The Bridge on the River Kwai [Blu-ray]

Sam Spiegel’s film, Bridge on the River Kwai is difficult to categorize. It is a war movie, but not the type that glorifies war. It has action and adventure, but to say it is an action/adventure film would be an overstatement. It is a criticism on the madness of war, on excessive pride, on the class system. Perhaps most intriguing, it is a character study on how several men, each a bit crazy in his own way, react to the circumstances of the war around them. Kwai is set in the jungles of Burma in 1943. Though the opening sequence depicts what appears to be a tropical paradise, we soon learn that the setting is a Japanese Prisoner of War camp, ruled by the ruthless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Saito has been ordered to build a railroad bridge over the river, with the prisoners providing the labor. Death rates are high because of illness, overwork, and, we are told, “Saito.” When British Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) marches into camp at the head of a new group of prisoners, it seems Saito may have met his match. Saito declares that all prisoners, enlisted men and officers alike, will perform manual labor to build the bridge. A battle of wills ensues when Nicholson insists that in accordance with the Geneva Convention, it is not permissible to require officers to do manual labor. Saito initially considers having all the officers gunned down, but instead leaves them standing in the blazing sun all day. He then has Nicholson put in a torture device known as “the oven,” and locks up the remaining officers. Nicholson will not relent, and eventually Saito releases him and agrees that the officers will not do manual labor, but must supervise the work. It seems Nicholson has won this round. The characters of Nicholson and Saito embody their own personal and cultural views of honor. Our first glimpse of Nicholson is as he leads his men into the prison camp, marching properly (for the most part) and, lacking a military band, whistling the Colonel Bogey march. For Nicholson, rules, order, and discipline are what honor consists of. Saito has a very different view. When Nicholson offers him a copy of the Geneva Convention and speaks of the rules, Saito responds, “Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!” For Saito, honor means doing his part for the greater good of Japan, whatever that takes. His orders are to build the bridge. If the bridge is not completed by the given date, Saito’s honor dictates that he must commit suicide. Even once the British officers begin supervising construction of the bridge, it still moves at a snail’s pace. Nicholson’s men, a company of engineers, can easily see problems such as the chosen location. They know they could build a better bridge. Nicholson convinces Saito to start over, allowing the British engineers to design and supervise the construction of the bridge from start to finish. Again, it seems he has prevailed…but has he? In his pride that his men can show British superiority by constructing a bridge that will last for many years, he is seemingly oblivious to the fact that doing so is aiding the enemy’s war effort. And as it becomes apparent the bridge will not be finished on time, he even gives in on the point of having officers do manual labor. A second story line is that of the plot to blow up the bridge. Shears (William Holden) is an American POW who escapes from the work camp and recovers at a British military hospital. There he is recruited by British commando Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) to help with the plot. Shears, who generally does anything possible to get out of work, initially resists. However, when confronted with the news that Hawkins knows the truth about who he really is, Shears agrees. With two other officers, they set out, but absolutely nothing goes according to plan. Eventually, the story lines come together. The bridge is finished, and the train loaded with Japanese officers and dignitaries is on its way. The commandos arrive and adjust their plan to the changed circumstances. What follows in the climactic scenes…well, let’s just say, it’s worth the wait. Bridge on the River Kwai garnered seven Oscars in 