Japan was not a signatory to the Geneva Convention, whereas the Germans were, regardless of inevitable atrocities. My father-in-law spent 39 months in two different Japanese prison camps in the Philippines during WWII, and he had horrendous stories to tell, but wouldn’t even tell us the worst of it. Thanks for this reaction, Cassie.

Cassie always comes through with reactons that no one else is putting up. This channel is the best.

My grandad was a pow in Burma or that area , he said he only made it because of a Buddhist Japanese guard who would sneak him food to share around and gave him one of those folding fans , he said that simple fan probably saved lives , he still had the fan when he died 12 years ago

William Holden was one of the biggest movie stars of his era. along with Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck , they were that generation's model of style and masculinity .

This movie was really about obsessions. Nicholson & Saito, building that bridge. Warden destroying it. Joyce wanting action. And Shears, the most reasonable obsession - wanting to get away from it all!

So the actual story of the 'Bridge' is a lot more interesting; the actual commander of the POWs was named Philip Toosey, who did everything he could to take care of his men, which earned him their enduring respect and loyalty. Toosey did everything he could to undermine the Japanese efforts in building the bridge, such as mixing the concrete wrong and collecting termites in large quantities to eat away at the support structures and origanize an escape, when the escapees where captured and killed, Toosey was severly punished. After the war, Toosey made efforts to save the life of Sgt. Maj. Saito (who was actually the executive officer), who treated the prisoners more humanly. His effortes were successful and the two remain friends for the rest of their lives.

My grandfather was a POW that worked & survived the building of the Thai-Burma Railway. He saw this when it was released and couldn't sleep for weeks after. My mother and Grandmother who were civillian POWs in Indonesia had the same experience after watching Empire of the Sun.

My grandfather was a POW of the Japanese. He never spoke of his experience or the things he had to endure. The only thing I remember my grandmother saying is he never bought anything made in Japan until he passed away

About 250,000 Asian civilians and 90,000 allied POW’s were used as slave laborers to construct the Burma railway. 88,000 civilians died and 12,000 POW’s died. It was a shameful breech of international law. The Bridge on the River Kwai was one of the first anti war movies released and it was both a critical and commercial success. It won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Director David Lean won Best Director and later went in to direct his masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia. William Holden made quite a career of playing the antihero. His work in the earlier Stalag 17 was also terrific. Great choice for a movie. Thanks Cassie!

Stalag 17 (1953) starring William Holden is another good war movie.

My father, RIP, was such a fan of this movie and persuaded me to watch it when i was a teen. Years later I finally watched it. Thanks dad, i understand now. Such a magnificent film. A grand spectacle in filmmaking. ❤

This is what's so great about older movies: they may not have had the special effects wizardry of the modern day (although there's nothing wrong with this one), but they gave themselves enough time and space to make great character studies, instead of trying to fill every second with spectacle.

Alec Guinness- one of the great actors of the 20th century. Well worth checking out his other movies: Lawrence of Arabia,The Ladykillers, , and even Star Wars (Obi-Wan Kenobi

This is one of the greatest movies.

Sessue Hayakawa (Saito) had an astonishing career. He was one of Hollywood's first heartthrobs in the 10s & 20s, playing not just Asian roles, but native Americans, Mexican, and any other 'exotic' lead. Growing anti-Japanese sentiment in California (several years before in the introduction of sound would probably have limited his career) sent him first the the New York stage and then to filming in Japan, Germany and France, where he became trapped on the outbreak of the war in Europe. Although he made a handful of French films during the war he mainly made a living as a painter. After the war he was cleared of any accusations of helping the Germans while in France and, with the help of Humphrey Bogart, returned to Hollywood. 'Kwai' earned him an Oscar nomination. As a side-note its interesting that while he played the dangerous 'exotic' leading man in Hollywood, in one of his Japanese films of thr 30s he played US Ambassador to Japan Townsend Harris!

The conversation between Nicholson and Saito on the bridge was a really good scene.

