. This was one of his best roles. The film deals with many of the aspects of war, one I found particularly thought provoking was Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness) defense of his work on the bridge. The bridge was a project for the enemy so why do a good job? Colonel Nicholson thought that he should do so because he bore a professional responsibility to work to the best of his ability. We think it perfectly proper for a doctor to do his best at all times including the medical treatment of an enemy soldier, why hold engineers to a different standard? Few films challenge the viewer as much as this one did. Here is another great work from that much maligned decade, the 1950's. If this decade was so vapid why did it produce so many great novels, films and theatrical works? Why do we continue to imitate its creations?
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Summary: A tense, Exciting, And Dramatic Spectacular of WWII!
Review: No one was a more masterful film maker than was David Lean, the British director who brought us such unforgettable classics as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Doctor Zhivago", "Ryan's Daughter" and, of course, "Bridge Over the River Kwai", (see my reviews of all these films). The cinematography in all of Lean's films is always spectacular and breathtaking, for Lean had a special appreciation for how the nature of one's natural surroundings set the stage and influenced the dramatic proceedings. Lean characteristically focused his films on the ways in which individuals and their personal characteristics clash and meld with the larger social, cultural, and historical surround in which they are located, and so each film is a uniquely captivating study of the specific dynamics of each particular individual situation. Each of these films is also a well-choreographed and photographed excursion into the topography, climate, and landscape of the geographic location in which the drama unfolds. The eyes and ears are always delighted by what Lean displays. In "Bridge Over The River Kwai", the first of these spectacular films to be produced by Lean, the wildness and danger of the surrounding jungle is used as an active metaphor by Lean which he uses to bind the British prisoners into a life and death struggle with the despotic camp commander, whose feudal philosophy leads him to view the prisoners as shameful cowards who do not deserve to be treated like human beings. Their curiously naïve and self-important commanding officer, played brilliantly by Sir Alec Guiness, immediately becomes embroiled in a power struggle with the Japanese commander that sets the plot churning into overdrive, speeding the story along toward further confrontations and a number of interesting plot twist. Also excellent as a cynical American sailor landlocked in the camp is William Holden, who plays the part with such blithe and careless detachment it is hard to appreciate how good he is, unless you are familiar with his performance in other films such as "The Bridges At Toko-Ri" or "Network". The supporting cast is excellent, and the script, written by the novelist who penned the original book, is taut, lean, and full of memorable dialogue and terrific dramatics. The action unfolds as part of the larger context of the war itself, which provides the necessary impetus to explain the desperate, cruel, and courageous behavior of the characters. The cinematography here is absolutely breath-taking, and the many spectacular action sequences and memorable musical score all contribute to make this one of the most popular and memorable films of all time. By the way, the film has aged very well, and as a piece of history and as a piece of popular entertainment it is always a pleasure to view as one of the outstanding films of the 1950s.
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Summary: Tremendous study in a clash of wills
Review: Be thankful there's a cleaner, crisper picture than in previous versions of the film, because the poor quality of the earlier prints takes away from the enjoyment of the film. They don't make films like this anymore, but they should. Each of the main characters is very well-defined and well-acted, as you watch the British and Japanese commanders in a clash of wills, and the American POW who comes back to destroy the bridge adds an extra twist of suspense. Good storytelling, good direction and acting. Great film.
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Summary: This Movie is an Academy Award winner!
Review: This Movie is an Academy Award winner. Whay cant't I find it I in DVD!
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Summary: madness of war portrayed in all its ignominy
Review: The story of the building of a bridge in the jungles of Burma by British POWs during WWII. Essentially there are two stories. One story line follows the struggle of Colonel Nicholson and Colonel Saito to dominate each other by the stubborness of will. Nicholson is brilliantly played by Alec Guinness as a cold hearted stiff upper lip type who loses the plot and eventually comes to see the bridge building project through the bewildered eyes of his would be enemy counterpart Saito. The second story is the struggle of Shears (William Holden) with all an individual has to take in a war; imprisonment, coercion into fighting and stubborn muleheaded likes of Nicholson and Major Warden, played by veteran English actor Jack Hawkins. The struggle of Shears is essentially summed in this quote from his character, "This is just a game, this war! You and Colonel Nicholson, you're two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like a gentleman... how to die by the rules... when the only important thing is how to live like a human being." Filmed in the jungle and heat of Sri Lanka the physical hardship of the environment is an amazing backdrop to this masterfully told story. Check out the beautiful Siamese female porters who give Shears a soaping down at one point. The environments hardships aren't all bad I guess.
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