Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by mishmashmusic (A) on May 27, 2005 at 18:46:33

The more times I see "Bridge On The River Kwai", the more I find myself uncomfortably laughing at all the underlying humor. Alec Guiness' Colonel Nicholson is wound up so tight, and has such tunnel vision, he becomes pure caricature---the dark comedic foil to fuel Colonel Saito's frustrations.

For a perfect example, the scene where Saito brings Nicholson out of the box to sit and have a discussion is purely priceless. Both men act like they are totally unaware of the fact that Nicholson is barely able to function like a normal human being---the proverbial elephant in the room which neither man is humble enough to acknowledge.

Then, later, Nicholson takes over the bridge project and requests tea and dinner from the flummoxed Saito during the planning meeting as if he's an invited guest---or a paid consultant---not a prisoner of war.

The bitter humor is wrapped up in the tragedy of it all, the story of two men bound to do their duty as the world literally falls apart around them, completely out of their control. It goes beyond just being an anti-war movie, and transforms into a study on the futility of human pride and the irony of fate's final effect on it.

The more I see it, the more I appreciate it. Too bad Hollywood doesn't seem to be interested in films of this caliber anymore.

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