The Bridge on the River Kwai

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Bridge on the River Kwai!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 30 (1957)

I've been wanting to see this movie for years but I never got around to it. I recall years ago I was discouraged through my father describing it as 'silly'. But not this time around....

So what makes this movie special? Well it is a unique entity in the war movie genre in that it seems less concerned with getting a commentary on warfare across and more interested in being a character driven piece. The characters are indeed complex, helped considerably by the cast playing them with standouts being Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa. The scale is staggering - as befitting a David Lean film - and it's impressive to know that the crew built the bridge for real. Furthermore, the final twenty minutes are astonishing. If this was attempt to show what the big screen could do, as opposed to the small screen of TV sets, then mission well an truly accomplished. 

Finally, was it as 'silly' as it was described to me? Well there were a few moments that did seem difficult to swallow but there rest of the movie is so strong that it makes such instances easier to forgive. 

A classic without a doubt

Lawrence of Arabia

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Lawrence of Arabia!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st July 2022

Well I'm in quarantine so now would a good time as any to address some of the longer running movies in my to-watch list.
I knew this movie on two fronts: a) it's a very famous movie and b) it was directed David Lean. Now I've already seen one of his works, Doctor Zhivago, and it seems to me his films are defined by two characteristics: a) they feature lots of exotic locales and b) they tend to be very long. So should I be put off by such a reputation?

No I shouldn't. Because it seems to me this movie's reputation is justified. It runs over three hours but it never drags. The locations are astonishing and the filmmaking techniques put to use are incredible. The battle scenes are great and there are plenty of unforgettable images. There is plenty of desert sure but the film does a clever job making you feel like you're there - which is saying a lot for a movie approaching it's 60th birthday.
And it's always nice to see a pre-Star Wars Alec Guinness.
I was told that this is one of cinema's achievements and now I see no reason to doubt it.