The Bridge on the River Kwai

We lionize the military for its fanatical devotion to order, honor and authority. Yet these traits can easily be twisted for misguided ends.

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is the story of a World War II POW camp of British soldiers in Thailand. The camp is run by Japanese Colonel Saito, a ruthless taskmaster who will stop at nothing to complete the bridge of the film's title.

"Bridge" begins as a battle of wills between Saito and Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness). The two clash over whether the British officers will be forced to engage in manual labor, which is prohibited under the Geneva Convention. Nicholson's stubbornness lands him in solitary confinement until Saito relents, seeing the effect the punishment has on the Brits' morale. Nicholson's release is a stirring victory, a confirmation of his determination to abide by the law.

Once released, Nicholson works to improve the construction of the bridge. He views the bridge as an opportunity to restore discipline, which had grown quite lax as his troops slow-footed the construction. More worryingly, he begins to view it as his legacy, something tangible that will provide use long after he's gone.

This is a problem because, after all, building the bridge well helps the enemy. This fact is highlighted when an American soldier, played by William Holden, escapes the camp and is enlisted by the British on a mission to destroy the bridge. The inevitable conflict is given all the build-up and suspense it deserves.

What begins as a salute to the can-do spirit of a well-trained military becomes an almost subversive critique of authority and rule-making. Though released in 1957, the film almost feels like one of the classics of the 1970's, working on a commercial level, as an entertaining war film, and an artistic one.

It must be said that this is the type of film which is likely inferior to the novel on which it's based. The warping of Nicholson's mind could be portrayed with much more detail in a book. In addition, a couple of budding romances between the team assigned to destroy the bridge and their guides are given short shrift. However, to say that this story would be more effective on the page simply means that it is a thinking person's war movie, rather than one which mainly relies upon explosions and testosterone.

"Bridge" is directed by David Lean, which another way of saying it's an epic production with excellent cinematography. Holden is a bit irritating, but Guiness is excellent, as he must be. His final close-up is the perfect conclusion to this fine film.