96. Network, 95. Out of the Past, 94. Barry Lyndon, 93. The Philadelphia Story, 92. The Manchurian Candidate, 91. Stagecoach, 90. His Girl Friday, 89. A Streetcar Named Desire, 88. Wild Strawberries, 87. Metropolis, 86. Man With a Movie Camera, 85. Fanny and Alexandra, 84. All Quiet on the Western Front, 83. Bride of Frankenstein, 82. High Noon, 81. Kind Hearts And Coronets, 80. The Lady Eye, 79. The Best Years Of Our Lives, 78. Blue Velvet, 77. Persona, 76. Nosferatu, 75. Fargo, 74. Blow-up, 73. It Happened One Night, 72. The Grapes Of Wrath, 71. Notorious, 70. Touch Of Evil, 69. L’Avventura, 68. The Night Of The Hunter, 67. The African Queen, 66. The Deer Hunter, 65. The 400 Blows, 64. M, 63. The Treasure of The Seirra Madre, 62. Nashville, 61. Ugetsu, 60. La Dolce Vita, 59. Once Upon A Time In The West,
58. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Watched this when I was studying Media Studies in India and I was doing research for my project on Film Appreciation (the happiest days of my life, study-wise). This film exudes coolness.
When a battalion of British troops end up as prisoners of war somewhere in the Indo-Chine jungles, they are taken to this PoW camp run by the Japanese. Like the rest of the P’soW they have to work on this bridge over the river Kwai.
Like good natured British men, they take on the task (though after quite a bit of hassle and display of dignity and power between them and the Japs).
And then they meet some American troops too, who were also PoW’s in the camp. They succeed in escaping, but find out they have to go back into the jungles to blow up that very bridge that the British are working on!
This is a story of men of dignity facing up to bare brutality and choice. Great great entertainment and work of cinema. One of my favourites.