The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) was the most successful war film of the 1950's. The film focuses on several battles, both an internal and external. It examines the question of where does duty and courage end and madness begin? The character of the British Colonel Nicholson, played by Alec Guiness, is, from the very start of the movie, in a battle of ethics with Colonel Saito, played by Sessue Hayakawa, the commandant of the Japanese prison camp where Nicholson and his men are being held prisoners. Colonel Satio has to choose between his own death and his honour. The battle Shears, played by William Holden, faces is an internal one. He questions his beliefs and morals, an in the end makes an important choice as to his worth and duty.

The work that is to be done is to build a bridge across the Kwai River for the railroad connecting Bangkok to Rangoon. The Japanese government had ordered Saito to build this bridge using the prisoners in his camp. When construction becomes less and less productive, Nicholson asks permission to take over supervision of the bridge, to make it a tribute to British resourcefulness and efficiency. With an ensuing deadline, Saito gives in

This movie did not have a character that could really be considered the good guy or the bad guy. One could argue that Colonel Saito was the bad guy, but was he? He was following his orders. Was Shears the hero? He lied, he ran away, and he tried to get out of his work. There is no good guy or bad guy, just like in real life. It's all in the perspective of the viewer. Madness, as Clipton, played by James Donald says in the end is exactly what it comes down to. With every character being to raped up in there orders, duty and chaos of it all, they loss sight of what is really important, and matters to them. The 'right thing' or the noble, sane thing to do, is clouded by the characters emotions, wants, and orders. This is utter madness, and this is what I feel Clipton meant by this statement. That the characters let it all go to the point of no return.

His single-minded devotion to duty drove him mad. The bridge was Nicholson's trophy, not a tool to keep the army together. His adherence to his perceived duty was his downfall. Had he not been so intent on building a good bridge, he would not have reacted the way he did when the discovery of the explosive changes was made. It is only at the end, when he sees the plunger detonator, that he realizes his mistake, and even though shot, he falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge

Saito: Do you know what will happen to me if the bridge is not built on time?

Saito: I'll have to kill myself. What would you do if you were me?

Though he does not want to go, he follows his duty and proceeds to the river. When the British officer leading the mission, Major Warden, played by Jack Hawkins, is shot, rather than give up, Shears literally carries him the rest of the way to complete their objective.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1254
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)