James Carville boosts his tenacity with re-watches of Bridge on the River Kwai

At age 80, political strategist and author James Carville shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Notably, he managed several key Democratic campaigns before helping Bill Clinton become president in 1992. Since then, he has maintained a presence on cable news as a political pundit. He also co-hosts a podcast War room politics along with journalist Al Hunt. And you can get a lot more insight into what drives him with Matt Tyrnauer’s new documentary Carville: Winning is everything, fool. The film highlights Carville’s important role behind the scenes of the Democratic Party and his influence on this year’s presidential campaign.

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For his Treat, Carville explains why he watches the beginning of the classic 1957 series Bridge over the River Kwai almost every night. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Director for David Lean and Best Actor for star Alec Guinness. The epic war film is based on the 1952 novel by Pierre Boulle and tells the story of British prisoners of war who are forced to build a railway bridge for their Japanese counterparts in occupied Burma. Colonel Nicholson, played by Alec Guinness, stands out as a defiant figure, embodying a spirit of resistance that resonates with Carville. He says the film inspires him because it shows that no one can own you—circumstances be damned.

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This segment has been edited and shortened for clarity.

I watch the opening almost every night Bridge over the River Kwai. And why do I do it? Because of the defiance in (Colonel) Nicholson’s face and the back and forth between (him) and the Commandant. You just look at it and say, “This s**t doesn’t give up, he’s cocky.” And I just always loved it. I liked the theme, you know, it was British soldiers, but it was (essentially speaking) you don’t own me.

I must have seen it I don’t know how many times but that opening scene for me was… you don’t own me. You may have all the power in the world over me, but you do not own me. And I mean, if you think about real people who changed the world… Nicholson (the character) was a grumpy old upper-class British guy, but he really had this real defiance as people, and that inspires me.

You know a movie is good when you’re 20% rooting for the other side. You didn’t really hate the boy. He was simply pressured by Tokyo. He had to make a bridge. He had to, you know, he got scared. You just saw that it’s a very human thing.

The reason I’m inspired is because no matter where you are, no matter how much shit you’ve been through, no matter how much power you have, there are certain people who are just sassy. That’s what this movie told me.