Bridge Over the River Kwai

p.falk · Post by **p.falk** » Sat Sep 05, 2026 10:16 pm

I had never seen this movie before... but I love "Colonel Bogey March".

My son loves war movies so the family picked this one out.

Never have I seen a group so split over a film.

"Colonel Nicholson is brave!"; "Colonel Nicholson is an idiot!"; "Colonel Nicholson should die in that oven!!"; "Colonel Nicholson is brave!!!"...
and that's just from one of the viewers.

"Shears is great!"; "Shears is selfish, he's living the highlife while everyone back in camp is struggling and for all he knows about to be killed."

"Colonel Saito is a jerk"; "Colonel Saito is more reasonable than Colonel Nicholson".

Then as they're about to blow up the bridge... almost everyone was hoping that their plot would be foiled.

Even Major Warden's reaction to killing Colonel Nicholson - the movie ends with him raving about how he had to do it, scaring the Thai women away from him.

And people say modern films are more nuanced.

Riverboat · Post by **Riverboat** » Sat Sep 05, 2026 11:47 pm

p.falk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2026 10:16 pmI had never seen this movie before... but I love "Colonel Bogey March".

My first exposure to this song was in a Flintstones episode when an army of ants marches out and carries away all the picnic food they had spread on the ground. I've loved it ever since.

p.falk · Post by **p.falk** » Sun Sep 06, 2026 1:39 pm

That song and William Tell Overture Finale....

Highlander · Post by **Highlander** » Mon Sep 07, 2026 12:01 am

I would have to see it again, but I do remember empathizing with Col Saito ... who was in as impossible situation, bound by culture and military ethic, as Col Nicholson. Saito was the character who had to modify his thinking and behavior to address reality, in ways Nicholson chose not to do.

p.falk · Post by **p.falk** » Mon Sep 07, 2026 7:36 pm

Highlander wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2026 12:01 am I would have to see it again, but I do remember empathizing with Col Saito ... who was in as impossible situation, bound by culture and military ethic, as Col Nicholson. Saito was the character who had to modify his thinking and behavior to address reality, in ways Nicholson chose not to do.

Good point.

And Col Saito regularly was giving the men days of rest.

It was funny though when he gave gifts to the prisoners it was just the Red Cross relief packages that he withheld

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