8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Allied commandos are dispatched deep inside the Burmese jungle to blow up a strategic bridge built by British POWs.
Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins (I), Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald (I)Drama | 100% |
War | 49% |
Epic | 45% |
History | 45% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
There is no barbed wire, no stockade, no watch tower. They are not necessary. We are on an island in the jungle. Escape is impossible.
Imagine the word "epic" and, at least in the world of exceptional cinema, only a few names spring immediately to mind. Atop that list must be
Director David Lean, a British filmmaker with some of the 20th century's finest pictures to his credit. Lawrence of Arabia. Doctor Zhivago. A Passage to India. The Bridge on the River Kwai. That's about
as formidable a foursome as there ever was, every one of them an undeniable classic of story, scope, production, and movie magic. The Bridge
on the River Kwai is one of Lean's most commercially, critically, and aesthetically complete pictures. It's a rare film that manages rousing
success with its audience, almost universal acclaim from critics, and tells a story centered on the human condition rather than the typically wartime
run-and-gun elements that defined most World War II pictures of the era. With Kwai, Lean defies all cinematic preconceptions with a
wartime
film that's not necessarily about a war itself but rather obsession, pride, and duty, whether it's the obsession of victory, the pride in oneself, or the
duty to
country or a cause. The Bridge on the
River Kwai is a film that tells three distinct stories, the first a battle of wits, the second an adventuresome mission into enemy territory, and the
third the tale of a man who becomes lost in his own pride, unable to see anything but the work directly in front of him. Each story comments on
the human condition at several levels, not the least of which is summed up at film's end with the repetitious cry of "madness! madness!" that
perfectly encapsulates not only the destructive force of war but what is often man's own inability to see the greater consequences of his actions,
consequences
that differ for each main character but nevertheless end with the same tragic, maddening results.
Who will blink first?
The Bridge on the River Kwai has received a glorious 4K restoration for its inaugural Blu-ray release. Sony's 1080p transfer is nothing short of marvelous; the film has never looked better for home consumption, and save for a couple of minor nitpicks, the studio's transfer is pretty much perfect. Both the immaculate detailing and pristine color reproduction will impress longtime fans of the film and newcomers alike from the opening moments forward. The yellow titles have never appeared so bold, clean, and sharp, and the remainder of the movie is home to a color palette to die for. The technicolor presentation looks fantastic; even if much of the film is made of the earthen hues that define the dusty terrain, the ragged British fatigues, the wooden bridge, or the bamboo structures, Sony's transfer handles them all with precision and attention to detail that's second-to-none for an aging picture. Bolder colors impress, too, whether the bright green foliage seen around the various locales or the red rising sun offset against a white backdrop that makes up the Japanese flag. Fine detail is exemplary, too, with the 1080p transfer capturing the slightest frays in uniforms, the texture of the dirt terrain around the camp, sweaty and scraggly faces, or the wood grains on the planks that make up the bridge. Better still, The Bridge on the River Kwai retains a handsome layer of grain that gives the picture an oftentimes breathtaking cinematic texture. Black levels are strong, appearing inky and honest without overwhelming any details around the frame, and flesh tones appear accurately reproduced throughout. There are a few soft shots scattered about the movie and viewers will notice sloppy scene transitions that tighten up in an instant, but both elements are source-specific and not a fault of the Blu-ray transfer. Only a few random speckles and slight shimmering seen on several shots of a curtain with horizontal striping represent the only real drawbacks to the transfer. The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the finer looking Blu-ray discs on the market; it's not going to wow audiences hoping for a movie that looks like it was filmed six months ago, but as far as vintage catalogue titles go, they don't get much better than this.
The Bridge on the River Kwai's inaugural Blu-ray release features a steady DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Like the video, it's not going to overwhelm those in search of pitch-perfect, modern-sounding 360-degree mixes, but Sony's track hits all the right notes and delivers a wonderfully clear and perfectly stable sound presentation. The track is generally front-heavy with the surround speakers engaged primarily in the delivery of light atmospherics. The sound of heavy falling rain and the din of jungle wildlife plays with more of a cursory rather than pronounced surround presentation; listeners won't feel engulfed into the environment around the bridge and prison camp, but the quality of the film supersedes the absence of a more directionally-specific and seamless sound field. Primary and more pronounced sound effects -- such as an ear-piercing blow of a whistle -- enjoy a decidedly realistic tone, but several end-of-film effects, such as explosions and gunshots, play noticeably muffled due not to the quality of the track but instead the innate elements used in creating the sound for the original picture. The low end doesn't see much use, though there is a noticeable uptick in bass during some of the military music. Dialogue is effortlessly delivered via the center channel with no perceptible issues of note. The Bridge on the River Kwai isn't a spectacular show of sonic delights, but fans should be appreciative of Sony's efforts in bringing this track to a level of excellence never before achieved for home video.
