![]() ![]() ![]() Arguing that it is better for his men to have a goal and good work to pursue, even if it means helping the enemy, Nicholson pushes them to complete construction in time for the arrival of a train of Japanese dignitaries. After a series of tense mind games between the two officers, the British prisoners are put in charge of constructing a bridge over the title river, a project that the Japanese have largely botched. One narrative strand takes place in a Japanese prisoner of war camp on the border of Burma and Thailand, where a British colonel named Nicholson (Alec Guinness) dutifully maintains order among his men, even though they are all under the cruel command of Col. That’s not only the theme, but also the gist of the film’s parallel plot, which is drawn from the Pierre Boulle novel of the same name. Then the movie dedicates its final moments to detonating its own stiff upper lip. The Bridge on the River Kwai spends most of its considerable running time puffing up a romantic image of the British gentleman soldier, presenting an organized, highly capable military man who handles ever situation-even time as a prisoner of war-with civility, decorum, and perseverance. ![]()
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