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Actors: Alec Guinness William Holden
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Bridge on the River Kwai |
David Lean's WWII classic about British POWs forced to construct a strategic bridge in Thailand. When British Colonel Nicholson (Guiness) and Japanese Colonel Saito (Hayakawa) square off over a Geneva Convention “rule” exempting officers from manual labor, the two confront each other (“Rules!? This is war, not a game of cricket".) After torturing Nicholson, Colonel Saito gives in, greatly losing face. He is further humiliated when he sees the British building a better bridge than his men could, probably on deadline, an accomplishment which could make his planned suicide unnecessary. But unbeknownst to either is a British plot to blow up the bridge. The drama becomes unbearable as three commandos methodically plant the explosives. When Colonel Nicholson detects the fuses, he demonstrates his version of intense pride which is not much different from Colonel Saito's.
--Angry Jim Magin, Resident Scholar
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Obi-Wan goes crazy building a bridge for the Japs in WW II. POW drama.
--director@allscifi.com, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Bridge on the River Kwai |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 30% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1930's-1950's
War Thriller
Yes
Armed Forces:
- Army
Specific to
- WW II
POW movie?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- senior military
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- muscular (man)
Unclothed?
- chest
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Japanese
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Southeast Asia
- China
Jungles?
Yes
Jungles
- snakes
- quicksand
- alligators/crocs
- heat/bugs
Misc setting
- moving train
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- non-gory references to death/punishment
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- depressed/sad
- in awe
How many deaths in film?
- 3-4
- 8 or more
Kind of violence:
- mission to destroy something
- guns
Unusual forms of death
- drowned
Any profanity?
- None
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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