I have a question. Did Colonel Nicholson (played by Alec Guinness, a man of genuine class) blow up the bridge on purpose? I think my understanding of the movie would be much greater if I knew what the intention of the filmmakers was on this matter. Was he upset about getting Shears (played by William Holden, who just loved getting shot and falling into water in the 1950's) killed, and so he saw the "error of his ways" and blew up the bridge on his dying breath? Or was that just a tragic, ironic end to his life? I suppose it doesn't matter too much.
Absolutely beautiful setting, so my eyes were very happy. I felt that the movie took longer to get started than necessary. Everything up until Nicholson was let out of the "oven" under Colonel Saito's (Sessue Hayakawa's) amnesty was pretty boring. I think it's probably bad that I've seen Apocalypse Now before ever seeing The Bridge on the River Kwai, because all I could think in the ending lines ("Madness! Madness!") was, "The horror!"
Alec Guinness totally deserved his Oscar for this movie, as he was really amazing. I think the movie was, considering how huge and important it still is fifty years later, actually imperfect. Still, it was pretty close. 9/10
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