The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 2 Filmmakers react! 1st Time Watching! War Movie Madness begins!
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- War! what is it good absolutely everything! say it again!. Yes Finally we've moved on to one of my favorite subjects, and we start out with a doozy. probably one of the most perfect films ever made. The masterful David Lean takes us to the Jungles of Ceylon to explore the inner conflict and obsession of Col. Nicholson Alec Guinness. Also stars William Holden and Jack Hawkins. Join us as we delve into the MADNESS of WAR. Also Please check out my short film "Strangers in the Night:" on the Screamfest Homepage you can find it here.
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Major and Richard are two filmmakers and Cinematographers. Richard also directs
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Major is also is a sound op
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This series will show films that one or both of us have not seen. They are honest straight reactions. We do not own the rights to these films, we simply critique and react to them. Please take the time to like and subscribe. Also comment below if you feel inspired to do so.
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@ richardkeithq7df
The "whistled" tune as the British soldiers march into the camp is called "The Colonel Bogey March". During WWII the lyrics put forth to the tune were "raunchy", so David Lean knowing that the song could not be sung (it would never get past the film board sensors of the day) had it "whistled" instead.
The lyrics:
"Hitler, he only has one ball,
Goering, has two but they are small,
Himmler had something simmler,
But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all"
It’s traditionally whistled. It was composed in 1914. Different sets of lyrics have been set to the song. You refer to the bawdy lyrics added in WWII. There have also been patriotic lyrics and silly ones (such as the Comet version with which I am familiar as a kid).
I’m pretty sure that David Lean, being an Englishman, was aware that the song was composed at the start of the Great War and was traditionally whistled. It’s rather doubtful that Nicholson would have permitted his men to sing the raunchy lyrics. Lean didn’t use the whistled version to avoid the ire of censors. He did it because it was correct for the film.
If you got your information from Wikipedia, it should be noted that the bit at the end about censorship worries is unsupported by any retrievable sources. There are no footnotes on this section to the purported interview. The story sounds apocryphal to my ear.
The key is that Holden and Guinness are opposites. Yet at the end denouement, they swap places: the uncommitted conman becomes the hero, whilst the career military obsessive becomes a traitor. They meet like ego and shadow before the final big bang.
David Lean was one of the greats.. The sheer acting ability on display in this film is astounding.. The shots are gorgeous.. And the ending is pure madness..
"Madness! MADNESS !!"
This is loosely based on fact. When the Japanese invaded British Mayla and eventually Singapore in February 42 around 130,000 British, Australian and Indian troops had surrendered to the Japanese. It was the biggest capitulation in history of the British Army. The Japanese put many thousands of these men onto the death railway linking Rangoon and Bangkok. It was to transport Japanese troops into Burma and prepare them for the invasion of British India. It's been suggested that around 55,000 men died in the construction the Thai Burma railway .Many more were brutalised during there three and half years of captivity.
The actor who plays the doctor also was in The Great Escape
Another great POW movie is The Great Escape.Fact-based,and a great cast,including Steve McQueen,James Garner,Richard Attenborough,Charles Bronson and James Coburn.
That was my late brother's favorite movie. My 21 year old grandson watched it a couple of years ago & loved it.
"Stalag 17" + "The Great Escape" = Hogan's Heroes!
Paths of Glory if you haven't seen it already. Das Boot, Apocalypse now, Glory (or Red Badge of Courage if you want something different.
Apocalypse now is up we did it months ago check it out
Yes. Das boot. It will make you hate war, like all the good anti war movies.
You guys are by far the most "normal" reactors. Thank you. No over-the-top jaw drops, emotion whoring, nor peddling. It's actually sad how saturated the aforementioned gimmicks are that, when finding normal people, it's like a unicorn. Holy hell.
Huge Lean fan. Speaking of unicorns, curious if you guys can react to Ridley Scott's Legend (Director's Cut). I was introduced to that film around age 4 (European Cut), and it was a salient experience.
Watch it every year during the holidays. In Scott's commentary, he mentions his 2 inspirations: Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (1946) and those old opulent Christmas cards.
People complain about the glittery snow. Scott mentioned seeing snow like that, I skeptically took him at his word, then decades later in Tahoe I saw snow shimmer exactly like that under moonlight. Stunningly beautiful in that I was literally stunned. Then I immediately thought back to Scott thinking that beautiful bastard was right.