One of the reasons these older war films don't seem so brutal is this was made a mere 12 years after the war ended. They didn't have to describe it in detail because nearly everyone had lived it. They knew first hand the horrors.

"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) is an essentially true film of British officer T.E. Lawrence and his WW1 successes in fighting and leading battles in Arabia. The movie starred Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and others, and is long enough in time to have an intermission. Nominated for 10 Oscars, it won for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and in 4 other categories. Obviously a must watch film someday.

This is not only one of the greatest war movies ever, it’s one of the greatest films ever. Masterpiece.👍

I saw this movie with my family at the drive-in when I was 12. My dad told me the story of the POWs and how horrible the Japanese treated them. It was going to be a "date night" but they decided to take me. It was one of my earliest memories of feeling intense love and admiration for my mom and dad for allowing me to see the movie. Watching the movie once a year or so and it brings back fond memories of my parents.

Saito, the Japanese commander, had extreme shame because the British commander BEAT him - beat him because he made such a great bridge, HIS way - proving he was the superior officer. He could not live with himself, so he was going to commit suicide after the train and his mission had been accomplished.

The ending of this film is worth the wait. An absolute classic !!!

When I hear Nicholson trying to bolster the men's spirit, I can't help but hear that same voice decades later inspiring Luke to reach out with his feelings and connect with "the force". RIP Obi-Wan.

The Railway Man is a more recent movie starring Colin Firth based on the biography of one of the prisoners who worked on the Burma railway, who later tracked down one of the Japanese guards looking for revenge, but they eventually became friends.

"Tora, Tora, Tora" Fairly historically accurate. IMO, the best "Pearl Harbor" film.

I enjoy it when you watch these classic movies. These are my favorites reactions. You as a young reactor learn so many pop culture references which help you with other movies. Please do more of these reactions to old movies. It's nice to see that they're still appreciated.

Since you now have opened the door to David Lean, the great British director of epics, you will have to react to his two greatest masterpieces: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and, most importantly, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)! Cassie, you will love Doctor Zhivago, it is one of the all time great romance films! It's also at the top of the best winter movies, so I cannot recommend it strongly enough for you and your channel this coming season!

1949’s 12 O’Clock High has been described as one of the best films regarding the pressures of being in the Army Air Corps during World War II. It stars Gregory Peck and I think it would be an excellent film to react to before seeing the upcoming Steven Spielberg series Masters of the Air.

Im so happy you are doing one of the classics. Please do "Kelly's Heroes"..it is a comedic and serious WWII movie with Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Telly Savalas & Stuart Margolin (Rockford Files)..it is a hoot!

As bad as the Japanese seem to treat the prisoners in this movie, in real life they treated them way worse (look up Bataan Death March, for example).

The actor who played Colonel Saito was Sessue Hayakawa. Hayakawa was a leading man in Hollywood movies in the early 1920s. He was considered a heartthrob in his films.

Thank you for reacting to this film! My father and his brother, both born on Sumatra, were Prisoners of War in Siam, and had to to forced labor on the Birma Railroad. Five other brothers died during World War 2. I saw this film with my dad years ago.

One of the best cinematic representations of not being able to see the forest through the trees.

My second favorite film of all time. The end shocked me. It was the first film I saw as a child where the good guys didn't win and everyone died. It was my first experience with the reality of war

Anna May Wong always gets credit as the first Asian film star. But it was really Hayakawa. He was Valentino before Valentino.

One of the greatest war movies ever. It's not about a happy ending, it's about exploring the effects war has on its participants.

The grave yards along the rail line in Thailand have lots of markers of British and Australian soldiers that died building the railroad and its bridges. But also, lots of Dutch soldiers that were captured in The Netherlands East Indies.

Geoffrey Horne, who played Joyce, is the last surviving actor at age 90. I saw him speak at a screening of KWAI almost 10 years ago.

There is a book,"The Railway Man" which sheds light on the experience of the British slave laborers who worked on that railroad. It was later made into a movie starring Colin Firth. It is heartbreaking.

David Lean directed a number of great films. His 1965 Doctor Zhivago is an amazing historical drama and a great romantic film, definitely worth watching.

