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It's World War II, and we're in Burma circa 1943. A platoon of British soldiers are soon to arrive at a Japanese prison camp. They are prisoners of war. One man already a POW, Shears (William Holden), works at the camp as a gravedigger, and he knows the soldiers will be arriving and wonders how many of them he'll wind up burying down the line. Shears is able to bribe a Japanese guard into giving him and his partner Jennings (who is apparently uncredited in the film and everywhere online...I spent a long time trying to find info on this character/actor and came up with absolute zilch) hospital stays, which means they can relax and not work for a few days. Meanwhile, the soldiers arrive at the camp whistling as they do so. They are led by Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). The camp is run by Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Saito informs everyone that all prisoners, regardless of rank, will be put to work on the construction of a railway bridge over the River Kwai. Working will yield being treated well. Not working will yield punishment. Nicholson reminds Saito that the Geneva Convention passed an international law exempting officers from manual labour while held as POWs.
Nicholson later visits the hospital and meets Shears and others who already have been at the camp. Shears says he is the rank of Lieutenant Commander/Seaman, 2nd Class/Major, which would make him a military officer. Nicholson wonders why he's working manual labor, and says he believes Saito seems like a reasonable fellow. After Nicholson leaves, Shears laughs and says that Saito is a lot of things, but reasonable is not one of them. Nicholson meets his other officers later, along with Shears, and the idea is brought up for an escape, but Nicholson says that his platoon was ordered by their superiors to surrender, so escaping would be disobeying military command. He says the men should still feel like they are under British command even as POW's, this way they feel like soldiers and not slaves. Shears shrugs and says he's just a slave and he doesn't pretend otherwise.
The next morning, Saito orders all the British to the bridge to begin construction. Nicholson goes up to Saito and presents him with the documentation of the Geneva ruling regarding officers and manual labor. Saito takes the papers and slaps Nicholson across the face with them, then throws them to the ground. Nicholson sends the soldiers away. After they are all out of sight, Saito tells Nicholson again to get he and his men to the bridge as well. Nicholson stands pat. Saito is about to have the officers all shot but Major Clipton (James Donald) runs out from the hospital where he, Shears and others have been watching. Clipton talks Saito out of the killings, saying such an action would be frowned upon by everyone else in the world no matter what side of the war they were on. Saito calls off the guns but leaves without dismissing the officers. The officers stand in the hot sun for hours, even still there when the soldiers all return from the day's work. While the soldiers protest, the officers are all led to a confinement cage. Nicholson is brought to a "hot box" with the door then boarded shut.
After a couple of days, Saito is angry that the bridge progress is not where it should be. In reality, and unbeknownst to Saito, the soldiers are working very half-assed and even sabotaging the construction frequently. He tells Major Clipton to go to Nicholson with some rations and tell him that unless the officers join in the construction, Saito will close the hospital and have the patients work on the bridge no matter their physical condition. Clipton does tell Nicholson the threat, but Nicholson refuses to budge, despite his weakening condition. Clipton tells Saito that Nicholson still refuses, but letting Nicholson die in the "oven" would make Japan look bad. Saito proclaims that Nicholson's fate would be his own fault.
Meanwhile, Shears, Jennings and a third man attempt to escape. Shears is shot and falls into the river, then swept downstream. The other two are shot and killed. Shears eventually finds land and stumbles along as much as possible, despite noticing the vultures following him above. Finally, one vulture seems to come right at him, and he collapses near a Siamese village. The "vulture" was actually a kite being flown by a Siamese child. The village residents help Shears up and bring him in to help him recover his health.
Saito informs the soldiers he will take over supervision of the bridge building, but he also says that will take effect tomorrow as today they will all get a day to rest. Saito also presents the soldiers with their Red Cross boxes as gifts. Nicholson is then brought to Saito's quarters. Saito offers Nicholson food and drink, but he refuses them. Saito also tries to make conversation and even goes so far as to say the senior officers such as Nicholson can be exempt from labor, but the junior officers still would be required to work. Nicholson still won't budge from his Geneva stance. Saito admits if the bridge would not be finished by his given deadline, he would have to commit suicide out of shame. THIS piece of information inspires Nicholson to take a drink, and then he offers to have his men take over supervision of the bridge building. Saito says he already has taken over himself. Nicholson's retort is that the men are still behind so what does that tell him? Saito has heard enough. Nicholson goes back in the box.
Shears has recovered and the villagers give him food, water and an outrigger boat to make his way down the river. Unfortunately, the trip winds up long and Shears runs out of water. He decides to drink the water from the river, but that makes him seriously ill. He makes it to the mouth of the river and is found by British forces, then shipped to a British hospital in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Meanwhile, the bridge construction falls even further behind schedule. Saito finally accepts that he must release Nicholson. He has him brought out of the box and tells him that today is the anniversary of Japan's "great victory" in the Russo-Japanese War, so to commemorate the occasion, he grants Nicholson and his officers amnesty. Upon their release, Nicholson and his officers proudly walk through a jubilant reception. Saito, in private, breaks down in tears.
