Despite the viciousness of the Nazi regime, British and American prisoners of war captured by the Germans in World War II were generally honourably treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention and given adequate food and accommodation. Those captured by the Japanese were not so lucky. They were often treated brutally, kept short of food and used as slave labour for their captors. This may explain the difference in tone between prisoner of war films set in Europe and those set in the Far East. The former, such as "The Wooden Horse", "The Colditz Story" and "The Great Escape" are generally optimistic in tone, part of the tradition of heroic, patriotic war films. The prisoners are often shown as idealistic patriots, eager to escape from captivity so that they can carry on the just struggle against Nazism.
In "King Rat", however, as in that other Asian POW drama "Bridge on the River Kwai", the tone is very different. There is no realistic possibility of escape, as there are no neutral countries nearby. Life for the prisoners is a dog-eat-dog struggle for survival, one that often involves compromises with one's principles and with the enemy. "Bridge on the River Kwai" is unusual for a Western film in that it gives a relatively sympathetic portrayal of an Axis soldier, the Japanese commandant Colonel Saito. In "King Rat" no Japanese characters play a major role; the emphasis is very much on relations between the Allied prisoners themselves. The shortages of food and other necessities mean that a black market has grown up in which the prisoners barter their possessions with the camp guards and local Malay villagers in exchange for extra supplies of food, clothing and luxuries.
The "King Rat" of the title is an American prisoner, Corporal King. Despite his lowly rank, his surname is an appropriate one; his skill in exploiting the black market has made him the "king" of the camp. The "rat" part of the title may refer to a scheme he hatches for breeding rats as a food source, but it may also refer to his lack of moral scruples. The other major characters are two British prisoners, Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe and Lieutenant Robin Grey. Marlowe, a young RAF officer, is befriended by King, who is impressed by the younger man's command of the Malay language, and becomes King's official interpreter in his business dealings. Grey is only a junior officer, but wields considerable power because of his position as Provost-Marshal, in charge of enforcing military discipline in the camp. He develops an obsession with King, whom he is determined to see punished for his black marketeering.
The film can be seen as an exploration of the theme of capitalism versus socialism, with the former coming out on top. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that this was an American film made during the Cold War era). King is a selfish individual, without a single altruistic bone in his body, yet his pursuit of self-interest has the effect of making life more bearable for his fellow-prisoners. Grey, a man of left-wing socialist views, is outwardly idealistic and a believer in fairness and equality, but he is also petty and vindictive with a bureaucratic obsession with enforcing rules (even rules imposed by the enemy) for their own sake. Without the extra supplies provided by the black market, the inmates would be forced to exist ("live" is not really the appropriate word) at near-starvation levels.
The film is not, however, just a political parable. It is also a human drama about the stresses facing men in captivity, and there are some memorable performances. The role of King was turned down by Steve McQueen, who had starred in "The Great Escape", and by Paul Newman, who was later to star in another great drama about men in captivity, "Cool Hand Luke". In the event it went to George Segal, who turns in a fine performance as the amoral yet resourceful King, as do James Fox as the naïve, impressionable Marlowe and Tom Courtenay as Gray. There are also good contributions from various distinguished British actors such as John Mills, Denholm Elliott and Leonard Rossiter.
The film was directed by Bryan Forbes, who was also responsible for that great British classic, "Whistle Down the Wind". I would not rate "King Rat" quite as highly, but despite the very different subject-matter of the two films both are distinguished by a similarly stark black-and-white photography. "King Rat" was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Cinematography, Black-and-White". This is, of course, an award which is no longer given; the decline in the number of black-and-white films being made has meant that since 1967 there has only been a single "Best Cinematography" award. Nevertheless, films like "Whistle Down the Wind" and "King Rat" remind us of how powerful monochrome could be as a dramatic medium. 8/10
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