Not just a classic, a great classic. William Holden was in another great war classic a few year prior to this called "Stalag 17" and it's worth watching if you find the time.

Nicholson became a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, where the captive identifies with the captor. Japanese prison camps were brutal places. My father was a veteran of WWII. He had a friend, also a veteran, who survived the Bataan Death March followed by five years in a Japanese POW camp. He didn't talk much about his experiences other than to say that the march and the camp were both Hell on Earth.

Cassie, now that you have seen "The Bridge on the River Kwai", you need to see David Lean's other films with "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago". All of those films are incredible as well, and Alec Guinness also appears in "Lawrence of Arabia".

That whistling song carried on for years in my house. My family saw this movie when I was a kid and my brothers and sisters used to whistle it now and then when playing or walking somewhere long distance. It was fun.

The Train (1964) Burt Lancaster An amazing film with the French Resistance making it tough for the Germans who have taken control of a local train yard... Burt Lancaster does his own stunt work in this film ! Well worth a watch and a film you won't forget

That ending! Still works even today!

I recommend several other war classics: "The Dirty Dozen" (1967, an excellent adventure-war drama with some humorous elements), "Where Eagles Dare" (1968, spy-war), "Kelly's Heroes" (1970, war with many elements humorous). Regards :)

Interesting when the Colonel reminisces about his 28 years in the Army. My Dad joined at 16 and retired at 55, a career spanning 39 years that took him to Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Guyana, Malawi, Germany, Hong Kong, Cyprus and the UK, from what I can remember. I've no doubt forgotten a few others.

This film is about motivation. Fear is a poor motivator. If you use fear, people will often die rather than help you. If you use love, then people will die to help you. This is what the film is about. They make a joke about it in Star Wars when a droid has a bad motivator.

Alec Guinness is my favorite actor of all time and this is his best performance. He's also great in KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949). I would love to see Cassie react to that.

Iconic! If you want another iconic British Military movie based on actual events "Zulu" is possibly the greatest British Military movie ever made!

Thank you, Cassie, for bringing back memories of my Dad!! He was a bomber pilot in WWII and this movie was played constantly in my house when I was growing up! He passed 10 years ago and I miss him dearly, but this movie brought a smile to me. Thanks again!

Alec Guinness was tired to be remembered Just for Obi wan, I heard in a documentary about him he didn't even read the letters from fans who mentioned Obi-Wan.....I loved star wars but I can understand him, he worked hard his whole life.....not just for one role.....

My Granddad loved this movie, even though at the end he would say Hollywood can't get anything right. He went to Burma in 1944 as part of the 124th Cavalry Special. After Merrill's Marauders evacuated they went in to finish clearing the Ledo and Burma Roads. PBS did a documentary on them too called The Last Horse Soldiers, because it was their job to clear the roads and get all the supplies, packed on mules, from India to China. He didn't talk much about it, but some of the stories he told me before he died turned my stomach.

*"What have I done?"* is one of the best ufcking lines in cinema history.

Thank you for your reaction to this classic! To answer your question: Yes, the story is true. I, while in the service, was able to visit the River Kwai (a Kwai is the Thai name for a water buffalo). I walked j=knee deep into the river, while it was low and gave my respects to the British soldiers who were buried in a cemetery above the river. There is a bridge over the river but a newer one of cement and iron, not far from the one the British soldiers built. That part of the river is actually in Western Thailand, not far from the border. This is simply a great movie. Thanks again...TC

Good choice of films! "Bridge on the River Kwai " is one of David Lean's best films, equal, if not greater, to "Lawrence of Arabia". I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions to other classic films from the past. There are so many to see!

I love the fact that back in the day how do you film that last scene? Well, you build a bridge over the river and valley, you lay railroad track on it, you blow up same bridge and you run an actual train off it. BOOM! You put as many cameras at as many angles as you can because you’re only going to get one shot. Awesome. People’s lives were on the line when they’d make movies back then. Hostess kept saying she was confused and I kept saying “exactly.” Guinness has this very telling scene where he’s reminiscing with commandant about his life. He drops his staff in the river. (symbol of his authority and leadership?) Then he turns to commandant and says, “I must be off.” Yes, you are. I love the symbolism of that scene. I also love the spell out for audience what the movie is about with final word spoken, “Madness!” Needless to say, I’m a fan.