Nicholson conducts an inspection of the bridge and is shocked by the shoddy workmanship and sabotage. Over some officers' protests, he orders Captain Reeves (Peter Williams) and Major Hughes (John Boxer) to design and build a proper bridge, despite its military value to the Japanese, for the sake of maintaining his men's morale. This is also to show the world, and specifically Japan, the British superiority in construction. The officers meet with Saito and tell him that the river bottom is too soft, so the site chosen to build the bridge will never work out. Saito dejectedly permits for the original construction site and plans to be abandoned and a new bridge begun downstream. Even with the new plans and additional manpower, the deadline will probably still not be able to be met.
Shears is recuperating at the hospital. He seems to be quite fine as he smooches and canoodles with a blond nurse (Ann Sears). A member of the British Special Forces, Major Warden (Jack Hawkins), wants to meet with Shears, so Shears visits Warden at his quarters. Warden wants Shears to volunteer to join the Forces as they plan to blow up the bridge being constructed over the River Kwai. Shears is appalled by the idea and then admits he's a phony. He's just a Navy seaman. Shears explains that he and a Navy Commander survived the sinking of their ship, but the Commander was subsequently killed by a Japanese patrol. "Shears" switched dog tags with the dead officer, hoping to get preferential treatment in captivity. That obviously didn't work but he felt he had no choice but to continue the impersonation. Warden tells him that the military already learned about that a week ago, and to avoid scandal, the U.S. Navy loaned him to the British. Warden offers him a deal. If Shears joins the Forces for this mission, he will be given a simulated rank of major on the mission and avoid being charged with impersonating an officer. Shears reluctantly volunteers with the understanding that should he survive, he'll get to keep his officer status.
Colonel Green (André Morell) sets up the team. It will be Shears, Warden, officer Chapman (another uncredited actor that I found absolutely no information on despite researching) and a young and eager soldier named Lt. Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), who has no combat experience and honestly isn't sure what he would do if he ever had to kill an enemy soldier. Shears tells Green privately that he has reservations about Warden.
The foursome parachute into Burma. Chapman winds up landing in the trees and is killed instantly. No, he wasn't wearing a red shirt. The rest make the long and treacherous journey to the river, assisted by native Burmese women porters and their village chief, Yai (M.R.B. Chakrabandhu), who also has it in for the Japanese. Meanwhile, Nicholson is maniacally continuing to lead his men in the building of the bridge, even recruiting those from the hospital who are physically up to it. Clipton has concerns of this work being treason.
While bathing, the travelers encounter some Japanese soldiers. One winds up face-to-face with Joyce, who freezes for just a second until Warden comes and stabs the soldier to death. Warden winds up shot in the foot by the soldier in the process. Joyce says he would have killed the soldier. The soldiers are all killed and the journey continues for the British/Burmese crew. Warden has trouble walking and falls behind. He eventually tells Shears to take over command and leave him there, but Shears will have none of that. He won't leave Warden to die a martyr because "I don't care about your bridge and I don't care about your rules." They continue on, carrying Warden on a stretcher, eventually arriving at the site as the final work is completed. They see Nicholson on his knees working and assume he's doing so against his will, but in reality they have no idea the British and Japanese are working together peacefully and willingly. Warden draws up the plan for everyone to execute overnight. The next day, a Japanese train full of soldiers and important officials is scheduled to be the first to go over the bridge. Warden wants to blow it up just as the train passes over, accomplishing two missions at once.
The bridge is finished! Nicholson and Saito both walk on the bridge and admire the finished product. Nicholson also reflects on his 28 years in the service. A celebration will be held that night with all the British and Japanese soldiers. Saito chooses to stay in his room. Meanwhile, while the celebration commences, Shears and Joyce float on a raft to the bridge under the cover of darkness and string up a bunch of wires that connect to a detonator on the shore. They carefully set everything up as guards walk above them. When finished, Shears joins Yai on one shoreline while Joyce will man the detonator on the other shoreline.
Everyone sleeps for the rest of the night and they awaken just before dawn. They all are horrified to discover that the river has receded overnight and much of the wiring that had been underwater is now visible. Later in the morning, the bridge is full of British and Japanese soldiers, and Saito officially opens the bridge as the train will arrive shortly. Clipton congratulates Nicholson and then heads to a small hill nearby to watch the train pass. Nicholson performs a final inspection and notices the wiring. He and Saito trace the wiring frantically as they hear the train approaching.
Nicholson pulls the wiring and sees it lead around a pile of rocks and trees. Joyce runs from his hiding spot and stabs Saito to death, thinking he's doing this for Nicholson's benefit. Nicholson is simply horrified and yells for help. Joyce cannot bring himself to kill Nicholson, who he thinks has betrayed the British, so he goes for the detonator. Warden fires mortars at the approaching and firing Japanese soldiers. Yai is killed in the gunfight. Joyce is also hit and dies before he can detonate the explosions. The train is within sight. Shears swims across the river but he too is shot before he reaches Nicholson. Nicholson does recognize Shears, however, and then the reality and magnitude of this entire bridge-building situation hits him, and he asks himself aloud, "What have I done?" Warden fires a mortar towards the detonator area and it mortally wounds Nicholson, who has just enough strength left to reach the detonator and explode the bridge in spectacular fashion just as the train begins to traverse across it. Warden turns around and the Burmese women all fearfully step back from him. He proclaims that he had no choice but to kill his comrades in case they would have been captured. Meanwhile, Clipton has witnessed all the carnage unfold from his vantage point and can only shake his head as he sees dead bodies, a train and a bridge strewn in and around the river. Clipton simply says, "Madness! Madness!