Would love to hear your guys' commentary. Cheers!
One small grace scene at the end I always liked was when the boy at the detonator died, the girl stood up with a look on her face that has always touched me.
It’s Love lost, and the loss of future life n possibilities, that contributes to War’s “madness!”
I’ve always been grateful to Lean for including it. So many wouldn’t even think of it. Or, if they did, might edit it from the script n not film it at all.
No CGI. Real bridge, real train, real explosion- get it right the first time, or you can't afford to do it over. Greatest scene ever filmed. This was moviemaking, in the day. The great David Lean was most famous for "Lawrence of Arabia," but this is the superior film. Both films must be in the Top Five ever.
Wow! You really caught me unexpectedly. So glad you chose this classic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reaction to it before and it really is an absolute classic. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this one over the years. Thank you. If you get the chance you may want to check out: “Tunes of glory” It’s really a post war movie staring Alec Guinness. His performance ,I believe, equals this one.
Remember when you had to set aside time to watch it on "ABC Sunday Night Movies?"
There are a few more "reactions." All very good, because only serious cinephiles are going take all of this in. Generally they'll move on to "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago." Throw in "The Lady Killers"(1955) and you have yourselves a "Guinness Fest." Hopefully, the algorithm will pull those up on your feed now. Those channels brought me to these gentlemen.
This and Lawrence Of Arabia are both in my Top 10 of all time. Love your reaction to it.
"What have I done?"
"Madness! Madness!"
It's about the "Madness!" of war.
Fun Fact: On the first take of the final bridge sequence, the explosives on the bridge didn't detonate. The train crossed over safely, only to crash down a hill on the other side.
Music Enthusiast Fact: Director Sir David Lean initially wanted Nicholson's soldiers to enter the camp while singing the popular parody song "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" poking fun at Adolf Hitler and various other Nazi leaders. Sam Spiegel told him it was too vulgar, and so the whistling-only version of the "Colonel Bogey March" was used instead.
Historical Fact: Colonel Saito was inspired by Major Risaburo Saito, who, unlike the character portrayed in this movie, was said by some to be one of the most reasonable and humane of all of the Japanese officers, usually willing to negotiate with the P.O.W.s in return for their labor. Such was the respect between Saito and Lieutenant Colonel Toosey (upon whom Colonel Nicholson was based), that Toosey spoke up on Saito's behalf at the war-crimes tribunal after the war, saving him from the gallows. Ten years after Toosey's 1975 death, Saito made a pilgrimage to England to visit his grave.
Wow.. That's beautiful
PHENOMENAL MOVIE! glad you watched it!
just watched you Lawrence of Arabia reaction. that is my favorite film. David Lean and Stanley Kubrick are my favorite directors. i watched Bridge on the River Kwai many times as a child. it was a standard in the 80s on the Disney channel. my father was very religious, and this was a clean movie in his eyes. now, as a history professor, i use scenes from these films to reinforce themes from my courses.
Thanks , agree
A certified classic. They still show it on regular broadcast television here to this day, especially around certain commemorative days relating to WWII.
I'm glad that you guys really enjoyed this. I think it's an absolute Classic and it's made so well that it's ridiculous. This movie made in 1957 holds up in 2022 better than almost any movie I can think of. The acting is great and the cinematography is just gorgeous. Those locations were perfect for the story.
Paths of Glory, Zulu, The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Platoon, and The Thin Red Line are some of my favorite war films I hope you guys consider reacting to during War Movie Madness.
It was filmed in what was then called Ceylon now Sri Lanka.
Maddness ......you can truly beleive that Alec Guinness is totally INSANE
And the book, also possessed in it.
Have y'all ever considered reacting to "Stalag 17"? The whistled song: "Colonel Bogey March."
The shot of the dedication plaque floating by at the end brings to mind the ending of A Night to Remember where a life preserver with S.S. Titanic on it is shown floating by. EDIT: I thought maybe Lean had borrowed it, but A Night to Remember actually came out a year after Kwai.
It is really great to see people who understand one of my favorite movies of all time react. William Holden and Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins were super actors when acting was more important than special effects
Love watching movies without cgi as it feels more authentic. Great reaction
I don't know. I'm not certain a train wreck is as satisfying as a car chase or two.
