You guessed it: another weekend; another notable movie for the kid. This
time it was THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI.

Of course I remembered this was a good movie, but I had forgotten just how good. Alec Guinness is brilliant as the WWII British officer determined to maintain order and discipline among his men, all of whom are captives in a Japanese prisoner of war camp deep in the jungles of Thailand. The Japanese commander of the camp has been ordered to use the prisoners to build a
railway bridge across the Kwai River, and his efforts are futile until
Guinness decides his men need a challenge to keep them focused, to give
them a reason to live under horrible conditions.

My young friend found the whole movie fascinating, especially the questions raised by moral dilemmas. Could you kill a man in cold blood if the
situation calls for it? Is it treason to work for the enemy if the
situation calls for it?

He also was impressed by the British accents and convinced himself that one
of the actors had also played major Calloway in THE THIRD MAN. But no, the confusion was caused by just that wonderfully clipped British accent that Americans find so…sophisticated?

Actually I think maybe the characters in the movie that impressed the kid
most were those young women who took good care of William Holden and the
rest of the commando team that traveled into the jungle to destroy the
bridge. He decided he wanted a Siamese wife and wondered if I would take
him there. Ah, to be 18 again.

It’s a great movie, one of the best ever made, intelligent, thrilling and suspenseful, and we had a great time watching it.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

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