King Rat

+ intro by Sarah Standing, Bryan Forbes’ daughter

A raw, candid study of men under extreme pressure, exploring the relationship between an English officer and an American Corporal in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

  • Director

    Bryan Forbes

  • With

    George Segal, James Fox, Denholm Elliott, Tom Courtenay

  • USA 1965. 134min

  • 35mm

  • Certificate

    PG

  • A BFI National Archive print

The infamous Changi prison was recreated in California for this study of the human spirit in the face of cruelty and deprivation. In his adaptation of James Clavell’s sprawling novel, Forbes focuses on the psychological toll on the men, and how military rank matters little when survival is all. The ensemble cast brilliantly conveys the bonds and rifts that form between the prisoners.

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