If tracking shots are your thing, check out Buster Keaton’s The General. Insane tracking shots, mind boggling really. Also a great Civil War picture, and a masterpiece of comedy as well. I heard from an old grip back in the early 80s that the Chapman dolly was based on Buster’s design, he made his own dolly apparently, as he was a huge train enthusiast, and a great engineer in his own right. I’ve never been able to confirm the story, but it has the ring of truth.
And you are not going to say anything about the stunts, eh?
A Man, a Train, and a Bridge. Oh, and a Girl, but she's a complication.
@@marioarguello6989 well, that’s kinda like saying ‘check out this Miles Davis record, it has some great trumpet playing on it.’
@@ronbock8291 Well, that's kind of assuming everyone is very familiar with Buster Keaton 'work, in which case the recommendation to check his tracking shots would be superfluous.
@@marioarguello6989 true, I tend to forget that Buster is not necessarily recognized for his genius these days, or even recognized at all. For me, he’s arguably the greatest kinetic, pure cinema director who ever lived, his contribution to film grammar that we all take for granted is more enormous than any other, particularly in how he moves his camera, and how he frames his action for maximum story/comedic effect. He is probably the first filmmaker to fully understand that the camera can be the gag simply by how it’s placed. And ask any stunt person, he is hands down the greatest stuntman and stunt coordinator of all time. Only Jackie Chan comes close, and he is the first to say he is not in Buster’s league.
And in the end the bird flies aloof above it all.
Where Eagles Dare would be a good movie to react to starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Stephen Spielberg named it as his favourite war movie.
and the guns of navarone.
You should see David Lean's earlier effort, "Hobson's Choice," an absolutely brilliant movie starring Charles Laughton, Brenda DeBanzee and John Mills.
I think the pacing in this movie is perfect. It's a long movie and not action packed, yet something interesting always seems to be happening. Then at the end when things ramp up, they ramp up fast.
The walking out boot scene is very much like the prisoner of war movie Stalag 17. When ,. Commandant played by the German director Otto Preminger walks out to talk to the prisoners in the German prisoner-of-war camp. William Holden played very much the same character of a skimmer in both movies. The Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa deserved an Oscar. I believe Alex Guinness won an Oscar for this role.
Sir Alec Guinness, also known as Obi-Wan Kenobi
You guys completely missed the point of the whistling (see comments from paulkingartwerks7981). This was a well known tune in WW2 and anyone of that age would have understood that they were whistling a tune of resistance. Notice William Holdens expression, shaking his head as if to say, no good will come from resisting the Japanese. And look at the face of the two British prisoners, amazed that they are openly mocking the Japanese (though the Japanese do not know it). This one of the most important scene in the film, as it lays out the relationship between the British and Japanese commanders.
Yes, more of a great work of art than just another movie. Well done guys.
Another film my father sat me down to watch when I was a kid. Even though I didn't want to, lol but yet again 2 hours later of being engrossed in another great movie "suggestion" from my Dad , I had to admit to him that I thoroughly enjoyed it lol. RIP Sir Alec Guinness, who is known by far too many for one role (Obi Wan), but he has a plethora of great performances in other great movies.
** FILM -TIE-IN** Alec Guiness talking on finished bridge with Japanese Colonel: " ..it's nearer the End than the Beginning.." ( from film "NETWORK"): ..William Holden says SAME LINE!!
The longest day is the best WW2 movie !!! Maybe that one ?
I love this film, I saw it when I was about 10, the ending blew my mind. It was my first glimpse of what war really was.
Great film , my grandad fought the Japanese and hated them till the day he died. He would spit on Japanese made cars , no way would our family then have ever owned anything Japanese. I didn't blame him or judge him on that.
Lean a "Journeyman", before Summer Madness??!! He had already directed This Happy Breed, Brief Encounter, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist, classics all.
Madness, madness! The horror, the horror.
If you guys would like to continue the theme of 'war movies' but only set to the background of war, then I recommend The Hill (1965) with Sean Connery and Breaker Morant (1980) with Edward Woodward. Both interesting historical time pieces with superlative acting ensembles.
Bit of trivia, the movie is adapted from a novel from Pierre Boulle, who happened to work, as a Free French, with British commandos in the Far East in WW2. Boulle was mainly a sci-fi writer though, mostly known for another novel : Planet of The Apes.
And the book has a surprise ending.
Classic movie. This is the 1st time I've seen this in about 3 decades
Unless someone already recommended it, another classic film you guys should "react" to is Network (1976). It stars William Holden, Faye Dunaway, and Peter Finch. I wrote a paper on the movie in college, and I believe its message on the impact of corporate media remains relevant today. In addition to the message, the writing and acting is tremendous. Hope you two give Network a shot.
The tune they're whistling is, Hitler has only got one ball, the other is in the Albert hall, his mother the dirty bugger cut it off when he was small, and repeat.
Hope everyone realizes that the train wreck was a real full-size train, not a model, and of course not CGI. They really blew up the bridge they had built for the film. One take, no previews or do-overs, with only the camera equipment you could drag into the jungle... better hope the film turns out good when it's developed 'cause there's no second chances.
For War Movies consider Peter Weir’s superb Gallipoli, starring a very young Mel Gibson.
Madness.
Madness.
Madness...
The original book, '' La Pont sur la Riviere Kwai, was written by the French author Pierre Boule, awho was aprisoner of war ( in French Indo- china ), he , also wrote , La Plenete des Singes', in English, The Planet of the apes ' .
This is one of the all time greats.
Another great war movie I'd recommend is The Great Escape (1963) , not at the level of Bridge on the River Kwai or Lawrence of Arabia, but a fantastic movie nonetheless.
Cliptons words in the end perfectly sum it up...pure unmoderated madness
David Lean is a master film maker. "The Bridge On The River Kwai", originally written by a French author, is only one of his great films, along with "Dr. Zhivago" and "Lawrence Of Arabia", enough for any one man to make in a lifetime. All three are "technically" war movies, as they take place in and around wars, though "Lawrence" has the most real battle scenes. More good War Movies: "Das Boot" (in German with English subtitles please), "Apocalypse Now", "Paths Of Glory", "Full Metal Jacket", "Waterloo", "Gettysburg", and "Sergeant York".
Lean’s earlier films are well worth seeking out… his Oliver Twist with Alec Guinness as Fagin is probably my favourite Dickens adaptation.
Best Battle Reenactment Film .... "Waterloo" The Helicopter shot of the Attack of the French Cavalry against the Massed Brittish Squares is worth the price of admission!
Beautiful film, based on a book written by Pierre Boulle, author of Planet of the Apes, no less.
I recently re-watched this with the image set to high-contrast black and white. It was revelatory. Gritty, hard, real. The technicolor is out of place here.
Stars the great William Holden.
See "The Counterfeit Traitor"
Recommend you review Stalag 17 for William Holden's Academy Award performance.
Have a go at The Human Condition, Fires on the Plain, The Harp of Burma, Ugetsu, Ikuru.
Give me a Crumpet? Cheeky bloody American. 😂
Lyrics were written for the European Theatre: Hitler has only got one ball / Goring has two but very small / Himmler has something sim'lar / but poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.
The relationship between officers of warring nations is always so interesting. The leaders of nations teach you that you're nothing alike in order to make fighting for them easier but when living among the enemy you learn that it's not true and when you start seeing the communication grow then the respect between the two it makes for great encounters. All those men have left is their dignity and without respecting each other they'll just die as slaves.
A superb movie (obviously)...the only thing I wished it had done was show a bit more of the SAS training & maybe done some more shots with those men/that area. Either of the Papillons are solid (new or old).
Just found your reaction. Very insightful commentary, but since you are filmmakers, the expectations were high. This is my all-time favorite, probably seen it at least 20 times in full. Like one of you said earlier- everything makes sense, without too much brainpower being expended, unlike modern movies. I like the mini-moments. Here's one: when Saito brings a starving Nicholson into his hut again, he tries to bribe him with corned beef and whiskey-which Nicholson refuses on principle. But when the conversation is over, Nicholson, sensing that this may be his last chance, looks at the offerings, and not being a complete idiot, chooses the one that will most relieve his immediate suffering- the shot of whiskey!
