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TO END ALL WARS (Movie Review)
Visiting the actual Bridge on the River Kwai of the infamous Death Railway brought about a new interest in this part of the Second World War for me. By funny coincidence, the night my wife and I returned home from Thailand, we turned on the TV and they were running David Lean''s Classic The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Months later while perusing the just in shelf of my local video store I happened to glance upon this film and considering the subject matter though it worth the price of a nights rental.
To End All Wars is based on the book of the same name which is the autobiographical account of Earnest Gordon (Ciaráán McMenamin), who interrupted his studies to enlist in the Second World War and found himself captured by the Japanese in 1942, and spent the next three and a half years as a POW most of that time spent working on the infamous Death Railway in Thailand and Burma.
There are initially some comparisons to the David Lean film, aside form the location of the film. Captain Gordon (Ciaráán McMenamin) along with most of what remains of his Regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, are imprisoned at the work camp at Kanchanabari Thailand, which was the site of the real bridge. The camp commander is a less than competent drunk Captain Noguchi (Masayuki Yui). There is a stoic Senior British officer L/Col Stewart McLean (James Cosmo) the commander of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and even a cynical American misplaced American Lt. Jim "Yankerâ ? Reardon (Keifer Sutherland).
All similarities to the earlier Hollywood classic end there though. The Stoic Senior British officer is executed early on in the tale for standing up for him men''s rights. There is no escape into the jungle, no commando raid to destroy the bridge and the no explosive finale. It is more a tale of survival under inhuman conditions in like The Bridge on the River Kwai.
After the loss of their commander the prisoners form into two groups. One led by Major Ian Campbell (Robert Carlyle) begin to plot revenge on their Japanese captors. This will initially take the form of escape, and when the brutal realization that there is nowhere to escape to, then armed rebellion in the camp itself, with no hope of success and eventually horrible consequences.
Most of the prisoners under Gordon and Dusty Millar (Mark Strong) a prisoner, who speaks Japanese and understands their Code of Bushido, chose another option. To retain or in actuality to regain their semblance of humanity in the face the brutal conditions the find themselves. Reardon initially a loner having decided his own survival is paramount eventual joins this second group.
At the urging of some of the other prisoners, they set up a ""Jungle Universityâ ?â ? initially kept secret from their captors. Her studying philosophy, religion, ethics and the classics amongst others they hope to understand their plight, and the actions of those who literally determine their fate. It becomes a mechanism for the preservation of their minds and souls as much as for their physical bodies.
The idea of a classroom in a prisoner of war camp is actually not that far fetched. Many were established by Allied prisoners mainly in Europe to help deal with their captivity. In the harsh conditions of the Thai jungle it seems a little less plausible but not unrealistic.
The movie does have a somewhat of a religious overtone to it. The POW camp and the inhumane conditions and treatment under which the prisoners suffer seem to be almost a stand in for the biblical idea of Hell and the story is more on the redemption of the soul and spirit and idea of forgiveness as the pathway to that salvation rather than the idea of revenge.
The dramatic crucifixion of one of the main characters and the reason for it near the climax of the film seems to reinforce this theme.
The Japanese in the film are portrayed as brutal, and while in a political correct age this may seem inappropriate it was in fact the case. Some 16,000 of the 60,000 allied prisoners who worked on the Death railway died. The caused of death were often disease, and malnutrition brought on by over work lack of food and medicine, brutal treatment and often simple neglect.
As the movie points out the Japanese Bushido code found the concept of honourable surrender to your opponent in wartime alien to them. Therefore they were ill equipped to deal with prisoners and the various treaties Geneva and Hague not applicable.
The movie shows several incidents that reinforce this. Immediately after their capture several of the main characters, Gordon, Campbell, McLean and Reardon are subjected to a mock execution by their laughing guards. Other acts of brutality are also witnessed. On arrival at the camp their first site is fellow prisoners being tortured and three executed for trying to escape. Throughout the film all of them are subjected to various beatings and torture and two of the main characters are killed.
The Japanese guards are as much a victim of circumstance as their charges. Guarding a POW camp, as noted in the movie is not considered honourable service. Therefore those given this task are the dregs of their army. The camp commander Captain Noguchi and Lt. Colonel Nagatomo (Shu Nakajima) the officer tasked with building the railway are nothing more than brutal caricatures.
Sergeant Ito (Sakae Kimura) the chief guard, while more brutal than any of the other Japanese characters is more complex. He has been assigned to this duty after a failure in combat and considers himself dishonoured. He sees the only way to atone for this is in the brutality he inflicts on the prisoners. His single-mindedness and that of Major Campbell ensures that these two antagonists are on a collision course.
Only one of the Japanese characters Takashi Nagase (Yugo Saso) the camp translator is portrayed as humane. As he points out to Gordon, it his poor physical condition that assigned him to these duties not his command of the English language. Surprisingly these two enemies become if not friends then sometime less antagonistic. The film's end is followed by a postscript of footage of the real Earnest Gordon and Takashi Nagase meeting each other again for the first time since the war in 2000 at the military cemetery at Kanchanabari Thailand.
