Macho militarism in film: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is a classic war film directed by David Lean and starring Alec Guinness, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. Set during World War II, it tells the story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge’s construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.

The story draws on the experiences of POWs who built the infamous Burma-Siam Railway linking modern-day Myanmar and Thailand.

The film explores pride, masculinity, and the moral ambiguity of war. It is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. This page analyzes the weapons used in the movie.

Spectacularly produced, the film was a smash hit on its release and received universal critical acclaim, scooping up seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture), as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. In 1997, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress.

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For the discussion, please watch the movie in advance, available here.