POSSIBLE SPOILERS
I watch this movie every other year or even less often. It's best that way because it is such a beautiful, powerful, uplifting story of British, German American and Austrailian POWs struggling to survive the brutality of WWII in Japanese-occupied Sumatra. There are many horrific scenes, the death of a Chinese woman by fire, the head of a man on a stick in a village, and especially the torture of one Austrailian woman who made a terrible blunder by whispering while the Japanese soldiers were making a speech. The strong cast features Glenn Close (I think she was wonderful!!!), Julianna Marguilies, Cate Blanchett, Pauline Collins (a lovely performance), Frances McDormand and many other women whose names escape me. Their vocal orchestra was their way of trying to hold onto their spirits in the miserable conditions they were forced to live in. Even the women who eventually lost their will to live were an inspiration on film. I don't know what other versions of this story were brought to life on film, but in my mind, this beautiful film was worthy of Academy Awards galore!!! I give it an A+++++++!!!
I watch this movie every other year or even less often. It's best that way because it is such a beautiful, powerful, uplifting story of British, German American and Austrailian POWs struggling to survive the brutality of WWII in Japanese-occupied Sumatra. There are many horrific scenes, the death of a Chinese woman by fire, the head of a man on a stick in a village, and especially the torture of one Austrailian woman who made a terrible blunder by whispering while the Japanese soldiers were making a speech. The strong cast features Glenn Close (I think she was wonderful!!!), Julianna Marguilies, Cate Blanchett, Pauline Collins (a lovely performance), Frances McDormand and many other women whose names escape me. Their vocal orchestra was their way of trying to hold onto their spirits in the miserable conditions they were forced to live in. Even the women who eventually lost their will to live were an inspiration on film. I don't know what other versions of this story were brought to life on film, but in my mind, this beautiful film was worthy of Academy Awards galore!!! I give it an A+++++++!!!