Cineplex Magazine January 2012

eturn engagement
Bridge to
he Bible tells us, “Pride goeth
before destruction.” Pity no one
told Colonel Nicholson.
For The Bridge on the River Kwai
(1957) Alec Guinness (on the left
of this picture) won a Best Actor Oscar for his
portrayal of one of cinema’s most memorably
misguided characters — Col. Nicholson, who
instructs his fellow prisoners of war to help
build a bridge that his Japanese captors will
use in their efforts against the Allies, but which
the Allies are planning to destroy upon its
completion.
Guinness initially wanted to play Nicholson
with more of a sense of humour, but director
David Lean disagreed, saying he should be “a
bore,” and Lean was right, as Nicholson’s tragic
and compelling flaw is his pride and almost
comic sense of duty.
Winner of seven Oscars in total, including
Best Picture, The Bridge on the River Kwai
should not be missed. —IR
The Bridge on the River Kwai screens as part of Cineplex’s Classic Film Series
on January 11th and 22nd. Go to Cineplex.com/events for times and locations.
january 2012 | Cineplex Magazine | 43