The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Good points. Classic film! Are you gonna watch DR. Z?

Great film. Still holds up adfer many viewings.

Spielberg and Lean watched Arabia together. Should have been recorded.

Just got back from a 4K digital restoration showing of the film. Some odd fuzzy-motion moments aside, it was beautiful. I'd actually seen the film on video a long time ago, but I remembered so little of it (aside from the 'madness' ending) that it was basically like watching it for the first time.

The first half of the film is absolutely masterful. Nicholson vs. Saito. That battle of wills is just gripping and clear. The tension of the finale still works wonders despite the fact that I was fully aware of the fact that the bridge would blow.

I'm less certain of what to think about William Holden's half of the film though. Love Holden in this, but the story takes him through some odd tonal changes. Literally madness! MADNESSSSSSsssss! His abruptly showcased escape and fortunate circumstances felt almost satirical.

"Uhhhhh... being on the run sucks so much! SLUMP. HEY, a village!"

"Uhhhhh... being on a boat sucks so much! SLUMP. HEY, an army hospital!"

"We're sending you back!"

"Uhhhhh..."

I definitely get what Holden's scenes at the hospital were meant to do, but that odd sitcom-y quality (a hilarious sitcom though it was) was just so strange. After the film's midpoint high of Nicholson's triumph, it felt like the film went into its own sequel with the pacing starting from scratch.

I wish Saito had more to do in the film after he was soundly defeated in his contest of wills. I realize that he's an empty shell by that point (DADDY I WANNA BE AN ARTIST!!!), but I wanted to know more about him. I was also unsure of where his head was by the time the completion of the bridge was being celebrated. Was he preparing to kill himself before chickening out? What was it that he took out of his jacket pocket at the end? I wasn't sure.

You catch it at the Castro in San Fran?

SIFF Cinema in Seattle.

This is the best looking DVD I've watched on my HDTV, and probably better than a handful of Blurays as well. The Guiness stuff is fantastic, although I've always wished the battle he chose to fight wasn't over whether or not officers had to work. I know it's about following the guidelines rather than entitlement, and I know it's actually about beating Saito, but it's still such a twattish thing to stand up for. Really Nicholson, that's the hill you're going to die on?

I guess it does help us understand why he does what he does after, and keeps him from ever being the 'hero' of the piece, but he's still so much better at that than Holden is. Damn good movie.

I had no problem with that aspect of Nicholson holding up his 'code,' but I found it kinda funny that his men were all so excited for his 'victory' as they went to carry him on their shoulders.

"YAAAAAAY! WE'RE GONNA WORK AS PRISONERS JUST AS WE DID BEFORE... BUT WITH HONOR!!! WHOOOOOO!"

Clearly, the film was not at all concerned with the possibility of the loyalty of Nicholson's men being tested. But it's pretty funny.

By Spielberg's account he just wanted Lean to shut the fuck up and let him watch the film.

I watched it for the first time a few weeks back. Absolutely stunning film. The locations, the actual bridge being built, everything is incredible.

You mentioned something about some awkward editing while listing all the films you'd been watching lately. Care to specify?

Like you said, Holden's scape scene is really weirdly set up and edited. Took me a minute to figure out what had happened.

Ah. Yeah, for a movie that takes its time with most things, it had a few moments where it felt like I could look away from the screen for a second and wonder if I'd just missed something important.

Nicholson is brought into Saito's quarters and without any transition, he's suddenly dragged out into the hot box in a very wide shot.

Then immediately we went to Holden's escape.

The other one was when Holden and the British officers have a huge laugh about parachutes. Then suddenly we see them parachuting down for the mission. I was glad that they cut right to it, but it felt like the movie went from 0 to 60 in a split second.

Huh, they're playing the same restored print right now in SF. It's one of my favorites, so I'm gonna catch it in the next day or two.

Definitely do so. It was beautiful to see.

Great film...definitely a classic! Just stunning. Seen it a handful of times and its just as great every time.

I'm acutely embarrassed to say I've never seen this all the way through and only seen snippets on telly when I was a lad.

Considering I'll be cruising down the River Kwai on a houseboat in the new year I think that's something I must rectify and soon.

September 24th through the 30th at Film Forum in NYC.

Never seen it. Big screen. First David Lean that I'll be seeing that way. Brief Encounter, one of my favorite movies. Typing like James Ellroy, another favorite thing to do.

It's on. Bitches.