1958, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Guinness), Best Director (David Lean), Best Cinematography (Jack Hildyard), Best Editing (Peter Taylor), Best Score (Malcolm Arnold), and Best Adapted Screenplay. This last one is rather interesting; the film’s actual writers, Michael Wilson (It’s a Wonderful Life, A Place in the Sun) and Carl Foreman (Home of the Brave, High Noon) were not credited at the time because they were on the infamous Hollywood blacklist of suspected communist sympathizers. Instead, Pierre Boulle, the French writer of the novel upon which Kwai was based, received the credit and the Oscar, even though he did not speak English and had no part in the screenwriting. Wilson and Foreman were retrospectively awarded the Oscar in 1984. Sadly, Wilson did not live to see this happen, and Foreman died the next day. Foreman’s and Wilson’s names were added to the film’s credits when it was restored in the 1990s. Guinness is brilliant as Nicholson, the obsessively proper British military officer. Not only does Nicholson’s pride and professionalism come through clearly, so does his madness. Guinness, as Nicholson, does not even flinch when it is suggested that building such a fine bridge could be construed as collaborating with the enemy. His line of reasoning is so clear in his own mind that his explanation almost makes sense. When Nicholson hangs a placard on the completed bridge listing his own name as having overseen its construction, it is clear his pride in British ingenuity has been overcome by his pride in himself. Few actors could portray this kind of calm, cool madness and arrogance so convincingly.Hayakawa (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor) and Hawkins, as Major Warden, are also quite good. Hayakawa’s Saito is as mad as Nicholson in his own way, and we see his prideful resistance break down when he fears that the bridge will not be completed on time. Warden, like Nicholson, is intent on order and discipline. His madness is of a different brand, and a more conventional one, exactly the kind of suicidal single-mindedness we would expect of a commando. Though crazy in his own way, Warden clearly sees Nicholson’s madness for what it is. Hayakawa and Hawkins pull off their respective roles admirably.William Holden delivers a solid performance as Shears. However, this character is not as well developed as the others, perhaps because it was added for the film and was not in the novel. Shears’ change from slacker to hero seems a bit improbable, and Holden’s performance does not quite overcome this. It seems he was added more for star power and box office appeal. James Donald, as medical officer Major Clipton, should not be overlooked. In fact, it is Clipton who acts as the outside observer, the voice of reason, the conscience of the film. It is Clipton who prevents Saito from shooting the officers, and who suggests to Nicholson that building the bridge is abetting the enemy. It seems Clipton is alone in recognizing the madness all around him. And it is Clipton who cries, “Madness, madness!” as things fall apart. It is a relatively small, but incredibly important role, and Donald does it justice. Though Malcolm Arnold won the Oscar for Best Score, it is not his music that is most memorable. Rather, the Colonel Bogey march by Kenneth J. Alford, written decades earlier, is what is most prominent in Kwai. It is heard whistled by the soldiers at various points in the movie when morale is high. The film score itself is minimal, with other sounds—soldier’s marching feet, a single set of footsteps on the bridge, or the distant sounds of the train—often providing non-musical sonic interest. Bridge on the River Kwai is a long film at 2 hours 41 minutes, but well worth the time. The cinematography is striking, showing the beauty and perils of the jungle as well as the building of the glorious bridge. The bridge story line provides psychological drama, while the plot story line provides action and adventure. The culmination of the colliding stories is exciting and surprising. And the characters are intriguing. Their quirks and their choices lead us to ask important questions about right and wrong, honor, and pride. It is no wonder this film was well received by critics and the public alike.