The footage of the two former combatants strolling through the well-kept cemetery grounds and pausing at a grave of a fallen comrade is tastefully done and serves to reinforce the main idea of the film.
There are a few errors in the film. I noticed a couple of errors in regards to the Brits and other uniforms, but they were minor and in at least one case may have been deliberate to enhance a character. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders did not wear their Kilts into battle in the Second World War but it is possible that an individual like Major Campbell would have kept his in captivity and wore it on certain occasions such as the funeral of his commanding officer.
The prisoners are shown near the end of the film being rescued by American paratroopers. Very few American troops saw service in the Burma India theatre of war and advancing British and Indian soldiers liberated most camps in the region.
While the backdrop of the tale is set against the horrific conditions of the building of the railway, little of these conditions are shown. There are a couple of references to the death house, but more prisoners are killed as a result of direct Japanese atrocities than disease and neglect as was the case. Naturally the actors all look too fit and healthy for the roles they are portraying. Stock footage of the actual malnourished prisoners is inters paced with scenes of the movie and the glaring differences are evident.
There are a few scenes of the prisoners actually building the railway, and subtitles show the progress, listing such famous or infamous markers as Hell Fire pass and Three Pagoda Pass. Unfortunately this gives the impression that this group of prisoners based at a camp on the River Kwai built the entire 400-kilometre length of it.
In fact camps were established all along the route with groups of prisoners being responsible for construction in their immediate area within walking distance from their camp. It is highly unlikely that the same group of POWs would have worked on The Kwai Bridge, Hell Fire Pass and Three Pagoda''s Pass.
These though are all minor points and do not really detract from the story as a whole.
The cinematography is excellent especially the opening shots of Scotland and the later close in ones of the railway under construction. The soundtrack and score serves to compliment the story, with its selection of traditional Scottish music. The acting is overall good. Sutherland''s performance is fair, while both Robert Carlye and Sakae Kimura turn in excellent performances. Relative newcomer Ciaráán McMenamin as Ernest Gordon turns in an acceptable performance although I question the need for his narration throughout as essential to the film.
DVD Extras
The DVD comes with both wide screen and pan and scan versions. Both run 157 minutes. It is in English with the Japanese in subtitles. English subtitles are also available for those who may have difficulty with the Scots accents of the main characters. A Spanish language option is also available.
As for extras there is a trailer for an unrelated B movie. There is also a 30-minute behind the scenes making of the film, which is worth watching. A voice over commentary, almost standard on DVDs, this time by director David L. Cunningham, is also provided.
Visiting the actual Bridge on the River Kwai of the infamous Death Railway brought about a new interest in this part of the Second World War for me. By funny coincidence, the night my wife and I returned home from Thailand, we turned on the TV and they were running David Lean''s Classic The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Months later while perusing the just in shelf of my local video store I happened to glance upon this film and considering the subject matter though it worth the price of a nights rental.
To End All Wars is based on the book of the same name which is the autobiographical account of Earnest Gordon (Ciaráán McMenamin), who interrupted his studies to enlist in the Second World War and found himself captured by the Japanese in 1942, and spent the next three and a half years as a POW most of that time spent working on the infamous Death Railway in Thailand and Burma.
There are initially some comparisons to the David Lean film, aside form the location of the film. Captain Gordon (Ciaráán McMenamin) along with most of what remains of his Regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, are imprisoned at the work camp at Kanchanabari Thailand, which was the site of the real bridge. The camp commander is a less than competent drunk Captain Noguchi (Masayuki Yui). There is a stoic Senior British officer L/Col Stewart McLean (James Cosmo) the commander of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and even a cynical American misplaced American Lt. Jim "Yankerâ ? Reardon (Keifer Sutherland).
All similarities to the earlier Hollywood classic end there though. The Stoic Senior British officer is executed early on in the tale for standing up for him men''s rights. There is no escape into the jungle, no commando raid to destroy the bridge and the no explosive finale. It is more a tale of survival under inhuman conditions in like The Bridge on the River Kwai.
After the loss of their commander the prisoners form into two groups. One led by Major Ian Campbell (Robert Carlyle) begin to plot revenge on their Japanese captors. This will initially take the form of escape, and when the brutal realization that there is nowhere to escape to, then armed rebellion in the camp itself, with no hope of success and eventually horrible consequences.
Most of the prisoners under Gordon and Dusty Millar (Mark Strong) a prisoner, who speaks Japanese and understands their Code of Bushido, chose another option. To retain or in actuality to regain their semblance of humanity in the face the brutal conditions the find themselves. Reardon initially a loner having decided his own survival is paramount eventual joins this second group.
At the urging of some of the other prisoners, they set up a ""Jungle Universityâ ?â ? initially kept secret from their captors. Her studying philosophy, religion, ethics and the classics amongst others they hope to understand their plight, and the actions of those who literally determine their fate. It becomes a mechanism for the preservation of their minds and souls as much as for their physical bodies.
