To End All Wars

Plot

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.

Cast

Production

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.

The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Ernest Gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the interned men. The autobiography was originally published under the name Through the Valley of the Kwai, 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.

Reception

As of May 2012, the film was at 58% ("rotten") on the Tomatometer on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator website. However, the site did not consider the number of reviews from "Approved Tomatometer Critics" to be sufficient to form a consensus about the film. The film was awarded the Crystal Heart Award and Grand Prize for Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film Festival. A review in Variety is mainly negative. Reviews from faith-based publications were mainly positive.

Soundtrack

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'.