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| The Bridge on the River Kwai | 
 enlarge | Director: David Lean
Actors: William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.75
You Save: $10.20 (41%)
New (47) Used (21) Collectible (2) from $10.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  167 reviews
Sales Rank: 3383
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Georgian (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Portuguese (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 162
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD05278D
ISBN: 0767853547
UPC: 043396052789
EAN: 9780767853545
ASIN: B00004XPPC
Theatrical Release Date: 1957
Release Date: November 21, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 "Madness... madness... " December 19, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I haven't seen David Lean's award-winning "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) for so long that I forgot how great it is. It's not a conventional war film and therefore there's very little action; the "action" is mostly psychological. I remember watching it on TV a few times with my dad when I was about 7-10 years old and even then, with such little understanding of the world and its social workings, I was fascinated by the picture and knew it was great -- even then.
THE PLOT: A platoon of British soldiers are brought to a Japanese POW camp in Burma during World War II to help build a strategic railway bridge over the River Kwai. The Jap Colonel in charge of the camp, Saito, insists that the British officers work along with the enlisted men. The British Colonel, Nicholson, stubbornly objects to this based upon the Geneva Convention, a copy of which he carries around in his pocket. He insists that there are rules to be followed, even in war. What ensues is a battle of wills between the two. Ultimately Nicholson is put in charge of building the bridge, which he takes so much pride in he fails to see that he's aiding the enemy. Meanwhile, an American sailor, Shears, escapes the camp and later leads a group of Brits on a mission to destroy the bridge.
Although Colonel Nicholson, played by Alec Guinness, is a fascinating character -- an ultra-proper stiff-upper-lip Brit -- and certainly worthy of respect as far as his utter boldness goes, he's what my dad would call a "goon." (My dad served during WWII and died in 1988). Nicholson is so infected by pride, stubbornness and a sense of superiority that he can't see the obvious. Yes, he's a realistic and fascinating character, but I find him to be a total moron, who can't see the forest for the trees. It goes without saying that I can't relate to him at all.
Colonel Saito, the Japanese commander of the camp, ultimately accepts that it's in his best interest to allow Nicholson to believe he's running the show in order to get the bridge built. This is obviously a struggle for Saito because he has pride as well; but he refuses to allow it to get in the way of fulfilling his mission. 'Let Nicholson build the bridge and believe he's in charge and superior,' he seems to figure, 'In reality he's my pawn and a pawn of the Japanese military machine.' (Others may interpret this scenario differently, likely suggesting that Saito is the loser in the test of wills, moping around in bewildered defeat throughout the rest of the picture, but that's not what's really going on here IMHO).
William Holden expertly plays Shears, the American who escapes the camp and comes back to attempt to destroy the bridge. He's the the character I relate to most. On the surface he appears completely selfish -- doing whatever he must to survive, including lying and bribing. Shears has lived with the madness of war the longest and naturally develops a sarcastic, anti-hero callousness to protect himself and survive with his sanity intact. Despite the negative, selfish vibe you'll initially get from Shears, he never loses his humanity. He refuses to become an inhuman machine like Nicholson or Major Warden (Jack Hawkins), the latter whom leads the British mission to destroy the bridge.
For example, as Warden and his party travel through the jungle Warden becomes injured and insists that the rest leave him behind to die, arguing that he would do precisely the same if anyone else was injured. Shears blows up at this point; he's seen enough of this idiotic machine-like do-or-die mentality. He yells, "You make me sick with your heroics! ... You and Colonel Nicholson, you're two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like gentlemen? How to die by the rules? When the only important thing is how to live like a human being!"
As captivating as the first hour is with the psychological conflict between Nicholson and Saito, the remaining hour and 41 minutes is even more engaging as the two storylines develop and ultimately converge: Nicholson building the bridge and celebrating its completion, along with his now-comrade Saito, while Shears & Warden and their team travel to the bridge and attempt to implement it's destruction.
I just saw the film the other day but hadn't seen it for 8 years or so and actually forgot exactly how it ended, as far as who dies, etc. Don't worry, I'm not going to give any major details away; you've probably forgotten the details as well, that is, if you've even seen it before. In any event, the ending is brilliant and potent. The Allied doctor of the camp looks on in utter disbelief at the climatic results. "Madness... madness..." is all he can manage to mutter. Powerful.
Needless to say, this is filmmaking of the highest order on every level. The Sri Lanka (Ceylon) locations are breath-taking. The only negative I can muster is that parts of the score are understandably dated seeing as how it was released in 1957. But that whistling theme is hugely memorable, of course.
I could probably write a book about all the great scenes, lines and points the film makes but I'd rather you discover (or re-discover) everything for yourself. There's so much depth here that you'll get something new with each viewing. It goes without saying that "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is one of the best pictures ever made and one of my all-time favorites.