Richly deserving its 1957 "Best Picture" Academy Award, "The Bridge On The River Kwai" is truly one of the best motion pictures I have ever seen (and I had never seen it even once until just a few days before writing this review).Directed expertly by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel, "The Bridge On The River Kwai" never falters. From the very first well-composed "CinemaScope" frame, right through to its exciting climax, everything about this motion picture is spot-on perfect.The film tells the World War 2 story of a group of British P.O.W.s who are handed the assignment of constructing a railway bridge across the Kwai river, deep within an Asian jungle in the hot and steamy summer of 1943.Each actor in this movie shines brightly in his respective part -- beginning with Alec Guinness' absolutely wonderful award-winning portrayal of "Colonel Nicholson", who undergoes more than his fair share of torture and abuse at the hands of the Japanese "Colonel Saito" (played by Sessue Hayakawa). Guinness' Nicholson is a man guided by an immovable set of rigged principles. And he ends up winning his battle of nerves (and torture) against his Japanese enemy. A truly remarkable performance by Mr. Guinness. It's no wonder he was nominated for the "Best Actor" Oscar for his role in this film. And, rightfully so, he won the award as well.The great William Holden (age 38 here) earned a healthy 1-million-dollar salary for his part as "Shears" in the movie (plus he got a portion of the film's box-office receipts too). And he earned every cent, as far as I'm concerned. While his part is not quite as deeply-layered or extensive as Alec Guinness' in the picture, Holden's character is still a vital and integral part of the film, as he plays a soldier who sets out on a mission to destroy the River Kwai bridge.Jack Hawkins rounds out the main cast, as "Major Warden", the hard-nosed leader of the Allied Commando team assigned to blow up the just-finished Kwai railway bridge.An interesting thing hit me a day after I finished watching this movie for the first time -- I found myself re-living portions of the film over again in my head, and (of course) found myself whistling the unforgettably-sensational "River Kwai March" theme tune (aka "Colonel Bogey March"), which is something that's likely to stay with you for quite a long time. (The DVD Menus make sure you won't forget the melody either.)Plus, the day after I saw it, I also found myself already beginning to appreciate the "timelessness" and award-winning flavor and grandeur of this epic-scale motion picture. And I even felt a strong desire to watch the whole 162-minute film all over again the very next day. When a movie can have that much impact on a viewer, what better compliment can there be to emphasize its greatness?Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the 2-Disc edition of "The Bridge On The River Kwai" on November 21, 2000, and it's a great-looking DVD in all respects, in my opinion. Sporting a beautiful and colorful Anamorphic Widescreen print of the film, Disc One of this two-disc set contains the full-length film in its original CinemaScope aspect ratio of approximately 2.55:1. The lush quality of the photography shines through brilliantly here via this nice, crisp-looking Widescreen version. I'd hate to think of having to watch this movie in a hacked-to-pieces Pan-&-Scan Full-Screen version. Luckily, such torture is not required here, because the original Widescreen format is available on this DVD.There are multiple Dolby Digital soundtracks to choose from for the movie -- a 5.1 Surround track plus a 2.0 Surround option as well. Both of these tracks sound very good to me. Lots of subtitling options are available as well, plus an "Isolated Music Score" soundtrack too.Several fulfilling bonus features take up residence on Disc #2, including a nicely-done 53-minute Making-Of documentary, as well as an original 1950s-era vintage behind-the-cameras featurette ("The Rise And Fall Of A Jungle Giant"), which has a satisfying old-time "nostalgic" feel to it.While I very much enjoyed the "Jungle Giant" mini-featurette (which lasts for a little more than 6 minutes) for its unique behind-the-scenes type of footage -- I couldn't help but scratch my head in bewilderment when the final portion of the program seemingly is cut off abruptly without explanation. The narration and video build the viewer's suspense, taking us right up to the brink of the dramatic one-take-only scene of the bridge being blown to bits, then there's a splice in the film just prior to seeing any behind-the-scenes stuff of the actual detonation, with the film then trailing off into its closing few seconds (an "epilogue" of sorts). Very odd I thought. Makes me wonder if that bridge-blowing sequence was somehow lost and not able to be recovered for some reason.Additional DVD Extras --- A "USC Short Film" (with an introduction by William Holden), which runs for just under 16 minutes. This is a kind of a "lesson" in filmmaking techniques, with "The Bridge On The River Kwai" used as an example of what goes into feature filmmaking. Lots of behind-the-scenes footage on the sets of "Kwai" is included here.Another featurette on Disc 2 is "An Appreciation By Filmmaker John Milius". This is an 8-minute "appreciation" of "The Bridge On The River Kwai" by Mr. Milius, as he provides his personal thoughts on the film and its impact on him. Needless to say, he loves the movie. And his comments here are quite interesting too.There are also four Theatrical Trailers included as DVD bonus material (including one for "River Kwai"). Plus -- A 7-minute "Photo Montage" (on a musically-scored timed track, with "Pause" capability enabled). The "montage" was a slight disappointment to this writer, simply because it only includes photos of poster art and advertising materials for the film. No "publicity stills" are included at all. Which is kind of odd because a few such items are seen within the Making-Of documentary. Still, the filmed montage is done very nicely, with appropriate underscoring to add atmosphere.Rounding out this healthy batch of DVD supplements is a "Talent Files" section, featuring brief text-only bios on five members of the "Kwai" cast and crew.Also included as part of the 2-Disc "Limited Edition" DVD package is a collectible 12-page booklet, which is a replica (reprint) of the original 1957 souvenir book. The last page of the booklet is a DVD Scene Selection guide for the film's 40 chapters.-----------------"The Bridge On The River Kwai" took more than a full year to film and edit, finally making its debut in movie theaters on December 18, 1957. But that year spent in the Asian jungle was definitely worth it. Because what resulted from that strenuous year of sweat and gritty filmmaking was a true cinematic masterwork.So, take this DVD for a spin soon .... and then watch yourself replaying much of the movie in your head the next day. For this is a DVD to treasure; and a movie to remember. For all time.

I don't need to say much this great classic film. It is wonderful to see it restored to such a high standard in 4K. Great extras and insights into the standards of film making back then. Very happy that I own this.

Me gustó mucho la calidad de la película en HD 4K, su imagen nítida y sonido son de excelente calidad. Las actuaciones de los actores y la trama de la películas muy buenas.

Toller Film

merci

ES UNA PELICULA QUE ONQUE TENGA SUS AÑOS ES MUY BUENA Y ENTRETENIDA Y ADEMÁS INCLUYE UN DVD CON CONTENIDO EXTA DE LA HISTORIA DEL PUENTE LA RECOMIENDO 🇪🇦

戦争が徒労に終わることを示唆している。