Forgiveness is man's deepest need and highest achievement ~ Horace Bushnall

Everything can be taken from a man but...the last of all human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances ~ Viktor Frankl

The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love, compassion, patience, tolerance, humility and forgiveness ~ Dalai Lama

Last night I watched a film on BBC2 entitled To end all wars. Made in 2001 and directed by David Cunningham, it is an adaptation of the memoirs of Captain Ernest Gordon (The Scottish Argyle Regiment) and the experiences he and fellow Allied prisoners of war endured in a Japanese camp and the enforced labour of those prisoners in constructing the infamous Burma railway during World War 2. The film stars two well known actors; Robert Carlyle plays the severely jaundiced and hatred ridden Major Ian Campbell and Kiefer Sutherland's role as Lt. Jim Reardon is a refreshing change from glamourised Hollywood. There are lesser known faces too; the narrator, Gordon himself, is played by Ciaran McMenamin and the self-sacrificing Dusty is played by Mark Strong. In its review of the film the Radio Times, Britain's more 'serious' television guide, describes it as a leaden and predictable adaptation and rates it poorly. However, in my opinion, it misses the point of the film, which is about survival and endurance under extremely harsh treatment and the ability to overcome hatred and forgive one's enemies; it is about humanity in it's rawest form.

Bound to a bastardised form of Bushido, an ancient Samurai code that stresses obedience to authority and adherence to duty, the Japanese camp commander metes out his own horrific forms of torture and punishment on the prisoners, including beheadings and crucifixion. Although these are graphically depicted and turn the stomach, it is not gratuitous but serves to help our understanding of the very different attitudes of the main characters. While Campbell is enveloped in pure hatred for his captors, which ultimately causes him to mirror the same compassionless attitude, the others strive to forgive their captors and overcome their hatred for them.

Although the film has an overtly Christian message, that of forgiveness, it is a message that also forms part of the core of Buddhism, one of Japan's traditional religions. This religious aspect of the film does not detract from its excellence but serves to highlight that despite differences in colour, creed and culture, we are first and foremost human beings. Moreover, while Campbell and the camp commander rigidly stick to their warrior type principles and demand the same from their men, compassion for fellow human beings, as shown by Gordon, Reardon and Dusty, provides the contrast in that true forgiveness is possible and depends on a person's attitude.

Horrific and heart-rending, this film is an exceptional rendition of Gordon's memoirs and the experiences of prisoners in Burma. It serves to remind us about what compassion and forgiveness really means.

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Created Oct 18, 2005 at 2:11pm • Submit your own review...