The Bridge on the River Kwai Page #6

can't break us in body or in spirit.

Take a good look, Clipton.

One day the war will be over.

I hope that those who use the bridge

in years to come...

...will remember how it was built,

and who built it.

Not a gang of slaves, but soldiers.

British soldiers, even in captivity.

- Yes, sir.

- You're a fine doctor...

...but you've a lot to learn

about the army.

Hold him! Hold him!

Use your boot!

Get your boot in there, will you?

Good morning!

What on earth

are you people staring at?

Get him with your boot!

I'm sorry I'm late, sir.

Four minutes, to be exact.

You were in need of medical attention?

- Sir?

- I was referring to the nurse.

Very ingenious. Warden was right.

Sit down.

I asked you here to help us pick

the fourth member of your team.

- Ask Mr. Joyce to come in.

- Yes, sir.

Chapman wants Joyce,

but I have my doubts.

He has too much imagination

as distinct from cold calculation.

I've told you...

...in this job, even when it's finished

there's always one more thing to do.

He's the best swimmer in the school.

I'm well aware of your evaluation.

The opinion I want is Shears'.

All right, at ease.

These men are thinking of taking you

for a hike in the jungle.

Yes, sir.

You were an accountant in Montreal?

Yes, sir. Not really an accountant.

That is, I didn't have my charter.

Exactly what did you do?

Well, sir, I just checked columns

and columns of figures...

...which people had checked

before me...

...and other people checked them

after I had checked them.

- Sounds a frightful bore.

- Sir, it was a bore.

How did you wind up here?

In '39 I came over to London to enlist.

Later I volunteered for this work.

- You volunteered!

- Yes, sir. See, the regular Army-

Go ahead, you can be frank.

Well, the regular Army reminded me

of my job in civilian life.

They don't expect you to think.

Think about this.

Are you sure you'd be able

to use it in cold blood?

I know how to use it.

That's not what I meant.

Could you use it in cold blood?

Could you kill without hesitation?

That's a question I've asked myself.

It's worried me quite a bit.

And what was the answer?

I don't honestly know, sir.

I've tried to imagine myself...

I suppose I find it hard to kid myself

that killing isn't a crime.

It's an old army problem.

Well, I think that's all.

Thank you, Joyce.

Am I to go with the team?

We'll let you know.

You see what I mean.

Well, at least he was honest.

None of us ever know the answer to

that question until the moment arises.

What's your opinion, Shears?

Well, he's Canadian.

That fits with the international

composition of this outfit.

If he wants to go,

he can take my place!

Well, if you're all agreed on Joyce,

he's yours.

I had an air reconnaissance

report on the village.

There's enough clearing

to make your jump at dusk.

- You've had parachute training?

- No, sir.

Blast! This is awkward.

Silly, it never occurred to me!

Well, maybe-

He's right.

Arrange some practice jumps for him.

I'll go check right away.

- All right, Chapman, you can run along.

- Yes, sir.

Well, feel like a sniff of air?

Yes, sir.

You don't realize what a plum you are.

Your knowledge of the area,

making friends in that village.

It's almost as if your whole escape

had been planned with us in mind.

By the way, here's something that'll

interest you. The new " L" pill.

- L pill?

- L for lethal. Instant, painless.

Much better than the old ones.

For capture, of course.

You're telling me

not to be taken alive.

I wouldn't recommend it.

If any of you get hurt or wounded the

others will have to leave him behind.

The objective comes first in our work.

You want my honest evaluation?

I didn't want to say in front of them.

I understand, go ahead.

Well, Chapman will be fine.

Ice water in his veins.

Joyce is... He'll be okay.

- It's Warden I don't get.

- Oh? Why not?

Cambridge don and all of that.

It's one thing to play with explosives

like a kid with firecrackers-

He's not without experience, you know.

When Singapore fell, he stayed behind

to blow up a couple of bridges.

Many other installations

before the Japs caught him.

- Fascinating story. He-

- Sir, it's most annoying.

In view of time, they don't think

practice jumps would be worth it.

The consensus is, the most

sensible thing for Shears to do...

...is to go ahead and jump

and hope for the best.

With or without parachute?

Oh, very good!

With or without!

He's in the trees!

Yai says we can't

reach the Kwai your way.

There are too many Japanese patrols.

We'll swing north through heavy jungle.

- Then who's going to lead?

- Yai.

He hates the Japanese.

They took all his men.

Which means we shall have to

use women bearers.

- Women bearers!

- They're capable.

He says it's dangerous

to spend the night here.

There's an enemy post three miles away

so we'll have to sleep in the jungle.

- What about Chapman?

- Yai will bury him and his chute.

Is there something wrong?

I was just thinking. You speak

Yai's language. I don't.

He's going to lead you

to the river by a route I never took.

Will someone tell me why I'm

so indispensable to this outfit?

I know how you feel, but there's

always the unexpected, isn't there?

Tell that to Chapman.

Let's get cracking!

You're lovely.

Lovely.

Be happy in your work!

Yes, sir.

Leeches.

Leeches.

She's telling you to hold still.

She'll take the leeches off your back.

What's a girl like you

doing in a place like this?

I'll teach you to say that in Siamese.

No, that would spoil it.

Too much talk always spoils it.

What's wrong with that thing?

It's taken an awful beating.

I can't get a strong signal.

I'll tell you. It's wet, mildewed!

Like everything else in this jungle.

You might as well dump it!

This is Radio Tokyo signing off.

This is your friendliest enemy

reminding you to take it easy...

...and never volunteer for anything.

If we stay, we'll

be up to our necks.

- I've got it all decoded, sir.

- Read it!

Yes, sir. "One, original

bridge works reported abandoned.

New construction downstream

from first site.

Two, enemy intends to open railway

with passage of special train...

...Bangkok for Rangoon

with troops and V.I.P.

Estimated to arrive target, a. M. 13th.

Three, synchronize demolition

with passage of train.

Four, good hunting. Have fun. "

That's all.

A train and a bridge!

Can we get there in time, sir?

Yai says we're two to three days away.

If we set a faster pace, we could

make it before sundown on the 12th.

It's worth it for the train.

Oh, by all means. Good hunting.

Good show.

Jolly good fun. Jolly good.

If you hadn't fixed the radio,

we wouldn't know about the train.

There's always the unexpected,

isn't there?

- Half a pint, sir.

- Quinine.

Well, we'll complete this later.

- Clipton, we're facing a crisis.

- Yes, sir?

I spoke with Reeves and Hughes.

We can't finish the bridge on time.

We haven't the manpower.

I've asked the officers to help,

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote