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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Set in wartime Burma, a railroad building prison camp is the scene for an almighty tussle between two equally crazy, power obsessed commanding officers. In the middle of the steaming jungle, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) leads his men into Prison Camp 16 and the command of Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Their task will be to build a bridge across the River Kwai, for the Japanese, with the completion date set in the near future. Sardonically observed by long-term inmate Shears (William Holden), an American sailor, Nicholson tries to apply his rules of conduct to Saito. His principal point is that officers aren't expected to carry out manual work, under the Geneva Convention, while Saito points out that they are his prisoners and will do as he tells them. A tense stand-off occurs where the British troops leave to start work while the officers stay behind, roasting in the boiling sun under the gaze of a machine-gun. Saito won't lose face and back down while Nicholson refuses to compromise his code of conduct, which is why the British officers end up in the "ovens" - small, corrugated iron boxes which sit in the midday heat.

Time passes with Nicholson sweating his life away, while the squaddies labour and Shears attempts to escape with a couple of British soldiers. It appears that all three are killed but Shears manages to avoid drowning, when he falls in the river, and ends up washed down-stream. Eventually Saito engineers a reversal which will allow him to save face but still give in to Nicholson's demands. The Japanese commander knows that he has to do something because if the bridge isn't finished on time he will have to commit hari-kari - the real reason for his desperation. However, Nicholson is dismayed by the slide in discipline of his men and suggests a radical cure. Why don't they build the bridge to the best of their ability, rather than sabotaging it, giving every man a sense of purpose and something to be proud of? Saito has difficulty grasping this sudden change in his fortunes, particularly as Nicholson keeps dropping hints of British superiority, but goes with the flow. The switch in their positions seems complete when Nicholson drives his unit with more ferocity and determination than was ever shown by Saito.

Meanwhile Shears has survived, by stumbling half-dead into a native village, and is ensconced in a Ceylon hospital. To obtain extra privileges he continues impersonating an officer, a deception which is used against him by Maj. Warden (Jack Hawkins). Warden is in charge of guerrilla operations and plans to blow up the Kwai bridge, hence the local knowledge of Shears would be invaluable. Of course, Shears is somewhat reluctant to help but finds himself coerced into parachuting down to the Burmese jungle. Astonishingly the bridge is almost complete, under the relentless pressure of Nicholson. He dreams of creating a structure which will last for hundreds of years, a lasting reminder of his prowess. Perhaps he's mad for helping the Japanese to such an extent (an almost mutinous act), perhaps Saito has lost his grip on reality from spending to much time isolated in the jungle? Whichever, both are likely to be equally displeased when Warden's objective becomes clear.

David Lean once again proves his firm command of epic tales, directing The Bridge on the River Kwai with a vision of extreme clarity and real feeling for the titanic psychological struggles. The location shooting in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) evokes the atmosphere of an insular POW camp ruled in an autocratic manner superbly, all through the imposing and blanketing jungle. The acting is generally excellent but Guinness's turn as the rigid martinet, refusing to budge an inch in his beliefs, is perfect. The transition from proud British officer to misguided slave-driver, seeming to regard the Japanese as some sort of ally, is handled smoothly and convincingly. That the story is based on reality seems almost unbelievable, given the cruelty which is only hinted at in the film. Yet the Bangkok-Rangoon railway was, literally, built on the massed graves of forced labourers. This really is a totally excellent and gripping movie, important but never preachy.

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