The film ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ is set in Thailand during World War II and tells the tale of a Japanese POW camp comprised mostly of British soldiers. The main characters are the vainglorious Colonel Nicholson and Colonel Saito, the determined Japanese officer in charge of the prison camp.
When Colonel Saito receives word that he is to construct a bridge over the River Kwai, Colonel Nicholson takes on the challenge as a way to keep him and his men occupied, as they were beginning to get quite restless with absolutely nothing to do. Although problems begin to arise when, in an attempt to hurry production, Saito demands the British officers to work alongside their soldiers, which is completely against British tradition and culture. As …show more content…
Realizing the feud is doing nothing but slow the building process, Saito has Nicholson placed into solitary confinement in an attempt to try and force his way upon the prisoners. Unfortunately for Saito, this only enrages the British soldiers who retaliate by sabotaging their work done on the bridge. They begin to use rotten timber that will break under the stress of a load, and dig holes deep into the mud causing the bridge supports to fail. After realizing what is going on, Colonel Saito concedes defeat and agrees to let Nicholson out of confinement, and allow the British officers to resume their position of command, rather than force them to work.
Upon his release Nicholson requests a meeting with Saito and, with the help of one of his engineers, submits plans for a bridge much stronger and more advanced than the Japanese could have ever hoped for. Being quite impressed, Saito eventually agrees to Nicholson’s plan and work begins. As the bridge starts to come to life, Saito becomes more and more impressed with the architecture and style, further padding the smug personality of Colonel Nicholson. This flattery causes Nicholson to become so obsessed with showing off British intelligence that he loses sight of the fact that he’s helping the
When Colonel Saito receives word that he is to construct a bridge over the River Kwai, Colonel Nicholson takes on the challenge as a way to keep him and his men occupied, as they were beginning to get quite restless with absolutely nothing to do. Although problems begin to arise when, in an attempt to hurry production, Saito demands the British officers to work alongside their soldiers, which is completely against British tradition and culture. As …show more content…
Realizing the feud is doing nothing but slow the building process, Saito has Nicholson placed into solitary confinement in an attempt to try and force his way upon the prisoners. Unfortunately for Saito, this only enrages the British soldiers who retaliate by sabotaging their work done on the bridge. They begin to use rotten timber that will break under the stress of a load, and dig holes deep into the mud causing the bridge supports to fail. After realizing what is going on, Colonel Saito concedes defeat and agrees to let Nicholson out of confinement, and allow the British officers to resume their position of command, rather than force them to work.
Upon his release Nicholson requests a meeting with Saito and, with the help of one of his engineers, submits plans for a bridge much stronger and more advanced than the Japanese could have ever hoped for. Being quite impressed, Saito eventually agrees to Nicholson’s plan and work begins. As the bridge starts to come to life, Saito becomes more and more impressed with the architecture and style, further padding the smug personality of Colonel Nicholson. This flattery causes Nicholson to become so obsessed with showing off British intelligence that he loses sight of the fact that he’s helping the