The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)'s comments

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jktomas

What I like about this movie is that it doesn't give clear answers what's good and what's not. This is how war stories should always be portrayed.
On one hand I was rooting for colonel Nicholson, because he was right in most cases, they really turned defeat into victory by building the bridge, every soldier working on it felt like soldiers and not slaves, it proved to japanese how strong british nation is etc. (And man oh man, isn't Guinness a fantastic actor?)
I was also rooting for colonel Saito. Even though he was a jerk at the beginning, he had his reasons. His life was depending on this bridge and he wasn't expecting the british to co-operate, so he was cruel to them. One of my favorite scenes in the film was when Nicholson convinced some soldiers that needed medical attention to work on the bridge and Saito was looking through the window with his mouth open. He was probably thinking of letting Nicholson go back home after the bridge is done. Saito changed a lot throughout the movie and I was not expecting that, usually characters like that stay evil all the way untill they are killed.
American and the rest of his group were right as well, but I was rooting for them the least as I was hoping the bridge to stand.
And the finale was uncomfortable for me to watch and that's fantastic actually. Again this is what war stories should be doing to you. You should never know who to root for because in war there are is no right side.
The most disappointing thing about the movie is that it's not a true story. It's based on some true events, but my favorite aspects of the story didn't actually happen.

10 years 3 months ago

Unfortunate Synopsis

At first the movie seemed pretty ordinary, but it just continued to build. And then that ending... wow.

11 years 1 month ago

ChrisReynolds

Looking at this movie as a whole, it works brilliantly in conveying its theme of the madness of war, and how it drives good men to do bad things.
spoiler

12 years 1 month ago

stexdo

The last 30 minutes look like they were shot by a director from the future. Perfect cinematography and great movie.

9 years 11 months ago

Scratch47

Teeming with Lean's signature brand of epic scope mixed with intimate character portrayals, 'Kwai' unfolds at a relaxed natural pace to reveal a heart of madness. The colors and cinematography are excellent, as is Guiness' portrayal of a commander driven to a kind of Stockholm Syndrome under the name of British dignity. Truly an 'event' film of its time and one to watch in an environment of prestige.

11 years 9 months ago

Malandabslov

The ending of this movie is perfect.

7 years 9 months ago

The Tramp

Jolly good!

8 years 6 months ago

ozgungenc

I am disappointed. A bit overrated by English-American imdb mafia and American, British film academies. (or maybe its the Indian mafia again, I don't know)

A very good movie though. The overall message and the first half with English-Japanese commanders' power games was powerful. The ending was as expected, and there is nothing spacial with a sabotage plot in an average war movie. (and he falls right onto the detonator, oh come on)

I'm not a fan of David Lean and this was just another work of his that I am not impressed.

12 years 7 months ago

ecnered

A powerful experience, featuring one of the greatest endings in cinema.

12 years 8 months ago

DisneyStitch

Kwai is an absolute masterpiece. What is perhaps the movie's strongest point are the visceral portrayals of so many characters that are busting at the seams with their own motivations and idiosyncrasies. Possibly at the core of the tangled moral web is Colonel Nicholson. Is he insane? Is he a traitor? Does he truly care for his men? The answer is seemingly obvious and yet totally shrouded at the exact same time. This is probably the only 150+ minute movie I've ever watched where I don't notice the time at all. It's just brilliant and enthralling filmmaking.

All of the movie's characters give solid portrayals and with very few scenes filmed on sound stages, it is very easy to place yourself in the distant jungles of Ceylon under the crushing weight of the tropical elements. All of it culminates in one of the most meticulously planned and well executed explosions in the history of cinema.

9 years 10 months ago

Rovsing

Good show!

11 years 11 months ago

frankqb

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is highly regarded as one of the best war films ever made. Indeed, Alec Guinness gives a remarkably natural performance as the leader of a troop of British soldiers whose pride in rule, order and the British way provides much of the film's action for the first half.

Cinematographically, the film is beautiful; Sharp framing, and brilliant colours radiate most every jungle-frame which stand in contrast to the dusty brown palette of the the prison camp scenes.

The film however does lose its potency when Guinness isn't in the scene and we follow the American side of this tale. It picks up again at the climactic scene - enough so that I found myself pleading with the characters on screen to carry out their orders.

Deserving of its status as a classic, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" also deserves a watch from you.

12 years 3 months ago