To End All Wars is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and was directed by David L. Cunningham. The film is based on Through the Valley of the Kwai, an autobiography of Ernest Gordon, then a Scottish Captain, later the Presbyterian Dean of the Princeton University Chapel.
| To End All Wars | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | David L. Cunningham |
| Written by | Brian Godawa Ernest Gordon |
| Produced by | Jack Hafer David L. Cunningham |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
| Edited by | Tim Silano |
| Music by | John Cameron Moya Brennan |
| Distributed by | GMT Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
| Languages | English Japanese |
The film is set in a Japanese prisoner of war labour camp where the inmates are building the Burma Railway during the last three and a half years of World War II.[3] Captain Ernest Gordon was a company commander with the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who fought in several battles in the Malayan Campaign and the Battle of Singapore before being captured and made a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
It was filmed primarily on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with some excerpt shots of Thailand. The film was rated R in the U.S. for war violence and brutality, and for some language. The film was produced by Jack Hafer and David Cunningham.[4]
The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Ernest Gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the interned men.[5] The autobiography was originally published under the name Through the Valley of the Kwai,[6] then later as Miracle on the River Kwai (not to be confused with the separate novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle). Gordon's book was finally re-issued with the title To End All Wars to tie in with the film.
Post-production of the film footage was delayed because of lack of funding, which was eventually provided by Gold Crest Films.[7]
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 62% based on reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[8] The film was awarded the Crystal Heart Award and Grand Prize for Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film Festival.[9] A review in Variety is mainly negative.[3]
The film's soundtrack was never released as a stand-alone release. Various songs have been re-recorded by Moya Brennan on her subsequent solo albums, most recently 'Mo Mhian' on My Match Is A Makin'.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mo Mhian (Healing Heart)" | Moya Brennan | |
| 2. | "I Will Go (Campbell's Theme)" | Moya Brennan | |
| 3. | "Lá na Cruinne" | Moya Brennan | |
| 4. | "Find The Place" | John Cameron & Moya Brennan | |
| 5. | "Amazing Grace" | John Newton / Traditional | |
| 6. | "Pomp And Circumstance" | Edward Elgar | |
| 7. | "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" | Johann Sebastian Bach | |
| 8. | "Yankee Doodle Boy" | George M. Cohan |
