The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Directed by David Lean

Film Review

This classic film was based on a novel by Frenchman Pierre Boulle, who also wrote the novel that inspired the Planet of the Apes franchise. Boulle, himself a prisoner in south-east Asia during the war, has been criticized for showing an anti-British attitude, but it has been suggested that Nicholson is actually based on French officers who collaborated with the Japanese under the Vichy regime.

The real Senior British Officer at the River Kwai was Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Toosey who, unlike Nicholson, encouraged his men to sabotage and delay progress, though the bridge was finally completed - with efficient Japanese engineers still running the show. Former prisoners expressed outrage at both the book and the film, claiming that a man like Nicholson, who is nothing short of a collaborator, would have been quietly disposed of.

As the stiff-upper lipped but somewhat demented Nicholson, Guinness puts on a brilliant performance. In the hands of a lesser actor, the character would come across as an idiotic Colonel Blimp whose by-the-book mentality, which discourages initiative, would be a hindrance to the Allied war effort, while he argues that it is a means of maintaining a civilised society. He even forbids escape attempts on the grounds that he and his men where instructed to surrender by their superiors and thus defying the Japanese would be an offence punishable by court-martial(!)

Guinness however manages to portray Nicholson as a man whose suffering and ability to overcome it makes him more worthy of sympathy and it is hard to feel enmity towards him even when he goes a bit far in his working relationship with the Japs. His character is even allowed to redeem himself at the end when the reality of the situation finally comes down on him.

This multi-award winning film was part of director David Lean's epic period which included Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Like many of the better war movies, however, the action and drama does not overshadow a distinct anti-war message. This is particularly emphasized in William Holden's Commander Shears whose nervous, almost coward-like behaviour is contrasted with the fact that he simply wants to survive the war and avoid death. What is better: fighting for one's country or living the life of Riley?  Lean actually appears to go for the latter and this is highlighted in the scene where Shears' expresses amazement at the fact that a young soldier has volunteered for a dangerous mission as opposed to a safe desk job.  The final nail is delivered by James Donald who, watching the death and destruction around him, simply mutters: "Madness! Madness!

Film Synopsis

During WWII, a contingent of British prisoners march into a Japanese camp run by the ruthless Colonel Saito, who intends using them to construct a railway bridge across the River Kwai.  The bridge is vital to the Japanese war effort, since it will enable men and supplies to be transported between military centres in Bangkok and Rangoon.  The most senior of the British soldiers, Colonel Nicholson, is appalled when Saito tells him that all of the men, irrespective of rank, will undertake manual work on the bridge's construction.  Citing the Geneva Convention, Nicholson insists that his officers will only work in an administrative capacity and refuses to back down even when Saito threatens to have them all shot.  Eventually, Saito has no choice but to accede to Nicholson's wishes - if the bridge is not completed on time, his Japanese superiors will expect him to commit ritual suicide.  To lift the morale of his men, Nicholson organises them into teams with the objective of building a monument to British ingenuity and discipline.  What he doesn't know is that one of the camp's prisoners, an American named Shears, has escaped and has been recruited by Allied Forces to return and destroy the bridge...