Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Overview… head officer of a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma during World War II. Saito’s superiors have entrusted him with the task of constructing a railroad bridge over the River Kwai. If the bridge is not completed by the prescribed deadline, he must don the ceremonial kimono and commit hari-kari.
Personality… proud, solemn, and autocratic. Saito approaches his job with the utmost seriousness. The Meiji Restoration may have rendered the samurai warrior obsolete, but he adheres closely to bushido, the samurai code. For Saito, the line between upholding his honor and hanging his head in shame is razor-thin.
Get to Know him in...
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The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson , the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.
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French story about the construction of a bridge by British prisoners of war in the Siamese jungle and what comes of it.
