The Bridge On The River Kwai

The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South East Asian Theater of World War II. South East Asian Theater was the name given to the war Campaigns fought in the pacific,Which included the countries Burma,India,Thailand and Singapore.The Empire Of Japan attacked the allied stronghold of Singapore which was a major British Military base. The Surrender of the British to the Empire of Japan led close to 130,000 allied soldiers becoming prisoners of war.

The Bridge On River Kwai is a based on the novel by Pierre Boulle which is part fictional. It is Based on the construction of the Burma Railway.  Directed By Sir David Lean Who also bought us classics like Lawrence of Arabia and A Passage To India.

The Movie Starts of with a Unit of British Soldiers led By Colonel Nicholson(played By Alec Guinness) who are Prisoners of war heading towards a Japanese prison camp.The commander of the camp is Colonel Saito ,he immediately sets off his ground rules and sets the agenda for the inmates of the camp. The Prisoners of the Camp are to Build a railway Bridge over the River Kwai. Colonel Nicholson intervenes and reminds Saito Regarding the Geneva Conventions which exempt officers from manual labor. Which infuriates the Japanese Colonel and Demands the British officer to be punished.  The Second lead of the movie,Major Shears who plays the role of a United States Navy Commander plays his part as an Inmate whose primary goal is escaping from the camp.

Building the Bridge on the River Kwai was a tough affair as it was technically challenging to build a bridge due to difficulties on the terrain. The Burmese Railway holds a Lot of significance because of the Connectivity it offers to other Strategic locations which is of Importance to the Empire of Japan. Hence Colonel Saito Is on A Strict Deadline to Finish The Bridge. Failing to do so in time will lead  The Colonel to Commit Seppuku(ritualistic suicide) because of the Dishonor he would bring to the Empire. At the Prisoner Camp the Men are united To join forces with the Japanese workers and work hand in hand to finish the bridge on time, In return for ethical treatment of the Inmates in the camp.

In My Opinion , This a Movie which greatly praises the British military for the Courage, Ingenuity and their Dedication. Hence a little Patriotism passively has been shown by the David Lean while Directing the movie.

The Bridge On River Kwai

Overall a very Moving Film which will lift up your spirits.

One word to Describe the Movie, Magnificent !

8.6/10

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick stands high on my list of greatest directors to have ever graced the silver screen. The amazing thing about most Kubrick movies is that he allows his audience to interpret his work rather than revealing his visions bluntly on screen.This sort of effort on part of the director is extremely difficult to achieve ,No wonder he was referred to as a perfectionist.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie which will bombard you beautiful visuals and cinematography .Keep in mind that this film was released in 1968 at which period CG was practically non existent or not as developed as today’s technology.   So most of the special effects produced onscreen were brilliantly thought off and painstakingly executed.

Something for which Kubrick should be immensely applauded for is the Interpretation of the Future.(Although space Habitation by humans is a distant affair) The Concepts being used such as the zero gravity toilets,Video Conferencing which may seem very common in today’s world , was rather unknown or unique 60 years ago.

The Movie Starts off with a scene pictured somewhere in Africa at around 4 Million years BC. A Monolith has been laid by  extraterrestrials close to a colony of apes.

The Monolith in my opinion acts as a symbolic figure which is meant to stand the tests of time. The group of apes encounter a tool which is portrayed by the director as an Instrument of creation.

The Scene progresses showing the transition from a mere instrument in the crude hands of an primate evolving into space age technology.This shows the advancements that man has been through over the ages.

The Next part of the movie which i immensely enjoyed was the interaction between the HAL 9000 (which is a Unique computer with a Brain and a Central Nervous system , Capable of taking decision by itself.) and the astronauts.  He portrays machines which believe in the concept of life and with a primary goal of sustaining itself.

The Final part of the Movie is the Journey of man through Death And beyond still accompanied by the monolith which acts a witness to Man’s Transitions.

The Monolith Standing The Tests of Time

The Background score has been perfectly selected and calibrated into the respective scenes.

As mentioned before regarding Kubrick’s style of letting people self interpret his movies will make you think regarding the possibility of the concepts being portrayed here.

One word to describe the movie , Perfect!

10/10

Harakiri

Seppuku /Harakiri is a Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It is the “Honorable” way to die.

Being my first actual entry into this blog. I was in a dilemma regarding which movie would be my first review.
Myself being an outsider to the Japanese culture who is ignorant to most of their practices. Prior to watching the film. I was rather intrigued with the concept of Harakiri and what significance it holds in the Japanese culture.

When anyone mentions Japanese movies to the outside world(sans Japan). People Think Kurosawa .
Harakiri is directed by Masaki Kobayashi another prodigy from the Japanese Film scene.

In The Late 17th Century The message of peace was spread across Japan leading to the Breaking of The Numerous warrior Clans in Japan.

The Samurai  were members of the Japanese military class who were warriors.When peace broke out in Japan . The Samurai were not needed anymore as there were no more battles for them to fight.
The Samurai lives with the principle “Honor Before everything” .
so any other profession apart from fighting was degrading to the Samurai class. They rather would Die honorably than live as a peasant.

The Movie Starts off with The Protagonist Hanshiro Tsugomo played By Tatsuya Nakadai making an appearance to a Clan House Requesting to perform seppuku within the Premises.
The Lord of the clan Being Notorious for keeping his word warns Hanshrio regarding the consequences of not coming seppuku once committed to do so By Narrating an incident which occurred before.
The Movie is packed with Tense closeups and Brilliant action scenes which keep you wanting for more.

Tatsuya Nakadai who has been cast in Numerous Kuroswava movies does a commendable job in Playing the role.

Hanshiro Tsugumo playing his part as a Father a Grandfather and an Honorable Samurai.

One of my favorite part of the Film was the scene involving Hanshiro’s scion being forced into dismembering himself by the clansmen. Although this seems a bit gory , It speaks a lot about the Directors vision and his understanding of the Samurai Culture.

Not to mention the fantastic climax which will put you through the nail biting experience of your life.

One word to describe the Movie after watching it, “Underrated”.

9/10

70mm The Premiere!

What is 70mm ?
Everything Feature Films.
Watching Feature Films Has been a Passion Which i thoroughly Enjoy and will continue to do so.

What To Expect From 70mm ?
This being My first attempt at actually creating a blog. The Various Entries into the Blog will be rather informal.