I saw Bridge on the River Kwai for the first time last night, and loved it. But one thing that struck me is that despite being made only 5 years prior to Lawrence of Arabia, it feels a lot more old-fashioned.

But why is that? They're both excellent films, made by the same director, and they're both war films (or war-film adjacent, at least). But despite the similarities, with Lawrence I feel like I'm watching an early film from the modern era, but I didn't get that with Kwai at all. (Although I did appreciate the use of actual Japanese actors, and the lack of subtitles when they spoke to each other.)

Was it the acting style, the cinematography, or something else? What makes a film feel modern to you?

It was shot on custom Super Panavision 70 cameras with Panavision Ultra Panitar lenses and was captured on large-format 65mm negative film, blown out to 70mm for theatrical prints, yielding immense clarity and resolution. These techniques were part of what brought film into the "modern" age.

William Holden's storyline in Kwai where he escapes and regroups and plans the sabotage mission to me feels more "Hollywood" than the story inside the camp. The American individualist hero kind of thing. It's not bad by any means but it's less compelling than the psychological territory Guinness' character is going through and it feels more of a piece with what audiences would have expected from a war movie at that time.

Lawrence of Arabia doesn't have that same factor. It's heavily focused on Lawrence and his character is complex and elusive so it makes the film feel more psychologically modern.

Yes I read the book of Bridge on the River Kwai about 25 years ago, and I'm pretty sure the Shears storyline isn't in there. Instead it takes place entirely in the camp. I was expecting the film to be a lot more about the battle of wills between Nicholson and Saito, as it is in the book. I guess it was a change they made to make it more appealing to American audiences.

I'm not 100% sure because it's been a while since I saw Lawrence, but I think the shots in Kwai are also a lot more static. It's still a great looking film, but the camera didn't seem to move much.

I also feel Guinerss character feels very old school Hollywood and it's "high morals." Like he is fighting the "good fight" and he doesn't bend his principles. When locked in the little prison he outlast them by sticking to his principles. To me that kind of straight forward moral thinking and it leading to success also feels very old school Hollywood. I also agree that Holden who plot is very old school Hollywood too.

I would say the only thing that doesn't feel old school is the ending which is a brilliant one.

I haven't seen "Kwai" for awhile but it is going on my list. I just finished watching "Lawrence of Arabia" for the very first time. I found it visually stunning. I will need to re-watch it a time or two to get the full effect, I imagine. I was streaming it on Netflix. No haters, please.

Growing up Gen X it is one of those films or pop culture pieces that was on the periphery of my whole life. Most notably I kept hearing the Billy Joel lyric running through my head as I was watching it.

It was absolutely stunning visually but I was puzzled by some of the acting and the "of its time" writing and framing. Very British. Just off hand I'm not sure if there was a single female character, woman or girl, with a speaking role.

But it also did some things that all great art does. One of them was a desire to do some more learning and understanding of the history portrayed in the film itself. I started with E.L. Lawrence himself.

Kwai will be next. That one I did see several times as a kid, when it was on television, but I think I have it on DVD and might seek out the Blu-ray. Thanks for the suggestion.

It's easier to sympathise with Nicholson because it's Alex Guinness, but I don't think he's portrayed as any more sympathetic than Saito is. They're both just men trying to do their jobs the best they can, even if it leads to them behaving in what seems to others to be an irrational manner. It really is about the senselessness of war, but in a different way to how that is usually shown on film.

I particularly liked how Saito could so easily have been a 2D villain or a horrific stereotype, but he never is. He gets to explain his point of view and motivations a few times. In that respect it's very modern.

There's a sense of irony in Guinness' character though. He realizes at the end that his "stiff upper lip" attitude of fair play and honest hard work has played right into the enemy's hands. What was intended as a dignified act was treasonous in actual practice.

That's why I find that element a bit more psychologically modern than the Holden subplot. It's revealing the flip side of traditional concepts of heroism, patriotism and honour.

I think that’s an incomplete reading of the film. Yes, his stubbornness does lead to what is seemingly a major moral victory, but his pride and British sense of rules-following then leads him to actively aid his captors and eventually getting himself and several allies killed

That's the answer 100% if you removed that story line, the film would certainly suffer, but it would feel considerably more modern.

The other comments do point out most of the factors, but there is another major factor, which might have made such an impression on you: The negative which they used for the restoration was poorly preserved. One cannot _not notice_ so many instances of blurry/torn/burnt frames (it is especially noticeable in the opening sequence.) Even the cameras and the lenses used for the original film apparently had some issues.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai#Restorations_and_home_video_releases

Lawrence of Arabia is a more visually striking and expressionist film I think, right from the famous matchstick cut at the start. And it's also psychologically quite complex, creating the myth of Lawrence while showing his flaws and delusions.

Some aspects feel dated, such as having Alec Guinness play an Arab, though Omar Sharif is a good counterpoint to this. Bridge Over the River Kwai is also a great film, but is shaped more like a traditional war drama