The Bridge on the River Kwai
After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men’s construction of a railway bridge for their captors – while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it.
- Director:David Lean
- Genre:Adventure | Drama | War
- Runtime:161 minutes
Cast
William Holden : Shears
Alec Guinness : Colonel Nicholson
Jack Hawkins : Major Warden
Sessue Hayakawa : Colonel Saito
James Donald : Major Clipton
Two World War II prisoners of war are burying a dead comrade in a Japanese prison camp in western Thailand. One of them is United States Navy Commander Shears (William Holden), who has bribed the guards to get on the sick list to avoid more strenuous labour. He watches as a large contingent of new British prisoners led by Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) arrives, whistling the “Colonel Bogey March”.
The Japanese camp commandant, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), addresses them, informing them of his rules. All prisoners, regardless of rank, are to work on the construction of a bridge over the River Kwai for a new railway line. Nicholson reminds Saito that the Geneva Conventions exempt officers from manual labour, but Saito just walks away.
On parade the next morning, when Saito orders everyone to work, Nicholson orders his officers to stand fast, as the other ranks march off to work. Though Saito has a machine gun set up and threatens to have the officers shot, Nicholson refuses to back down. Saito is dissuaded from carrying through on his threat by Major Clipton (James Donald), the British medical officer, who warns of witnesses. Instead, Saito leaves the officers standing in the intense tropical heat. One officer collapses as the day wears on, but Nicholson and the rest are standing defiantly at attention when the men return from the day’s work. The officers are then placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is locked into a corrugated iron box by himself to suffer in the heat. Read more
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