By Lee Pfeiffer
Director David Lean's 1957 Oscar-winning masterpiece comes to Blu-ray in a deluxe set from Sony that also includes a standard definition DVD. You would probably have to go back in a time machine in order to experience the film looking better than it does in this restored version. The timeless story of a war of wills between a stubborn British POW officer (Alec Guiness) and his Japanese prison commandant (Sessue Hayakawa) is as emotionally riveting as ever. Sony has pulled out all the stops for this edition and included extras that have been previously released along with some new features that are available on the Blu-ray only. Among the bonus features are the outstanding documentary about the making of the film, a vintage production featurette, a fascinating still gallery that includes painstakingly cultivated posters and lobby cards from around the globe, original and reissue trailers and a wonderful commemoration segment in which director John Milius justifiably compares Kwai to Citizen Kane in terms of cinematic perfection. New bonus features for Blu-ray include audio of William Holden narrating the London premiere,which drew such luminaries as Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston and Bing Crosby (all seen in rare photos). Holden also pops up in an educational short about the making of the movie that was produced by the University of Southern California. Most intriguing is a recently-discovered segment from the old Steve Allen Show that purports to show Allen speaking live with Holden and Guiness from the set of the film in Ceylon. It's fairly apparent, however, that Allen seems to be simply asking questions, with the actors having previously recorded their answers. The best bit comes when Holden invites Allen's audience to follow him over while he films a scene. The sequence then cuts to Holden instantly in another costume in a scene that was already filmed, finalized and edited. Seconds later and presto! Holden is back out of costume. This bizarre segment is only one of the more alluring features of this release. There is also a Blu-ray factoid feature that allows you to watch the entire film with benefit of pop up boxes that provide information about every sequence. Adding to the "must have" nature of the set is the inclusion of 12 mini lobby card reproductions and the fact that the packaging opens into a hardback book, complete with extensive information about the film and dozens of rare production photos. The only complaint is a minor one: the Blu-ray menu is a bit clunky to navigate. The film itself is simply terrific- and so is this Blu-ray tribute.
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