The Bridge on the River Kwai

Stories about overcoming adversity, dramatic irony, and conflicting decisions and attitudes are always loaded and fantastic to watch; more so when all these dramatic tropes are set against the sweltering jungle background of a Burmese prison camp during WWII. A classic amongst canonical war movies, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) still stands aside from any war movie ever made as a lone wolf surrounded by several golden statuettes. 

Set in a Japanese POW camp, it chronicles the struggles of stubbornly pragmatic Colonel Nicholson as he tries to overcome the cultural clash between him and the authoritative General Saito. Despite being prisoners of war and being forced to construct a bridge that will allow enemy shipments to be couriered by train, Nicholson believes that his men should be treated with decency and, as construction under Saito’s command proves unproductive, he gets his way. However, unbeknownst to Nicholson, a group of Allied forces, led by escapee Major Shears, are on their way to blow up the bridge that Nicholson and his men are putting so much effort into. 

What begins as a battle of cultural views on honour and patriotism quickly develops into a moving story of human ability to turn terrible situations around as well as go a little mad in the process. Many complicated themes regarding the positive spirit in the face of adversity, as well as social, moral, and irrational attitudes and behaviours are explored at great length and the entire story is summed up beautifully at the end of the movie by James Donald’s repetition of “madness, “madness”. 

Director David Lean not only loads the film with well-placed action, verbal conflicts, and comedy, he coats everything with a dramatic irony that is both an aphrodisiac and an overdose to the senses. The two plot paths than entwine themselves gloriously towards the climax are positively jam-packed with ethical questions that could make the brain explode, even more so for the audience as they are privy to information that the characters are not. It’s all done beautifully. 

Of course, a movie with such strong and complicated themes would be nothing without a strong cast to pull it off and the performances in this film are top-notch. Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson is proud, stubborn, endearing, and such an inspiration when he gets up and addresses his troops. He’s the perfect combination of authority figure and friend and he toes that line so perfectly; I would be happy to serve with him as my commanding officer. 

Counteracting Guinness’s pure and positive spirit is William Holden’s cynical and selfish Yank, Major Shears. Whilst his character does admire Nicholson’s guts and undying pragmatism, he also thinks it idiotic and, at the end of the day, is only on the lookout for number one. 

Then there is the strict and stoic Sessue Hayakawa as General Saito. A frightening depiction of strongly embedded beliefs about honour and glory, Saito proves to be something of a tragic character as his journey begins with him in the driver seat and then suddenly chucks him into the boot. Depicted as being bound by glory, honour, and strongly goal-oriented, Saito is the character that really unravels and Hayakawa is absolutely mesmerising to watch as the dynamics in power shift. 

The Bridge on the River Kwai is more than just a war movie and it’s definitely more than an escape movie. There is so much going on within this film that it falls into a category of its own and with seven Academy Awards standing behind it, it proves that being different can be a winning feature. 

Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Geoffrey Horne, Andre Morell, Peter Williams, John Boxer, Percy Herbert, Harold Goodwin, Ann Sears, Heihachiro Koawa, Keiichiro Katsumoto, and M.R.B. Chakrabandhu 

Year: 1957 

Rating: PG