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The Bridge On The River Kwai Details

1957 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 14,616 members

One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically complex adaptation of Pierre Boulle's 1952 novel, a classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war .. Read more

Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne
Director David Lean
Genres Action/Adventure, Drama

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The Bridge On The River Kwai

One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically complex adaptation of Pierre Boulle's 1952 novel, a classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson (a fabulous Alec Guinness), the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans. Although credited to screenwriter Carl Foreman, the script was actually written by blacklisted writer Michael Wilson. The film garnered seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Guinness). The climax is one of the great finales in film history.

Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne, Andre Morrell, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Percy Herbert
Director David Lean
Studio COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 35 mins
Certificate Certificate PG
Collections 100 must-see movies
Genres Action/Adventure, Drama
Language DVD: English
Dubbed French, German
Subtitles DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish
Released DVD: 04 Dec 2000
Production year: 1957
Format DVD

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

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  • Critics' reviews (3) of The Bridge On The River Kwai

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  • 5 stars out of 5

    Director David Lean's multi-Oscar-winning monument to saving face in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp is wonderfully judged when it's concerned with British colonel Alec Guinness and his feud with his Japanese counterpart (Sessue Hayakawa). It's strangely fudged, however, when American escapee William Holden tries to destroy the strategic bridge Guinness and his men have built. Nevertheless, this film was rewarded with seven Academy Awards, including one for Jack Hildyard's stunning CinemaScope photography on locations in what was then called Ceylon, and it was a massive box-office hit.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006
  • 4 stars out of 4

    Ironic adventure epic with many fine moments but too many centres of interest and an unforgivably confusing climax. It is distinguished by Guinness's portrait of the English CO who is heroic in his initial stand against the Japs but finally cannot bear to

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of The Bridge On The River Kwai

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  • 20 out of 25 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Luxuriant classic with great Alex Guinness role

    This is, as expected, a film about the futility of war, the horrendous treatment of Allied prisoners by the Japanese, and tales of daring and bravery.

    What I had not expected is a depiction of the morality of obeying the law, and of obsession.

    The film comprises three acts.

    In the first act, we see the Allied prisoners set to work building The Bridge, and a power struggle between Alex Guinness' Allied commanding officer, and the Japanese camp commander. Guinness' character wants the Japanese to obey the Geneva conventions that officers (not their men) may not do manual labour.

    In the second act, Guinness 'wins' after enduring much subhuman treatment. But his behaviour evolves in an unexpected way: he determines to show the Japanese, now that they are complying with the Geneva Convention, how effective this will make the British men. He sets the men to work on building the bridge in double quick time. And in so doing he fails to see the conflict inherent in aiding the enemy, instead concentrating just on getting the job done 'with honour'.

    In the third act the Americans come along to save the day. A commando raid sets off to bomb the bridge on the day of its grand opening. The insertion of the Americans is all rather daft but the climactic scene works very well nonetheless and twists several times in unexpected ways.

    The great irony here is that the brutal Japanese commander (played by Hayakawa) fails to achieve his ends by his own means, but once he uses Guinness' means, achieves his desired ends in double time. Guinness' victory in the first act is essentially Phyrric, and his insistence on the principle of following orders means his men fail to hit home with their valid concerns about aiding the enemy.

    The scenery, and The Bridge, are stunning, and have been repurposed digitally to great effect. The sound too is surprisingly good, working well in 5.1 surround. But the highlight is the interplay between Guinness and Hayakawa - whose characters are richly developed. The film is at least 30 minutes too long - most of the scenes with Americans in should have been dropped - but overall you can see why this film won seven Academy Awards.

    • wreeve
      • wreeve from London NW3
      • Posted 23 Oct 2005 23:37

  • Most recent members' review of The Bridge On The River Kwai

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  • 4 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    Overrated

    Dissapointed with this film

      • A customer from Southampton, England
      • Posted 08 Oct 2006 22:35

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Rating breakdown

14,616 Member ratings
  • 100
1,746
  • 90
1,683
  • 80
3,376
  • 70
3,009
  • 60
2,285
  • 50
1,169
  • 40
562
  • 30
350
  • 20
294
  • 10
142

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      • One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically ...