The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): Eitan's Take

Like On the Waterfront, the Bridge on the River Kwai is about making tough decisions and standing up for justice, no matter how imperfect it may be. And, like On the Waterfront, it is a genuine masterpiece. Early in the film, we witness Maj. Nicholson's (Alec Guinness) stubbornness and petulance in the face of Japanese commander Saito. In refusing to let the officers in his unit participate in the POW camp's manual labor tasks, he appears to be foolhardy and selfish... putting his own life and the lives of his colleagues at risk. Over what? But as he loosens the nerves from Saito and grabs hold of the reins of the bridge project, we watch as his gambit pays off tenfold.

Nicholson displays a unique kind of leadership in this film; to use an analogy I've heard a lot during the 2008 presidential campaign, his managerial philosophy is more like chess and less like boxing. In looking ahead and keeping tabs on the men most important to the cohesiveness of the POWs, he boosts morale down the road, inspires creativity and workmanship, and pushes the hundreds of gaunt prisoners above and beyond to successfully craft a beautiful bridge for their Japanese captors. When Nicholson nails the final plank to the bridge -- bearing the date and the names of the honorable British soldiers who built the gigantic structure -- we feel an immense pride in him.

The film could just be a typical "overcoming the odds" story, but it's much more crafty than that. It's cliche to say so, but the narrative is quite a bit like the bridge itself -- in the wrong hands, it would have been a haphazard project, but under the guidance of maestro and director David Lean, it's dense, grandiose, and highly detailed. Each storyline, from the bridge construction to Shears' (William Holden) ingenious commando operation to destroy the bridge, is held together with brilliant acting and a keen sense of purpose. Never stepping into the realm of the political or even the allegorical, we watch as the intensity thickens, as the bridge and all the craftsmanship that went into it become a reality, as the British and American mission to destroy it becomes a consuming passion for those involved, and as a catharsis nears that pits these two forces against one another. Sometimes, as we also learned in All Quiet on the Western Front, man is his own worst enemy, and the Bridge on the River Kwai pulls no punches and omits no human flaw to show that incredible truth. For its inspiration, for its portrayal of the undefeatable beat of the human spirit, and for its epic conclusion, 9/10

I have deep admiration for every war movie to ever win Best Picture. Remind me again why Saving Private Ryan isn't one of them?