This was based on real events of the Death Railway in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Many P.O.W's died due to the horrific conditions. My grandfather was there and was one of the lucky ones who got to return home. My grandfather was 6'2'' tall and my dad told me he was about 7 stone (98 lbs) when he returned and had ribs sticking out so far he looked very much like the prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.

I love that final aerial shot, with James Donald walking back towards the wreckage of the bridge. Can I also say that I admire the director for inserting the shot of the sweet little Thai girl's face when Joyce is shot by the Japanese.

Cassie how about taking a peak at these movies.."The Longest Day"..."A Bridge too Far"..."Battle of the Bulge"..."Patton"...have a nice day.

Because William Holden had won an Oscar a few years earlier, he didn't mind not getting a nomination for this -- he was receiving 10% of the profits, and this movie made a ton of money.

Had Nicolson survived and made it back to England, he would have been tried for Conspiring With The Enemy at least and possibly Treason(i don't know the British articles for that). As stated in the first part of the movie, it is EVERY military member's duty to attempt escape if physically possible.

My father loved this movie, and I remember him showing it to me as a kid, in the 80's and liking it. One of the first "old" movies I ever saw and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Hey Cassie, Good Job reacting to "The Bridge on the River Kwai", The guy who played Shears the U.S Navy Commander was played by William Holden, You should check out his Oscar nominated performance as Joe Gillis a screenwriter from Sunset Boulevard (1950)

One of my late step-father's favourite movies, we watched it many times together. This won 7 Oscars, including Best Actor for Alec Guinness (Obi Wan himself, don't tell me you didn't recognise him), Best Film and Best Director for David Lean. David Lean won also Best Director for Lawrence of Arabia in 1963 - which you should also check out. The man was nominated (including those he won) for 11 Oscars in his career - for writing and editing on top of directing. A multi-skilled filmmaker and one of Steven Spielberg's biggest inspirations.

Hi Cassie… i’ve been watching your reactions for quite a while, and I’ve been loving every minute of it! It’s refreshing to see somebody genuinely seeing these movies for the first time and seeing their reaction. I’m 72, my father Max Cooper was an Australian World War II veteran who was captured in Singapore by the Japanese, and spent 3 1/2 years behind bars and in prison camps. He helped build the Burma Thailand railway as slave labor for the Japanese. His treatment along with all the others was an abomination of course, of 2000 men that were with him only 250 were alive after 3 1/2 years. beatings, starvation and tropical diseases killed most of them. The Japanese would not give them the food or Red Cross supplies that were sent to them. When general MacArthur of the USA launched an invasion to take back Singapore, the Japanese high command ordered all prisoners to be killed and for the Japanese to head north back to Japan for what was to be the last stand…as the allied forces closed in on the Japanese. Hundreds of thousands of young men from both sides were expected to die My father’s number was up as the Japanese were following orders to the letter, at that precise moment the first atomic bomb went off in Hiroshima, the Japanese were bewildered and in disarray, and when the second bomb was dropped they finally surrendered. As tragic as the devastation those atomic bombs created the paradox is I would not be here, nor would my daughter if they were not dropped. My father survived the war, came back, went back to work at the bank, had 40 years of terrible health and then eventually passed away at 86. This is why those people are referred to as the greatest generation, I cannot imagine anyone going through this in these modern times. Thanks for listening love your channel!

Modern thrillers could learn so much about building unbearable tension from this classic! Also, this is based on a novel written by Pierre Boulle, who also wrote Planet of the Apes, imagine that :D

Of all the classic films released in 1939 the lead actor in 1939 Good Bye Mr Chips won Academy Award for Best Actor Robert Donat... 1939 the greatest year of film releases ever!!!

