The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Welcome to Rosie the Reviewer, a Dutch-Canadian female-led WW2 media podcast. A new episode airs every Friday!

Ep 42 – Bridge on the River Kwai – A Deep Dive Into WWII’s Legendary Story

Subscribe:

January 31, 2025
Episodes
Rosie the Reviewer
Bridge on the River Kwai, Pacific Theater, POWs, Southeast Asian Theater

Share

Support the podcast

Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.

Description

This week, we dive into Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), based on a book by the same name. Sam has read it, so you don’t have to. Maartje gets more excited about a Canadian character in this than Sam, so the world is definitely upside down.

Part of our WW2 in the Pacific series: Explore more films and series on the Pacific theatre →

Bridge on the River Kwai trailer

Anti Book Rec by Sam

The Bridge on the River Kwai by Pierre Boule is a novel about a group of British POWs and commandos who build and then attempt to destroy a bridge in Japanese-occupied Thailand. It is not a difficult or lengthy read, which is about as much praise as a person can heap on it. The characters are almost entirely interchangeable with one another, and it’s distractingly racist. He bangs on at length about ‘Western superiority’ in a 19th-century Rudyard Kipling sort of way that surely even people in the 1950s found tone-deaf. Skip this one and watch the movie.

*This is an affiliate link. If you buy through this link, we get a small percentage, and you get a book and help Rosie stay afloat. Thank you!

Discover more from the Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More episodes

Ep 46 – Sonny Boy – A Powerful Story of Love, Struggle, and Resistance in WWII

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we dive into Sonny Boy, a Dutch film based on the book by Annejet van der Zijl. The movie tells the true story of Dutch-Surinam couple Rika van der Lans and Waldemar Nods, highlighting their struggles during the German occupation of the Netherlands. The couple’s relationship and their efforts to hide Jews in their boarding house make for a compelling, emotional tale of resistance during WWII. Maartje also shares her love for Dutch history and the personal connection to this story.

Go to episode »

Ep 51 – South Pacific: A Musical About WWII? A Deep Dive into Rodgers & Hammerstein’s WWII Classic

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we head to the South Pacific to explore Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic World War II musical. Maartje and Sam discuss whether war is a suitable backdrop for a musical, and dive into the show’s complicated relationship with racism — from its progressive anthem “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” to its undeniably stereotypical portrayals. Plus, a detour into the CB’s (Maartje’s obsessed!) and cultural memory.

Go to episode »

Ep 107 – Empire of the Sun – Cadillacs of the Sky and the End of Innocence

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss Empire of the Sun (1987), Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel about a kid more or less growing up in a Japanese POW camp and making it home. We feel a little old because Christian Bale is in this, and he’s a child.

Go to episode »

Ep 85 – Midway – Episode Art

Ep 85 – Midway – Two Films, One Battle, and Why the 1976 Version Wins

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we tackle Midway twice. We compare the 1976 classic with the 2019 CGI-heavy remake and take you through the events of The Battle of Midway. Get to know the key players and learn with us as we break down one of the most decisive naval battles of the Second World War.

Go to episode »

Ep 92 – Hart's War – Episode Art

Ep 92 – Hart’s War – A Courtroom drama set Inside a POW Camp

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss Hart’s War (2002), directed by Gregory Hoblit and based on the novel by John Katzenbach. Set inside a German POW camp during the final months of World War II, the film is about a racially charged court martial involving a Tuskegee Airman, with a young American officer forced into the role of defence lawyer.War movie or courtroom drama? This is a bit of both. The film tries to handle questions of racism within the US military, but we’re not sure if it tries hard enough. Based on a book, itdiverges sharply from its source material. As usual, Sam gives you the best bits from the book.

Go to episode »