The other point you missed is the end, when the doctor says "Madness, Madness". It is no coincidence that the script was written by two blacklisted Communists, the point is that an obsession to resisting tyranny (Communism) is impossible. This becomes the first of a number of films that mock efforts to fight tyranny--for example The Americanization of Emily, Mash, Catch 22 and Good Morning Vietnam. All of these (and more) were written to undermine American morale in resisting the Soviet Union.
"Such a lively tune for a grimey setting" I am curious as to whether or not two 21st century Americans are aware of the unnoficial lyrics that from WW2 accompanied the Colonel Bogey March?
I may have been born 3 decades after the end of the war but *everyone* in 20th century Britain learnt these words in primary school (although not of course from the teacher)
and for anyone ignorant and curious ua-cam.com/video/H9bY6gC50Co/v-deo.html
Also see Lean's "Passage to India".
Small error in your description. It should be Jack Hawkins, not "Jack Warden."
Ty
@@majormoviemadness9927 Welcome. I'd forgotten that the character Hawkins played was named Warden. ;)
War Movie? The Great Escape.
David Lean is the master. Would be great to get your reaction to the other epics Doctor Zhivago, Summertime, A Passage To India - but also his early masterpieces like Brief Encounter, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations.
And Ryan’s Daughter (and Hobson’s Choice)
Well finding you reviewing this came as a pleasant surprise. This was on TV in the UK at least 4 times a year in the 70s along with the Dambusters and Battle of Britain. Without doubt one of the greats and a personal favourite. Thanks
The BRITS sure love their propaganda, or at least are constantly bombarded with it .
Apparently William Holden was the first actor in Hollywood to earn $1 million dollars for a role - for this role.
A story about "Classism"...
With a bit of condescending Racism thrown in for good measure!
My favorite too. Your comments added insights. Thanks.
Great choice! Possibly my favorite film of all time. The ending gets me every time. Shears getting so caught up in the moment that he becomes the hero he claimed he didn't want to be. And poor Joyce. He's caught between a rock and a hard place. Some trivia: Tokyo Rose (voice only) was played by actress Tsai Chin who would later appear in a James Bond film (You Only Live Twice) as a Bond sex partner (her line: "I give you best duck").
You guys should check out Waterloo (1970). Especially since there is a new Napoleon movie coming out this year. As far as I know the new movie won't cover Waterloo.
It was said at the time Waterloo was being made that the director was in charge of the 5th. largest army in the world. That's how many extras are in it. It's well worth watching even if there isn't a new Napoleon movie coming out.
I've seen the trailer for the new Napoleon movie, it's full of shots from Waterloo, which is weird.
William Holden playing his usual misanthropic sardonic character. So good at it.
Is there a reason NOT to be?
@@marioarguello6989 Um, a reason to not be sardonic and misanthropic, or a reason to not be good at playing such a character?
I can easily think of reasons for both.
Great classic movie. Unfortunately no japanese officers or soldiers would treat any POW with any respect or kindness.
The Japanese sitting down at the dinner table and sharing a meal with POWs as equals? There is no way in hell that would ever happen.
Great movie, almost 100% fantasy.
@@fyfoh very true
Only a white man is capable of that, right?
How much do I gotta donate for you guys to do Once Upon A Time in America xD
Gangster movies next? :D
Gangster Movies might have to be next if it allows us to finally watch Once Upon A Time in America, I want to watch this so bad! Plus I have seen so few Gangster movies and I know there are stellar ones (The God Father, Casino, New Jack City, Untouchables, GoodFellas, LA Confidential, American Gangster etc). Weirdly top of my list is Dick Tracy!?!? I have no idea why but the kid in me really liked and vividly remembers that trailer but never saw the movie.
Nice ground hum
Please do Zulu with Michael Caine
You guys must do ( Kelly's Heros / The Dirty Dozen/ A Bridge Too Far/ The Longest Day/ Battle of Brittan ) too name a few !! Enjoy!!!
As you say it was about obsession which can be very dangerous . today a certain Vladimir Putin is obsessed with a greater Russia as Hitler was obsessed with a greater Germany along with having someone to blame for a crashed German economy.We are talking human traits here and we all have those traits but to very different degrees as i like to think any envy i have is very small indeed where as some other people have that trait in bucket loads,that i guess makes us human.
