CONSENSUS #9. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

 

SYNOPSIS:  The Japanese force British prisoners to construct a railroad through the jungle of Burma in WWII.  The British commander (Alec Guinness) agrees to take over supervising the construction of a bridge, partly to prove the superiority of British culture.  He becomes obsessed with constructing the best bridge possible.  An American (William Holden) who escaped from the camp is sent back with a special forces unit to blow up the bridge.

BACK-STORY:  “Bridge on the River Kwai” is the screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s Bridge Over the River Kwai (I do not know why they changed the title).  Boulle channeled his experiences as a POW in Southeast Asia during WWII and based his main character on French officers who collaborated with their Japanese captors.  Boulle was awarded the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar even though he did not write it.  Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were uncredited at the time because they were blacklisted due to the McCarthyism of the 50’s.  Both were given posthumous trophies in 1984.  It was directed by David Lean (who co-directed “In Which We Serve” and went on to do “Lawrence of Arabia”).  The movie was filmed in Sri Lanka so the crew and actors had to deal with diseases and jungle critters.  It was not an easy shoot, but considering what the real-life POWs went through, I hope no one complained.  The movie was a huge financial and critical success.  It cost $3 million to make and made $27 million.  It was the #1 movie of 1958.  It won seven Academy Awards:  Picture, Director, Actor (Alec Guinness), Adapted Screenplay, Score, Editing, and Cinematography.  Sessue Hyakawa was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  The movie is #36 on the most recent AFI Top 100 Films list.

TRIVIA: 

1.  David Lean clashed with his actors, especially Guinness and James Donald.  Both thought the novel and movie were too anti-British.  Guinness, who was mainly known for comedies, wanted to play Nicholson more sympathetically and with a sense of humor.  Lean insisted he was “a bore”.  Midway through the shoot, Lean invited Guinness and his family to view his parts of the film.  The Guinnesses left without a word, but the next day Alec told Lean he had brought out his best performance.

2.  Guinness patterned his walk from “The Oven” after his son who was recovering from polio.

3.  Lean almost drowned in the fast-flowing river.

4.  Sri Lanka had no film developing facility, so film had to be sent back to England.  The bridge explosion footage was lost on the way.  After a frantic search, it was found sitting on the tarmac at the air port in Cairo, Egypt in the hot sun for a week.  Normally, it would have been ruined, but miraculously it was unharmed.

5.  British composer Malcolm Arnold was given just ten days to do the score.  He said it was the worst experience of his career. 

6.  The marching song was the “Colonel Bogey”.  The iconic tune appeared in the film by accident.  Lean complained about the sloppy marching of the actors (and extras) and recommended that someone whistle a marching tune.  One of them started whistling “Colonel Bogey” and the rest is history.  Producer Sam Speigel nixed singing the lyrics because he considered them lewd.  (e.g. Hitler has only got one ball)

7.  Spencer Tracy turned down the Nicholson role because he felt it need an Englishman.  Sir Laurence Olivier turned it down to direct “The Prince and the Showgirl (Marilyn Monroe)”.  Guinness originally turned it down, but Jack Hawkins convinced him to change his mind.

8.  Cary Grant and Rock Hudson turned down the Shears part.

9.  Sessue Hayakawa accidentally drew blood when he slapped Guinness, but Alec stayed in character.

10.  The movie is mostly fictional, but Nicholson is based on the actual commander Lt. Col. Toosey.  Toosey, however, was far from a collaborator and encouraged the men to be as ineffective as possible.  He sabotaged the bridge by having the men introduce termites to the wood.  The actual Japanese commander was more reasonable than most Japanese officers.  Toosey testified in his defense at his war crimes trial.

11.  There were actually two bridges – one wooden and the other a steel/concrete one.  Two years after construction, they were destroyed by an air bombing.  The steel one was repaired.

Belle and Blade  =  3.5

Brassey’s              =  5.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  5.0

Military History  =  #12

Channel 4             =  #10

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  yes

        Rotten Tomatoes  =  #26 

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:  The Thailand-Burma Railway was constructed by Allied prisoners in a fourteen month stretch from 1942-43.  It was to connect Rangoon to Bangkok.  The railway’s completion was deemed essential to supplying Japanese forces in Thailand.   60,000 prisoners toiled along with many more dragooned civilians.  About 13,000 soldiers died.

                The movie accurately depicts the attitude of the Japanese toward the prisoners.  The Japanese code of bushido insisted that surrender was a disgrace so the British prisoners were not worthy of respect.  There were other factors that explained the mistreatment.  The Japanese were unprepared for the huge volume of prisoners when Singapore fell.  This explained the poor housing, food, clothing, and medical care.  The movie actually underplays the terrible condition the men were in.  The actors in the film are much too fit.  (They also are not wearing the loin clothes that would have been typical.)  Another factor was the fact that the prison administration consisted of second-rate soldiers.  A commandant like Saito would have been in a combat unit if he was competent.  The prisoners were faced with incompetent and bitter guards.  That was a very bad combination.  Then throw in that soldiers who are used to being beat are naturally going to take it out on their charges.  Usually using bamboo canes.  Interestingly, the worst guards were actually the conscripted Koreans.  They had a strong propensity to turn their resentment of the Japanese on the PWs.

                The first 40 miles of the construction was easy and then the Japanese government upped the timetable by months.  This resulted in the “Speedo Period” named after what the frantic engineers kept yelling:  “speedo! speedo!”  At around this time a new group of 7,000 prisoners (mostly Australians) arrived after a 150 mile march that lasted 17 days.  It is doubtful they were whistling when they arrived.  47% of this “F Force” did not survive the war.

                The building of the bridge was actually pretty easy.  The Japanese engineers were competent and did not need any help.  It was across the Mae Klong River, not the Kwai River (Boulle liked the sound of “Kwai”).  Only a few died in the construction.  It was after the bridge was finished that construction through the jungle got really rough.  This was partly because of the monsoon season which the movie overlooks.   There were two bridges in reality.  One was a temporay wooden one to get supplies across the river and the one the movie was modeled after was made of stone and steel.

                As far as the main characters, the movie is way off.  The commanding officer in charge of the bridge crew was a Lt. Col. Philip Toosey.  He was pretty much the opposite of Nicholson.  He encouraged the men to work slower and to sabotage whenever they could.  However, he did insist on adherrance to the Geneva Conventions and was subsequently beaten for it.  He did not argue that officers should not work.  In fact, junior officers routinely worked and senior officers supervised.  There was a Major Saito, but he was second in command and had a reputation for being relatively benign.  Toosey testified for him at his war crimes trial and they became friends after the war.  The fictional Clipton commendatorially represents the real heroes in the railway construction – the medical officers. They had to deal with diseases like malaria and cholera as well as malnutrition.

                It probably will not surprise you to learn that the ending is completely fictional.  There was no attempt to blow up the bridge.  The stone bridge was brought down by American B-24 bombers by June, 1945.

OPINION:   “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is a classic epic war film.  Not surprising since David Lean and “epic” go together.  Here we get the density of the jungle instead of the sweep of the desert as in “Lawrence of Arabia”.  And both his signature films feature a deeply flawed main character.  Lean made a film that is not blatantly anti-war.  He described it as about “the folly and waste of war”.  Other themes include strong leaders butting heads, the importance of principles in warfare, and what is proper behavior for a POW.

                In order to explore these themes, Lean and the screenwriters had to defy reality a bit.  There certainly were Nicholsons in the British Army.  However, the same strict adherence to principles before capture would have made it highly unlikely that type of personality would have collaborated like Nicholson did.  If a commander had chosen to aid the enemy’s war effort, it would have been for much more crass and craven reasons than Lean gives Nicholson.  It is also extremely unlikely that the other officers and men would have abandoned slacking and sabotage for working harder to help the enemy complete a vital railway.  There certainly would have been more debate over the cooperation.  As it is, Clipton sticks out as a lone voice in the wilderness.  You do have Shears sneering at Nicholson, but his character is mainly there to contrast the British and American attitudes toward discipline, principles, and officers.

                This is not to say that the Nicholson character is ridiculous or flawed.  The plot could not exist without him.  As played by Guinness (in possibly his best performance), he is fascinating.  There are times when you admire his bravery and endurance in pursuit of maintaining the principles his life is based on.  But more often you shake your head over his borderline treason.  In this respect, the Clipton character mirrors the audience.  Saito is also a strong character and more accurately reflects the Japanese officer class than Nicholson reflects the British.  The arc of Saito from obstinate bully to Nicholson’s lap dog is heavy-handed, but necessary.  Shears is another character that had to be forced into the plot (literally, because in the book he is a British commando who had not been in the camp).  If it is a British movie and there is a minority major American character, they always behave like Shears.  Brash, anti-authoritarian, and individualistic.  Basically, Holden is playing Sefton from “Stalag 17”.

                Speaking of acting, the movie is top notch.  The cast is very good with the odd exception of Horne as Joyce.  What is this B-List actor doing mixing with the heavyweights?  I guess you could say the odd casting paid off for Lean because Horne rescued him when he almost drowned in the river.  Jack Hawkins is his usual solid self as the stereotypical stiff upper-lipped Warden.  The role is basically the one played by Anthony Quayle in “Guns of Navarone”.  James Donald is crucial as the film’s conscience - Doctor Clipton.  He would go on to play the same personality in “The Great Escape”.

                The movie is technically magnificent.  The cinematography was award-winning as to be expected from a Lean film.  Jack Hildyard makes good use of the jungle locale.  The scenery is beautiful.  There is a variety of long-range shots, deep focus, and stationary camera.  No slo-mo.  The score probably did not deserve the Oscar, unless they were rewarding the film for being an epic without the usual pomposity of music.  There are long stretches, like the rigging scene, where there is no music.  It is likely that the “Colonel Bogey March” that book-ends the film is the primary reason for the award.  The sets are great.  The camp is squalid, although probably a bit more liveable than in reality.  The bridge is outstanding.  It took longer to build than the real one (8 months).  Its demolition with the train passing over is one of the greatest scenes of that type.  It is similar to the one in “The General”.

                In conclusion,  it is understandable that “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is high on the list and many would argue it belongs in the Top 10.  Part of this is due to reputation.  Looking at it from a modern perspective, the film is a bit overrated.  As an adventure story, it is slow moving and lacking in adrenalin and suspense.  There is hardly any action.  As a prisoner of war movie, it downplays the horrors the men went through.  As a character study and clash of cultures, it is excellent. However, for a war movie fan, there are many more impactful films.  “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is a war movie classic for the non-war movie lover.  Everyone can enjoy it, but I can’t get excited over it.  I would argue it is not as good as lower ranked (but similar) movies like “The Great Escape”.