"With you it's one thing or the other, destroy the bridge or destroy yourself!" December 6, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Take a good look, Clifton. One day the war will be over. And I hope that the people who use this bridge in years to come will remember how it was built and who built it - not a gang of slaves, but soldiers, British soldiers, Clifton, even in captivity."
Still one of David Lean's very best films despite its faults, unlike most of his epics, the plot of The Bridge on the River Kwai is focused enough to allow the film its debate on the nature of heroism and command without seeming forced, and is divided clearly into two halves. The first is a battle of wills between two madmen and their respective codes of honour; the British Colonel Nicholson, who seeks to turn defeat into victory, and the Japanese Colonel Saito, whose cruelty comes from his inability to see his lack of shame over their surrender.
Nicholson is so determined to use the building of the bridge as a weapon against his Japanese captors to rebuild his troops' morale that he is blind to the strategic consequences ("I hope these Japanese appreciate what we're doing for them." mutters Donald's medical officer). As Nicholson exceeds his requirements, he assumes Saito's role, even to the point of forcing officers and those on the sick list to work - the very points they had earlier clashed over - forcing the Japanese Colonel to face a surrender of his own. Ultimately reduced to the meek voice of acquiescence at one of their conferences, he alone achieves his objective but only at the cost of his self-respect. He alone realises what he has become.
The second half is more standard adventure fare, as anti-heroic escaped prisoner Holden (his casting clearly based on his similar role in Stalag 17) is press-ganged into returning to the bridge with gung-ho masochist Jack Hawkins to blow it up. If at the camp Donald is the voice of common sense, Holden is the voice of the common man. Faced with the wounded Hawkins' self-sacrificing heroics, he responds with a tirade against everything he stands for; ("With you it's one thing or the other, destroy the bridge or destroy yourself!"). But though he rejects the insanity of heroic codes and proclaims that the only true dignity lies in survival, he dies upholding just such an ideal. This is just one of the contradictions of an undeniably problematic ending, which opts for the spectacular at the cost of much of the substance of the film.
In reality, the bridge was never destroyed, but Lean discards history to give the audience the large explosion they've been waiting for. Depicted with intriguing ambiguity as to Guinness' motives, it nonetheless tends to obliterate the assertion of Pierre Boulle's novel that all the suffering has been in vain by allowing a victory, albeit at hideous cost. War is no longer a pointless and vainglorious farce played with human lives, but a place where even a cynic and an unwitting collaborator can redeem themselves through the nobility of self-sacrifice.
Yet if ultimately the film lacks the commitment of Bryan Forbes astonishly bleak King Rat or even Spielberg's dark Empire of the Sun, there is still much to admire, not least a quartet of great performances from Guinness and the under-appreciated Holden, Hawkins and Hayakawa. Lean is much more in control of his narrative than when he started making love stories with casts of thousands, his masterful use of the Scope frame coming over particularly well in this restored version (no new footage but a cleaned-up print) which finally gives blacklisted writers Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman their screen credits.
Best war movie ever? November 20, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you judge a war movie by constant explosions, digital effects, and fast action, this half-a-century-old epic may disappoint you. If you'd rather have an intelligent script (co-authored by Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman, and Lean himself), complex characterization, superior acting by some of the stalwarts of the old-time screen (including a superb William Holden), then you may decide to sit through this nearly three-hour long epic and revel in its mesmerizing photography, a musical score that captures the rhythms of action, and an intiguingly wrought double plot that relentlessly drives towards a powerful resolution. But The Bridge on the River Kwai is already a movie that has achieved mythical dimensions and, if you are reading this review, you probably have already seen it. If you haven't, give it a try,or another if you have, and measure it against its modern equivalents and find out how it has withstood the test of time. One of the all time greats.
Missing "Collectible Inserts"? October 6, 2007
I'm hoping someone might have information on this. I recently purchased the Limited Edition of the Bridge on the River Kwai and received it today. The film itself and the DVD extras are, of course, fantastic and appear quite comprehensive. The back of the case, however, also lists "Collectible Inserts: Insert features text of original souvenir book." My purchase was new and sealed, but there is no collectible insert that I can see. In doing a little digging, many of the online reviews mention a 12-page booklet, which I'm assuming is this elusive insert that I appear to be missing. I wonder if anyone would happen to know if this booklet is no longer being included...as I know sometimes occurs...or if I simply received a copy that's missing the insert. Any information would be appeciated!
David Lean masterpiece... September 25, 2007
David Lean directed this classic, masterpiece in 1957, right before he began work on Lawrence of Arabia. It is filled with
richness in theme, narrative, and characterization and supported by an incredible cast. This film describes the horrors of war and man's pyschological struggle to find meaning and survival amidst the horror.
Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge but his efforts are failing and only by soliciting help with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), can he accomplish his task but this escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine. Meanwhile an American escapee (William Holden) leads a commando raid to blow up the bridge. Alec Guinness won a much deserved Best Supporting Actor for his work. His realization at what he's sacrificed to keep his troops morale and survival is astonishing.
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