The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Poster

(1957)

William Holden: Shears

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William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Jack Hawkins in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Alec Guinness and William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Alec Guinness, William Holden, and James Donald in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Alec Guinness, William Holden, James Donald, and Geoffrey Horne in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and Ann Sears in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and Ann Sears in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and Ngamta Suphaphongs in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne, and Ngamta Suphaphongs in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and Ngamta Suphaphongs in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden, Geoffrey Horne, Javanart Punynchoti, and Ngamta Suphaphongs in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and M.R.B. Chakrabandhu in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Geoffrey Horne in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden, M.R.B. Chakrabandhu, Jack Hawkins, and Geoffrey Horne in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden and Ann Sears in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Geoffrey Horne in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, Geoffrey Horne, and Ann Sears in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Quotes 

  • Maj. Warden : You'll go on without me. That's an order. You're in command now, Shears.

    Commander Shears : You make me sick with your heroics! There's a stench of death about you. You carry it in your pack like the plague. Explosives and L-pills - they go well together, don't they? And with you it's just one thing or the other: destroy a bridge or destroy yourself. This is just a game, this war! You and Colonel Nicholson, you're two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like a gentleman, how to die by the rules - when the only important thing is how to live like a human being!... I'm not going to leave you here to die, Warden, because I don't care about your bridge and I don't care about your rules. If we go on, we go on together.

  • Commander Shears : [to Nurse]  You give me powders, pills, baths, injections, enemas when all I need is love.

  • Commander Shears : I can think of a lot of things to call Saito, but "reasonable"... that's a new one.

  • Colonel Nicholson : [recognizes Shears]  You?

    Major Shears : [lunges at Nicholson]  You!

  • Maj. Warden : I belong to a rather rum group called Force 316. Our headquarters is up in the botanical gardens.

    Commander Shears : Protecting rare plants from the enemy?

  • Major Hughes : Jennings has a plan, sir. He seems to think...

    Colonel Nicholson : Yes, I'm sure Jennings has a plan. But escape? Where, into this jungle? That fellow Saito was right: no need for barbed wire or fence, one chance in a hundred of survival. I'm sure a man of Commander Shears' experience will attest to that.

    Commander Shears : I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to one. But may I add another word, Colonel? The odds against survival in this camp are even worse.

  • Maj. Warden : [to Col. Green]  Sir, it's most annoying. They say, in view of the time element, they don't think a few practice jumps would be worthwhile.

    Major Shears : No?

    Maj. Warden : No, they say if you make one jump, you've only got 50% chance of injury, two jumps, 80%, and three jumps, you're bound to catch a packet. The consensus of opinion is that the most sensible thing for Major Shears to do is to go ahead and jump, and hope for the best.

    Major Shears : With or without a parachute?

  • Commander Shears : You mean, you intend to uphold the letter of the law, no matter what it costs?

    Colonel Nicholson : Without law, Commander, there is no civilization.

    Commander Shears : That's just my point; here, there is no civilization.

    Colonel Nicholson : Then we have the opportunity to introduce it.

  • Maj. Warden : [lowering binoculars]  Kill him... Kill him!

    Major Shears : [screaming]  KILL HIM! KILL HIM!

  • Nurse at Ceylon hospital : [both characters are on the beach, discussing the evening's plans]  I know, you're terribly sorry, but you're standing me up tonight.

    Major Shears : You couldn't be more wrong!

  • Lieutenant Joyce : I'm sorry, Sir. I thought you were the enemy.

    Commander Shears : Well, I'm an American, if that's what you mean.

  • Commander Shears : [He and a fellow Allied P.O.W., Weaver, have just buried a dead P.O.W. in the camp cemetery. They are putting in a handmade wooden cross to mark his grave]  Here lies... You know, Weaver, I've forgotten who we just buried.

    Weaver, Allied P.O.W. : Thompson.

    Commander Shears : Oh, yes... Here lies Corporal Herbert Thompson. Serial number zero-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven. Valiant member of the King's Own... or the Queen's Own... or something. Who died of beriberi in the year of our Lord, 1943. For the greater glory of...

    Commander Shears : [pauses, looking stumped. Looks at Weaver]  What *did* he die for?

    Weaver, Allied P.O.W. : Ah, come off it! No need to mock the grave!

    Commander Shears : I don't mock the grave or the men... May he rest in peace.

    Commander Shears : [bangs the makeshift wooden cross down with his shovel]  He found little enough of it when he was alive.

  • Nurse at Ceylon hospital : What makes you so sure you'll get a medical discharge?

    Commander Shears : Because I'm a civilian at heart, lover, and I always follow my heart.

  • Commander Shears : [referring to Col. Saito, who had a machine gun brought up to threaten Col. Nicholson and his officers]  He's going to do it, believe me, he's really going to do it!

  • Commander Shears : I'm getting worse, you know. Sometimes I think I'm Admiral Halsey.

  • Maj. Warden : Is there something wrong?

    Commander Shears : I was just thinking. You speak Yai's language, I don't. He's gonna lead you back to the river Kwai himself, by a route I never took. Will someone tell me why I'm so indispensable to this outfit?

    Maj. Warden : I know how you feel, but there's always the unexpected, isn't there?

    Commander Shears : Tell that to Chapman.

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