Remakers Mark 15, Part 2 {The Bridge on the River Kwai}: A Monument For British Huff-n-Puffery

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In part two of our discussion of ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai‘, we first reveal who we picked as the best recasting choices, as well as listed feedback received from Facebook and Twitter. Then we tackle a wide range of topics, including the changes we would like to see in the portrayals of both Nicholson and Saito, the strangeness of both of their behavior throughout the film, and our being pleasantly surprised at the cultural sensitivity shown in the film (considering it was made in 1957). We also discussed some filmmaking changes we would like to see in a remake, including both an appreciation for the original’s epic nature, and a proposed tightening/shortening with that in mind (montages, anyone?), as well as raising the stakes in the POW camp from the get-go. Finally, history junkie Mark discusses some alternate times and settings that could be used for such a remake.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

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• Buy: DVD • iTunes
• IMDB

Actors, Actresses, and Directors Discussed

• Ewan McGregor
• Benedict Cumberbatch
• William Holden
• Karl Urban
• Sessue Hayakawa
• Ken Watanabe
• Alec Guinness
• Kenneth Branagh
• Geoffrey Horne
• Anton Yelchin
• David Lean

Links and Movies/TV Shows Discussed

• Lawrence of Arabia
• Doctor Zhivago