Rent The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

A bottle of Guinness to stiffen the sinews - The Bridge on the River Kwai review by JD

This is an absolute classic cracker. It is typical 1957 stuff. A bit "stiff upper lip chaps" and slightly swaggering acting but I defy anyone not to feel the need to whistle colonel bogey and feel a warm glow of unfounded optimism. The whole feel is different to modern cinema, I felt much more character to this film and a less calculated progression of the plot. You might need a cold one standing by; the tropical heat is tangible.

An excellent film which, sadly, is a complete travesty of the historical truth - The Bridge on the River Kwai review by Philip in Paradiso

This is a classic and an excellent film: as war movies go, it is superb and I did enjoy watching it (all 2 1/2 hours of it). The style, atmosphere, acting, plot, etc. -- none of that, in my view, feels stale, and that is saying something, as the film was made in the mid-1950s. So, I recommend it if you have not seen it.

I had seen bits and pieces of it, but never the whole movie. I expected it to depict the atrocities committed by the Japanese at the expense of British and other POWs, and the stiff upper lip to prevail in the end. In fact, the inhumane treatment of the prisoners is shown, but rather downplayed. I do not think it gives a realistic idea of the conditions in the camps along the railway line. But the film is not really about that. Without spoiling the story for those who don't know it, it is about a personal tussle between 2 men, as stubborn one as the other: a British officer (Alec Guinness) and the Japanese officer in charge of the camp (Sessue Hayakawa).

The problem is that, good as it is, the film is based on the novel by a Frenchman, Pierre Boulle, and the novel's storyline has little to do with the actual events. Alec Guinness's colonel is modelled on Brigadier Sir Philip John Denton Toosey (1904 – 1975), who was, by any yardstick, an utterly remarkable man and a soldier of impeccable standing. All of this is explained on Wikipedia (to be read after you have watched the film).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Toosey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai

Understandably, when the film came out, the British veterans, who had suffered so much because of the cruelty of the Japanese, and may have served under Brig D Toosey, were outraged. So, enjoy the film, but remember that the actual historical facts have nothing to do with it. It would be great if there was, one day, a movie telling what Brig D Toosey actually did and who he was. (The truth has been put forward in various TV documentaries and books since written about the construction of the railway line, etc.)

Classic War Adventure Film - The Bridge on the River Kwai review by GI

This is one of the great, classic war films, a Boys Own Adventure that gained seven Academy awards. It's epic in structure, with stunning cinematography and a top cast of Alec Guinness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins. The surviving members of a British battalion are marched into captivity led by their commanding officer, Colonel Nicholson (Guinness). The POW camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been ordered to build a rail bridge over the nearby river and intends to use the prisoners as slave labour. After a tense battle of wills between the two Colonels, Nicholson decides that the bridge will be built with pride by his weakened soldiers as a mark of their patriotism and pluck. But a commando mission is en route to blow it up led by Major Warden (Hawkins) and Shears (Holden), an American who escaped from the POW camp. A fantastic and entertaining film that is one of those that everyone should see. The plot involving a confusion of ideals and loyalties is a clever one but at its heart this is a wartime adventure story and not a serious film that studies the plight of British POWs under the Japanese (indeed Holden looks like he's well fed and healthy throughout!). Whilst this is based on real events it is only a loose version of what actually happened. It certainly is a variation on the British war hero idea and the addition of the American in Holden was to ensure a good box office (Steve McQueen was similarly used in The Great Escape). Simply put tis is a cracking war film and well worth seeking out if you've never seen it.