The POW situation turns the war film inside out. One basic tenant of the genre is that the sides are fairly evenly matched—either one could win. Even if it is a David vs. Goliath mismatch, we know that David has a chance. That's a key element of the story's dramatic tension. In the POW film, though, one side is essentially powerless, stripped of its weapons, and so is forced t…
1957 David Lean David Lean's best films are epics that grow from closely observed characters, or, in this case, from two characters. Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) and Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) are reflections of each other; dedicated leaders with identical careers and identical flaws. Each views himself as a soldier and patriot, and each is so rigid in his own way that he is unable to …
1987 Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel suffers two serious flaws. One, it's too long. Two, the protagonist is such a cocky little snot that his perilous straits never generate any real sympathy. The first problem is no surprise; Spielberg's a digressive filmmaker, for better and for worse. The second is unusual, giv…
1963 John Sturges The French auteur theory of criticism holds that the director is responsible for all that is right or wrong in a film. That, of course, is a grotesque oversimplification, never more obviously so than with this crowd-pleaser. Stalmaster-Lister Co., which gets credit for the casting, made a huge contribution, along with Fernando Carrere and Kip Ripberger, who created the sets. So …
1965 Bryan Forbes James Clavell based his novel on his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. That authenticity shows through in both physical and psychological details, making this adaptation one of the best World War II POW films. It has never equaled the boxoffice success of The Great Escape, which Clavell produced and co-wrote, but it is every bit as enjoyable for different reasons. …
Un Condamne a Mort s'Est Echappe, Ou le Vent Souffle ou Il Vent A Man Escaped, or the Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth A Condemned Man Has Escaped 1957 Robert Bresson Robert Bresson's prisoner of war film is a cold, unsentimental examination of isolation. Forget the conventional Hollywood heroics of the genre. Bresson avoids the very scenes of action and torture that provide the emotio…
1983 Nagisa Oshima Though infuriating, vague, and elliptical at times, this prisoner of war drama is a true sleeper. Imagine Bridge on the River Kwai refracted through the mirror of Apocalypse Now, with two of the leads played by pop stars. Amazingly, the combination works. In a prison camp in Java, 1942, Col. Lawrence (Tom Conti) is the unofficial liaison between the Japanese and their British p…
1997 Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford's ensemble film lacks the emotional power of Breaker Morant, but it is still an excellent examination of a little known episode of World War II—little known in America, at least. The fact-based story of a multinational group of women taken prisoner by the Japanese resorts to a few cliches and formulaic conflicts, but uniformly strong performances…
1944 Fred Zinnemann Fred Zinnemann's earnest propaganda piece begins shakily and never really ratchets up the tension as tightly as it might. Despite persistent flaws, though, it becomes an involving tale of escape from Nazi persecution, one that takes unusually sophisticated care to explore the roots of the appeal of National Socialism to middle-class Germans. By setting the story in 1936…
1953 Billy Wilder Billy Wilder's highly honored adaptation of the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski really does not live up to its reputation. It's less a realistic look at life inside a German prison camp than an improbable suspense tale that depends on some clumsy contrivances. Worse yet, the moments of comic relief are appalling. The opening overview of the camp, created …
1950 Jean Negulesco This fact-based story of imprisonment by the Japanese takes a rarely seen perspective on its subject—the main characters are women—and it attempts to be even handed. It also features two excellent performances. But more recent similar films have been grittier, and younger audiences may find the emotions overstated. Agnes Keith (Claudette Colbert) is the wife of a…
1965 Mark Robson The most popular stylistic elements of 1950s and '60s war movies are mixed together in a diverting star vehicle. As light entertainment, particularly for Frank Sinatra fans, it's enjoyable fluff, and that's all it means to be. Sinatra is Col. Joseph Ryan, whose P-38 is shot down over Italy in August 1943. Messina has just fallen, and American forces are makin…