The Bridge on River Kwai

I recently watched The Bridge on River Kwai for two reasons. One being that it is one of my dad's favorites (and he generally doesn't love movies). The second reason is that it is a classic. It is definately a classic, and for good reason. The story is really quite tense, even though there are little to no action sequences. There's definate ethical issues being brought up about how we treat people during war, about facing daunting issues which need to be addressed, and about getting lost in our own initiatives that we lose sight of our duties and core beliefs. And uh oh yeah they whistle a famous tune.

What really kept me eagerly watching the entire time was the...well...it's really hard to say. Maybe I haven't thought it all the way through, but maybe not. I think it may be as simple as the plot structure. And there are definately strong characters. There's the unfair commander of the prison camp where the story takes place. And a captured American who's trying to escape, because the camp is extremely tough and they will probably all end up dying anyway. If there is a main character in the story, it might be a newly arrived British general, who demands (as the Geneva convention decrees) the commanding officers not do hard labor. He spends days and days in what's called the "hotbox," a tiny metal box, which almost kills him. He sticks through it and the commander finally gives in to reason. And then they start building the bridge, the right way. And, as the British officers says, everyone will remember what a great job the British army did while building the bridge. And the American, who ends up escaping, could find himself revisiting the prison he spent so much time in.

This movie is really a masterpiece and I loved it. I really wasn't paying attention to how long it was or whether it was good or not while watching it. I was just fixated on all the characters, the plot, the story. And it came out being somewhat philosophical in a way. This is an amazing movie which i loved wholeheartedly. And, one of the last lines was perfect. "Madness. This is madness!"