This is one of my all time favourite movies. Hope you enjoy it. Alex Guiness is great in his role.

People remember Alec Guinness mostly as a dramatic actor, but he was the lead in 1949's "Kind Hearts and Coronets" where he plays a man who begins to murder his relative in succession so as to inherit the title of Duke. It's a pretty good classic comedy

Absolute tour-de-force by the greatest actors of that time, with one of the greatest directors at the helm. The answers to your questions, yes, they all went mad. The ending is not "satisfying" but essential in understanding war's true nature. I can't express how happy I was to see you do this incredible film. If you haven't seen "Lawrence Of Arabia" by all means do so. Also, for William Holden at his snarkiest, try "The Horse Soldiers" with him and John Wayne. Great fun seeing their interactions. As always, spot-on job!

Finally!! This is my *favorite* movie of all time. I'm joining at the end. It influenced Spiellberg and Lucas a lot. The next mandatory watch is "Lawrence of Arabia". Another thinking cap "war" movie. With some of the same stars as this one.

The British commander Alec Guinness played the original Obi Wan that trained Luke Skywalker.

The last 20 minutes of this movie are captivating! David Lean is widely regarded as one of cinema's greatest film directors: His most acclaimed movies are "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) And "Great Expectations" (1946). I also personally love "Brief Encounter" and his rom com "Blithe Spirit."

This and the film 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence' I think are the two most impactful films that cover WWII in the far east. As a veteran, and with Remembrance having just taken place, there were commemorations that took place in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where this film is set, and where there is a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery where many of those that didn't survive the War, are laid to rest. My Grandfather landed on the beaches at Normandy on D Day, and took part in the liberation of Belgium. Sadly he passed in 1991, but his whole life he refused to buy anything that was Japanese, as he said he could never forgive how his friends were treated in the War.

This film is definitely a world war 2 classic. Saw this when I was a kid in the 80s and couldn't believe Obi-Wan was "siding" with the enemy. Of course it portrays quite well the excess of pride and duty to point of it becoming hubris. The British officer class has always seemed to have that problem. Sir Alec Guinness gives a fantastic performance. Sessue Hayakawa (he also stars in Disney's Swiss Family Robinson as the pirate captain) perfectly portrayed the cruelty of the Japanese during WW2. Another well made movie, and true story about the Japanese POW camps is "Unbroken". William Holden was a superstar celebrity back when this movie came out. "Escape From Fort Bravo" was one of his that I like.

War IS madness. Director David Lean (Lawrence Of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) shot this on location in Ceylon, nowadays it is called Sri Lanka, and like many of his films it was physically demanding on the cast and crew. William Holden (Shears) had a great contract for this movie, and essentially used the money he got in yearly payments, to fund his Hollywood lifestyle, for the rest of his life. Alec Guiness, later in life Sir Alec Guiness (Nicholson), of course played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first three Star Wars movies, Episodes IV, V and VI. Jack Warden the Cambridge Don, was also in Lawrence Of Arabia, as a British General. The Japanese actor Sesui Hiakawa was an old Silent Movie star in Japanese cinema, and Mr.. Lean had to lean on him hard to get him to cry, and he did, finally, cry for real. Cassie, you had a great reaction, and asked the right questions at the end.

This is the lightest depiction of a japanese POW camp I ever came across. Amazing movie, which explores how the purpose feeling misplaced can blind you sometimes.

At 14:32 "All WORK AND NO PLAY makes JACK a dull boy" is the line of *THE SIHINNING* (Cassie missed it) 🙄 but was first said by Oliver to Stan in the 1933 comedy SONS OF THE DESERT. 😂

On my Top Ten list. Absolutely magnificent achievement- and the big explosion and crash at the end are REAL-NO special effects. Had anything gone wrong with that shoot, it could have ruined the entire movie. David Lean also directed Lawrence of Arabia, with another real train wreck. He commanded this production like a great general.

This is one of my favorite David Lean movies. He made another great one called Great Expectations, my favorite movie adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel. These two movies have something interesting in common: a main character (Colonel Nichols, Miss Havisham), who realizes just before they die that they've made a huge mistake, and both of them say the exact same line: "What have I done?"

Yes! David Lean! It's just a tiny hop skip and a jump to 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Dr Zhivago' and a 'Passage to India', with Alec Guiness in all four movies (this one included) 😀

The Japanese, as a whole, were absolutely brutal to their prisoners of war. Images of their prisoners, including those that worked on the Burma Railway show the men looking like skeletons with skin. One of my Dad's uncles was captured and imprisoned in southeast Asia, and was executed by the Japanese. He was forced to drink petrol, and then they ignited him. The portrayal of the men in the camp in this movie was far from typical.

Hee hee - beaver fever. You're such an Albertan, Cass. :) ❤ Love that you're connecting to the classics - so many great movies lost to time these days. The cutting of the topknot represents an act of shame in samurai culture. Saito thinks he's failed.

The speech at the 4:00 mark - now we know where the speech on Rura Penthe in Star Trek VI came from. P.S. Sir Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi from the original Star Wars trilogy) won the Academy Award for this performance.

This might be Cassie's best reaction yet. Galaxy Quest was my favorite, because it's one of my favorite movies, but River Kwai makes you think about important subjects. Another great movie she should consider is In the Heat of the Night 1967, with Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger (and Quentin Dean!) Heavy subject matter for 1967. If Cassie reacts to another TV series I would love her to consider Hill Street Blues Season 1. HSB was a ground breaking TV series that lead to series like The Sopranos and The Wire.

My father passed in 2001. This is one of those movies we watched more than once together. Others include Von Ryan's Express, A Bridge Too Far, The Dirty Dozen (my personal favorite) and Escape From New York.

I’m surprised that nobody talks about Sessue Hayakawa portrayal of Colonel Saito, it’s just a shock to know that he didn’t win an Oscar for his role. All in all, which movie do you prefer since they both were nominated for Best Picture? 12 Angry Men or Bridge on the River Kwai?

One of the greatest movies ever! (And movies were better before CGI!) ❤❤

My art teacher from secondary school was famous for painting murals on the walls of his prison of war camp, Changi Prison, after he was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore. Stanley Warren . He had a hunch and bowed back from treatment at the hands of his captors. He was a very nice man , who had joined the Army to fight the Germans but was posted to Malaya .

Appropriate time to watch this, considering it was Remembrance Day in Britain and the commonwealth a few days ago. My great grandfather was an RAF medic stationed in Burma, so he saw the horrible things the Japanese did to soldiers and even civilians

The name Alec Guinness seemed to ring a bell for you. I wondered if you would realize he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, when you saw him and heard his voice. True, he looked much different 20 years younger and in a British uniform. He was in the 1948 movie Kind Hearts and Coronets, playing 8 roles. It's a twisted comedy about a man who wants to inherit a dukedom, and there are 8 family members ahead of him, so he plots to kill them all. The Great Escape was made in 1963. This movie was made in 1957. The Great Escape was set in Europe, where the enemy -- the Germans -- didn't treat captured soldiers too badly. The Japanese considered surrender the worst kind of cowardice, which they thought gave them a license to be cruel. Colonel Saito seemed as if he could have been a decent man if he weren't a commanding officer in a war, and from a warrior culture of shame and obedience. You kept saying you didn't understand, but in fact you understood perfectly.

This is a true classic. And, yes. Kelly's Heroes is soooo great. One of my favorites and chock full of stars from the era when it was made...including Uncle Leo from Seinfeld!

I always find it difficult to understand that they could make movies this beautiful in 1957.

Sir Alecc Guiness is one of the best actors ever and I wish I could've been able to meet him. He seemed like such a skilled professional and I would've loved to just talk the craft with him.

This was my late fathers favorite movie I always smile thinking of it.

It's great to see someone watch this classic.

Nickleson saw the bridge as his legacy. It started as a way to get his men through the war but it ended up being the proof that he made a difference. It was the only thing he could point at to prove he existed.

The Bridge on the River Kwai dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, but it was largely fictional. Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese.