Bridge on the River Kwai, The

Bridge on the River Kwai, The

1957

Director David Lean's sweeping epic is set in a Japanese World War II prison camp where British POWs are forced to construct a railway bridge as a morale-building exercise. Yet the real battle of wills is between "play by the rules" British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), who is dedicated to the project, and his American rival (William Holden), who vows to destroy it. The POWs' whistling work theme became legendary.

The towering triumph of adventure from the makers of "Lawrence of Arabia."

Winner of 7 Academy Awards

JBscale
92
Superior

Film Detail

Genre
Military and War - Drama
Length
2 hrs. 47 mins.
US Theatrical Release
December 18, 1957
US Box Office
$33,300,000 (#2653 of 7540)
Global Office
$2,760,714 (#3843 of 4503)
Rating
PG
Parental Guidance Suggested
Mild War Violence

Collection Detail

Edition
Digital Only
Resolution | Digital Platform
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home
Aspect Ratio
WS 2.35:1
Audio
English: DD+ 5.1
Studio
Columbia Tristar
Released
November 2, 2010
Acquired Date
February 17, 2013
Times Seen
1 Time
Last Watched
March 17, 2009

Actors

William Holden
William Holden
Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins
Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sessue Hayakawa
Sessue Hayakawa
James Donald
James Donald
Geoffrey Horne
Geoffrey Horne
André Morell
André Morell
Peter Williams
Peter Williams
John Boxer
John Boxer
Percy Herbert
Percy Herbert
Harold Goodwin
Harold Goodwin
Ann Sears
Ann Sears
Heihachirô Ôkawa
Heihachirô Ôkawa
Keiichirô Katsumoto
Keiichirô Katsumoto
M.R.B. Chakrabandhu
M.R.B. Chakrabandhu

Directors

David Lean
David Lean

Producers

Sam Spiegel
Sam Spiegel

Writers

Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman

Awards & Accolades

  • 1957 Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Drama
  • 1957 Oscar : Best Actor - Alec Guinness
  • 1957 Oscar : Best Director - David Lean
  • 1957 Oscar : Best Picture
  • 1957 Oscar : Cinematography
  • 1957 Oscar : Film Editing
  • 1957 Oscar : Music (Original Score)
  • 1957 Oscar : Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
  • 1997 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies - Rank: #13
  • 2007 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies - Rank: #36
  • 2008 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #64
  • 2009 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #68
  • 2010 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #80
  • 2011 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #87
  • 2012 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #87
  • 2013 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #115
  • 2018 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #141
  • 2019 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #168
  • 2022 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #165

Other Recommendations

User Reviews

  • 3.17.2009 by biglummox (10/10)

Ratings

JB Users
100
Flawless
RT Fresh Certified
96%
Tomatometer
103 votes
RT Fresh Certified
93%
Popcornmeter
2,259 votes
METASCORE
88
16 votes
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
239,188 votes

Additional Info

  1. IMDb
  2. Kids-in-Mind
  3. Common Sense Media