The Bridge on the River Kwai features a nice assortment of extra content. The Blu-ray disc begins with Crossing the Bridge:
Picture-in-Picture Graphics Track, a multi-purpose secondary video feature that offers insights into the making of the film, facts about World War
II
and POW camp experiences, first-hand accounts from soldiers who worked on the Burma-Thailand railway, and book-to-screen comparisons. The
feature
film plays in a small window on the left-hand side of the screen while a changing background accompanies the various text-based notes across the
bottom of
the
screen; it's more of a glorified trivia track than anything else, but it's a solid supplement that's a fine companion to the film. Sony has smartly
designed the supplement to allow users to immediately skip to the next fact via a forward arrow located at the top right
hand
side of the screen. Next is Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (480p, 53:03), an extensive supplement that covers the entirety of the
filmmaking process, including the hiring of David Lean, his insistence on reworking the script, the usage of the "Colonel Bogey March" whistled tune in
the film, the
changes between the novel and script, the inclusion of the William Holden character, the work of the cast, shooting locales and set design, the process
of
building the bridge, David Lean's directorial style, the differences in the story's ending between the novel and the film, and much more. This is a fast
moving
piece;
fans will find it well worth the effort.
Next up is The Steve Allen Show with William Holden & Alec Guinness (480p, 6:30) which features two of the film's stars talking up their
then-latest picture on a
1957 television program. 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' Premiere Narrated by William Holden (1080p, 1:50) features the star discussing the
picture's premiere over a series of still photographs. A vintage black-and-white piece that chronicles the building of the bridge is seen in Rise and
Fall of a Jungle Giant (480p, 6:13). USC Short Film Introduced by William Holden (480p, 15:52) is another black-and-white vintage
supplement that features the actor comparing literature and motion pictures as he hosts a short film made during the shooting of 'The Bridge on the
River Kwai' that's meant to educate viewers on the process of analyzing film and literature and discussing the three primary challenges of making a
motion picture.
This is one of the best supplements to be found in this set. An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius (480p, 8:06) is next. This extra
features the Red Dawn director sharing the many reasons he loves the film. Also included on disc one is BD-Live functionality; a photo gallery
(480p, 7:28); the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 3:23); the film's re-release Academy Awards trailer (1080p,
3:08);
and additional trailers for Columbia Classic Treasures (480p, 3:34), TCM Classic Film Festival (1080p, 1:02), Tommy, and Midnight Express. Disc two houses a DVD copy of The Bridge on the
River Kwai. This DigiBook release also contains a full-color 32-page booklet built into the packaging and a dozen replica theatrical lobby cards.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a masterful film and one of but a handful of pictures that could be described as both "legendary" and "epic." The Bridge on the River Kwai is a complete work, an exemplary Human Drama that's as much about the follies of man as it is the follies of war; the film is a buildup towards madness, wether the narrow-mindedness of its characters or the destructive nature of war itself. The madness that is excess pride, shortsightedness, and dedication to a foolhardy goal rather than a greater cause are the picture's primary themes, with the action elements merely supporting rather than defining the film. David Lean's film is a masterpiece of directorial craftsmanship, and his reserved but steady approach is one of the film's greatest assets. Lean understands that a great film need be a complete one, and his direction is merely a compliment to a greater whole, and that adherence to what makes a perfect film may be seen as his defining attribute. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a timeless classic that's been reborn on Blu-ray; the film looks and sounds just as it should and is accentuated by plenty of top-notch extras. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Bridge on the River Kwai earns my highest recommendation.
60th Anniversary Edition
1957
65th Anniversary Limited Edition
1957
60th Anniversary Edition
1957
1957
1957
2006
1961
1963
1978
Remastered
1970
2006
1983
60th Anniversary Limited Edition
1962
1998
Final Cut | 40th Anniversary Edition
1979
2008
2010
The Director's Cut | Single-Disc Edition
1981
Der Hauptmann
2017
1967
1962
1987
1975
1977
Der Untergang | Collector's Edition
2004