This Ambrose Bierce story contains some of the best descriptive language in American literature… so much so that most people will need to read the passage at least twice in order to properly appreciate it. All I can say about the plot without spoiling the experience for those who haven’t read it is that the surprise ending usually sticks in reader’s minds for some time. The major themes: sense of duty; love and sacrifice; the brutality of war; confronting death; near-death experiences; and time (the length of a moment) as reflected in the personification metaphor time stood still.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (3,750 words)
Video Versions
1963 Short Film: This French production won best of its class at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and 1963 Academy Awards. In 1964, it was featured as an episode of the American TV series, The Twilight Zone. The video has very little dialog, but the story-line is broadly true to the original.
1959 TV Show: This episode of the famous Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV Series somewhat spoils the story by softening its dramatic impact. It introduces a reason for Farquhar’s foolhardy actions in trying to destroy the bridge, and even suggests that he might not be too unhappy with the outcome.