Bridge Over The River Kwai Analysis

“Do you have to wear that tie, Roy? It’s awfully hot out,” I observed as we headed out of the hotel into the 90º heat of the Bangkok winter.
“Oh yes. It is a requirement of the management!” He would wear a coat and tie the entire four days, and I mentally thanked old Pop for showing up last night.
There is very little in Thai history that Americans are aware of, so little in fact, that you can count them in a victory sign: we have heard of the King and I, and we have seen the movie “Bridge Over the River Kwai.” The latter, which is located about two hours west of Bangkok, is a tragically true story made into an impossible novel and movie. The former is a somewhat true story made into an unlikely play and movie. Sadly, Richard Holden

Thus, in 1782 the Chakri Dynasty came to power in the person of King Ramathibodi, or Rama I. That family still occupies the throne, although their actual power has been eliminated by a constitutional government and elected prime minister. The present king, Rama IX, (Bhumibol Adulyadej) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, educated in Switzerland and is the longest ruling monarch in the nation’s history, ascending to the throne in 1946. He and his queen, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit, are immensely popular. Their pictures adorn nearly every Bangkok street as well as most shops and businesses in the outlying towns. Their birthdays, on December 5 and August 12, are virtually national holidays. To criticize the royal family is severely punished. The succession is in doubt at the moment, since the second daughter, Princess Sirindhorn, is extremely popular, although Crown Prince Vajiralongkom is the next heir in line. On the steps of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Roy was asked if there was a chance that a woman could become king. He started to answer but then deferred: “I still want my head on my shoulders.” Later he would discuss at length about the Crown Prince, which with his accent came out curiously as “Clown