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The actual British general who helped build the bridge while a POW was Lt. Col. Philip Toosey, and he was not nearly as gung-ho to complete the work as Nicholson's character was. This is one of the many liberties taken (both in the film and the original source material) with the actual events that occurred. The bridge's destruction, in fact, was a complete fabrication. There were two bridges built, and both were destroyed by Allied forces during the war itself.....The movie changes very little from Pierre Boulle's book, but the biggest difference is that in the book, the bridge was not destroyed. It just sustained minor damage as the train was plummeted into the river by a secondary charge detonated by Warden as opposed to a full-fledged explosion. Boulle did say that despite this change, he still thoroughly enjoyed the film....Geoffrey Horne wound up saving director David Lean's life when Lean was swept away in the river during a filming break.....The familiar whistled tune heard during the movie is "Colonel Bogey's March", which then blends into the orchestral version composed by Malcolm Arnold specifically for the film.....The real Saito was not a Colonel but the second-in-command at the Japanese camp, and he was actually quite kind to the British POW's and maintained a lifelong friendship with Toosey. Toosey spoke up for Saito at a war crimes tribunal post-WWII, saving Saito from a conviction and subsequent execution. After Toosey's death in 1975, Saito traveled to England to visit his grave and pay his respects.....Boulle was awarded the screenplay Oscar. However, the screenplay was actually written by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman. Current post-restoration DVDs of the movie do show those names as the screenwriters, but in 1957 those two were blacklisted so they could not have put their names anywhere even close to the film. Boulle, meanwhile, didn't speak or write or understand English at all (Kim Novak accepted his Oscar on his behalf at the ceremony). Finally, in 1984 the Academy modified the records and officially awarded the prize to Wilson and Foreman as well. Wilson unfortunately had passed away in 1978. Foreman died the day after the Academy made the announcement.....Alec Guinness and David Lean often clashed creatively but in the end, both loved the finished product.....The bridge construction cost approximately $250K and the exploding of it was legitimate, not a miniature. According to Turner Classic Movies,
there was a near-catastrophe following the filming of
that bridge explosion. Multiple cameras from several angles were used to capture the scene. The film was to be shipped to London, but it never arrived so a frantic worldwide search was
undertaken. The film containers were found a
week or so later on an airport tarmac in Cairo, Egypt, sitting in the sun. Although not exposed to direct sunlight, the heat-sensitive color film
stock should have been baked nonetheless from having sat in the metal canisters. Miraculously, the
shots were still perfect.....Cary Grant turned down the role of Shears. Charles Laughton had been initially cast but backed out, not thinking he could handle the climate conditions during filming.....Sessue Hayakawa was 68 years old when cast as Saito. He considered this the greatest role of his career. His career was actually quite great already, but by 1957 he had been long out of Hollywood, having left due to prejudiced Asian characterizations within movie roles that surrounded him after Hollywood's early days. Yes, Hayakawa is the male sex symbol I alluded to at the beginning of this blog. In the 1910's and the 1920's, he was a major star on par with the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, and he was the #1 Hollywood heartthrob before anyone even knew who Rudolph Valentino was. Unfortunately, most of Hayakawa's early films are lost, but many of his later works from Japan and Hollywood (upon his return) can be found.
The Bridge on the River Kwai was very well-received by critics and moviegoers, and the AMPAS loved it too, showering it with 8 Oscar nominations. The film only lost in the category of Best Supporting Actor (Hayakawa) to Red Buttons in Sayonara, a different war film set in Korea. Victories were claimed for Cinematography (Jack Hildyard), Drama/Comedy Score (Arnold), Film Editing (Peter Taylor), Adapted Screenplay (Boulle initially, Wilson and Foreman also honored later as explained above), Lead Actor (Guinness), Director (Lean) and Best Picture, which was won over Peyton Place, Sayonara, 12 Angry Men and Witness For the Prosecution. This 30th Annual Oscars ceremony was the first time that all five nominated for Best Director saw their films also get nominated for Best Picture. It was also the first time the Oscars were televised live. Bridge still holds up today, with the story and performances revered and some even having the opinion this is the one of the greatest films ever made, and specifically the greatest war film ever made. I'm not sure I quite agree, as the ending to me felt rushed and a little bit extreme, but those are just minor quibbles. The film's definitely excellent, and it's a tribute to everyone involved for making a 161-minute war movie hold my interest the entire time. Plus, who doesn't know and love that whistling tune? The Bridge on the River Kwai is a winner that anyone who enjoys war movies, or really any movies, should see.
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