The idea of a classroom in a prisoner of war camp is actually not that far fetched. Many were established by Allied prisoners mainly in Europe to help deal with their captivity. In the harsh conditions of the Thai jungle it seems a little less plausible but not unrealistic.
The movie does have a somewhat of a religious overtone to it. The POW camp and the inhumane conditions and treatment under which the prisoners suffer seem to be almost a stand in for the biblical idea of Hell and the story is more on the redemption of the soul and spirit and idea of forgiveness as the pathway to that salvation rather than the idea of revenge.
The dramatic crucifixion of one of the main characters and the reason for it near the climax of the film seems to reinforce this theme.
The Japanese in the film are portrayed as brutal, and while in a political correct age this may seem inappropriate it was in fact the case. Some 16,000 of the 60,000 allied prisoners who worked on the Death railway died. The caused of death were often disease, and malnutrition brought on by over work lack of food and medicine, brutal treatment and often simple neglect.
As the movie points out the Japanese Bushido code found the concept of honourable surrender to your opponent in wartime alien to them. Therefore they were ill equipped to deal with prisoners and the various treaties Geneva and Hague not applicable.
The movie shows several incidents that reinforce this. Immediately after their capture several of the main characters, Gordon, Campbell, McLean and Reardon are subjected to a mock execution by their laughing guards. Other acts of brutality are also witnessed. On arrival at the camp their first site is fellow prisoners being tortured and three executed for trying to escape. Throughout the film all of them are subjected to various beatings and torture and two of the main characters are killed.
The Japanese guards are as much a victim of circumstance as their charges. Guarding a POW camp, as noted in the movie is not considered honourable service. Therefore those given this task are the dregs of their army. The camp commander Captain Noguchi and Lt. Colonel Nagatomo (Shu Nakajima) the officer tasked with building the railway are nothing more than brutal caricatures.
Sergeant Ito (Sakae Kimura) the chief guard, while more brutal than any of the other Japanese characters is more complex. He has been assigned to this duty after a failure in combat and considers himself dishonoured. He sees the only way to atone for this is in the brutality he inflicts on the prisoners. His single-mindedness and that of Major Campbell ensures that these two antagonists are on a collision course.
Only one of the Japanese characters Takashi Nagase (Yugo Saso) the camp translator is portrayed as humane. As he points out to Gordon, it his poor physical condition that assigned him to these duties not his command of the English language. Surprisingly these two enemies become if not friends then sometime less antagonistic. The film's end is followed by a postscript of footage of the real Earnest Gordon and Takashi Nagase meeting each other again for the first time since the war in 2000 at the military cemetery at Kanchanabari Thailand.
The footage of the two former combatants strolling through the well-kept cemetery grounds and pausing at a grave of a fallen comrade is tastefully done and serves to reinforce the main idea of the film.
There are a few errors in the film. I noticed a couple of errors in regards to the Brits and other uniforms, but they were minor and in at least one case may have been deliberate to enhance a character. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders did not wear their Kilts into battle in the Second World War but it is possible that an individual like Major Campbell would have kept his in captivity and wore it on certain occasions such as the funeral of his commanding officer.
The prisoners are shown near the end of the film being rescued by American paratroopers. Very few American troops saw service in the Burma India theatre of war and advancing British and Indian soldiers liberated most camps in the region.
While the backdrop of the tale is set against the horrific conditions of the building of the railway, little of these conditions are shown. There are a couple of references to the death house, but more prisoners are killed as a result of direct Japanese atrocities than disease and neglect as was the case. Naturally the actors all look too fit and healthy for the roles they are portraying. Stock footage of the actual malnourished prisoners is inters paced with scenes of the movie and the glaring differences are evident.
There are a few scenes of the prisoners actually building the railway, and subtitles show the progress, listing such famous or infamous markers as Hell Fire pass and Three Pagoda Pass. Unfortunately this gives the impression that this group of prisoners based at a camp on the River Kwai built the entire 400-kilometre length of it.
In fact camps were established all along the route with groups of prisoners being responsible for construction in their immediate area within walking distance from their camp. It is highly unlikely that the same group of POWs would have worked on The Kwai Bridge, Hell Fire Pass and Three Pagoda''s Pass.
These though are all minor points and do not really detract from the story as a whole.
The cinematography is excellent especially the opening shots of Scotland and the later close in ones of the railway under construction. The soundtrack and score serves to compliment the story, with its selection of traditional Scottish music. The acting is overall good. Sutherland''s performance is fair, while both Robert Carlye and Sakae Kimura turn in excellent performances. Relative newcomer Ciaráán McMenamin as Ernest Gordon turns in an acceptable performance although I question the need for his narration throughout as essential to the film.
DVD Extras
The DVD comes with both wide screen and pan and scan versions. Both run 157 minutes. It is in English with the Japanese in subtitles. English subtitles are also available for those who may have difficulty with the Scots accents of the main characters. A Spanish language option is also available.
As for extras there is a trailer for an unrelated B movie. There is also a 30-minute behind the scenes making of the film, which is worth watching. A voice over commentary, almost standard on DVDs, this time by director David L. Cunningham, is also provided.