I have just watched your reaction to The Bridge On The River Kwai. Before watching your video. I watched The Real Hero of The Bridge O The River Kwai. This is by The History Chap.. I know you do reaction to films, but you need to watch this video.
The very moment any of those POWs said no to an order or hesitated in any way once given an order the Japanese would of beaten them mercilessly.
As opposed to what would happen in BRIT death camps?
@Mario Arguello there were no brit death camps lol
@@VorchaKali Let's ask a Boer. As for WWII the BRITS committed plenty of war crimes, specially after it became clear the USA would win the war for Stalin, and that was ramped up exponentially after the war, not that I have much sympathy for Fritz....
@@marioarguello6989 right LMAO
@@VorchaKali 9-1 odds you are a BRIT. I bet you think you defeated the evil Nazis all by yourselves, and "saved" the world. No mention of how you helped Stalin survive and expand his Commie murderous empire.
Ah, come on -- we watch your channel for furniture reviews!
In reality they put officers in separate camps from enlisted men, precisely to let the enlisted men know that they are prisoners under the command of Japanese guards. I think this was standard on both sides.
I would be really curious to find out if either of you guys has seen Steven Spielberg's earlier war films, Empire of the Sun and 1941? Would either or both be suitable for a reaction because either or both of you two has not seen them yet?
Empire Of The Sun is Spielberg’s shot at a David Lean movie and it is really great. One of my favorite Spielbergs.
I bet the Holy Hebes are portrayed as saints in both of them
Das Boot
MOVIE MADNESS. MADNESS.
Thailand, not Ceylon.
Story was in Thailand, the movie was filmed in Ceylon.
Okay, I’ll go along with the British colonel becomes obsessed and isn’t thinking clearly. However, for him to be so oblivious as to who would be mining that bridge is ridiculous. As you said, Is he that slow? Just not a quick thinker I guess. I wouldn’t want to follow him into combat.
To play devil's advocate in the face of a great movie, its main failing is the ethnocentric portrayal of Japanese engineers, or leadership for that matter, as incompetent.
The Japanese had 10 or so aircraft carriers in operation during WW2. What other countries have aircraft carriers now? China 2, Russia 1, UK and France a couple each?
What is your second paragraph supposed to prove?
@@marioarguello6989 OK troll, my second paragraph is not supposed to 'prove' anything.
But if you can't comprehend the implications offered with respect to my first paragraph, then you indeed didn't get the rather obvious point.
@@countdebleauchamp So what are the "implications" of your second paragraph? Remember, we are not all half as bright as you are.
They were a prison camp not engineers, the British had engineers in the camp.
Would the Japanese military not provide adequate resources, including competent engineers (if not labor), for such a project?
Worst embellishment of reality in a war movie ever.
Are we really supposed to believe that "two film makers" have never before seen as great a film as this? Horse puckey. That's like an English major saying that he's never read Hamlet. It is just a cheap way of piggy-backing off of great films as a way of getting on UA-cam. You're not fooling anyone.
Do any of you people that are lauding this piece of garbage movie have any knowledge of what really happened to those POWs that worked on the Thai burmese railway and bridges. Here's a clue, they had no energy to whistle.
I think it's fine that you don't like Bridge on the River Kwai. I also think calling one of the finest films ever made "garbage" is hyperbole. The first shot of the movie shows allied POW's graves that were dug alongside the railway. They were whistling as they entered to try and show their Japanese captors that they were not broken in moral yet. Even if that is not historically accurate, it serves the story telling.
Even if it greatly understates the cruelty of the Japanese, that doesn't make it a 'garbage movie'.
Love that someone has that same feelings towards it.. I can watch it but it's just as much of a fantasy film as star wars
I think it’s a great film but yes it is a fantasy. The allied soldiers working on that railway went through absolute hell. The Japanese considered them cowards for surrendering and treated them appallingly
You are correct for most of the Death Railway but not for this particular camp. For a start it was not long after the fall of Singapore, so early days for many prisoners. Col Toosey, in charge of the camp was a very different man compared to the fictional Col Nicholson and was a negotiator. In real life the workers on the bridges were in much better shape than in the movie and out of 2,500 employed on the bridges only eleven died but after they left the camp it was all downhill.
The fact of the matter is the jap commander can't afford to shoot all of them or he'll never get that bridge built as ordered by his superiors. That would be death for him.