Plot: What’s it about?
Lieutenant Harry Brubaker (William Holden) is one of the most pilots in the business, but he is now in the reserves and living a normal life. He has a gorgeous wife Nancy (Grace Kelly) and two lovely young daughters, a family that any man would be more than proud of, to be sure. His law practice is starting to take off and in short, he is having a wonderful life, until Uncle Sam decides to call him back into action. Although he is not in agreement with the war in Korea, Brubaker must take a tour of duty on board an aircraft carrier, once again as a pilot. It makes sense for him to be there, as he is one of the best at the task he’s been asked to do, but he wishes he could forget about it all and return to his family right off. His mission is to fly over heavily guarded bridges within Korea and destroy them, which turns out to be the most dangerous mission he’s ever been involved with, to be sure…
I’ve seen my fair share of war movies and I have to say, The Bridges at Toko-Ri is one of the better ones. The premise is rather simple, but the film is very well written and well acted, so this is anything but oversimplified. I’d say this is a drama above all else, but it has some very well done action flying scenes, which keep the pace moving ahead. I was very surprised the first I saw the movie also, as the special effects are quite good, given the picture’s age. But the real star here is the writing, which creates some terrific characters and then places them into a complex, but understandable series of events. This film is quite moving and while not always upbeat, it offers a powerful message in a most universal fashion. I give this film a very solid recommendation, but Paramount has put forth little effort with this release, so I think a rental will suffice.
The main star of The Bridges at Toko-Ri is William Holden, who was asked to garner the affections of his viewers here, which he does. In a role like this one, the actor needs to establish a bond with the audience and make them care about what’s going on, which Holden is able to do without a stitch of trouble. I can find little fault with his approach here, he seems to nail the character just as it should be played. I know his resume of work is more than solid, but he has a handful of tremendous performances in there and this is one of them, to be sure. You can also see Holden in such films as Stalag 17, The Horse Soldiers, Network, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and The Towering Inferno. The cast also includes Grace Kelly (Rear Window, High Noon), Robert Strauss (The Seven Year Itch, Native Land), Fredric March (I Married A Witch, Seven Days In May), and Mickey Rooney (The Black Stallion, Breakfast At Tiffany’s).
Video: How does it look?
The Bridges at Toko-Ri is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the film’s intended aspect ratio. This image looks better than expected, but still shows some flaws that lower the score. There is some slight grain in some scenes, as well as debris present on the source print, but nothing to be overly concerned about, to be honest. The colors look very bright and effective, while contrast is well balanced and refined. When you think about the film’s age (1954), I think this transfer is more than adequate.
Audio: How does it sound?
A rather simple, but decent enough mono track is used on this release. As you can imagine, the flying scenes come off as a little limited, but I think the audio on the whole is well presented. The source materials seem in good condition, as the track features little hiss or distortion, though some signs of age are evident, as expected. But the elements seem in fine form most of the time, which is about all you can expect from a mono track of this age. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
