The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly arrived British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). Saito insists that Nicholson order his men to build a bridge over the river Kwai, which will be used to transport Japanese munitions. Nicholson refuses, despite all the various "persuasive" devices at Saito's disposal. Finally, Nicholson agrees, not so much to cooperate with his captor as to provide a morale-boosting project for the military engineers under his command. The colonel will prove that, by building a better bridge than Saito's men could build, the British soldier is a superior being even when under the thumb of the enemy. As the bridge goes up, Nicholson becomes obsessed with completing it to perfection, eventually losing sight of the fact that it will benefit the Japanese. Meanwhile, American POW Shears (William Holden), having escaped from the camp, agrees to save himself from a court martial by leading a group of British soldiers back to the camp to destroy Nicholson's bridge. Upon his return, Shears realizes that Nicholson's mania to complete his project has driven him mad. Filmed in Ceylon, Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness. It also won Best Screenplay for Pierre Boulle, the author of the novel on which the film was based, even though the actual writers were blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were given their Oscars under the table. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

167 mins

Complete Cast:

Director(s):

David Lean

Writer(s):

Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson

Producer(s):

Sam Spiegel

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

PG(Adult Situations, War Violence)

Categories:

War, Drama

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• 1998 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - American Film Institute - 100 Greatest American Movies
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best British Actor
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Screenplay
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Film - Any Source
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Directors Guild of America - Best Director
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Golden Globe - Best Picture - Drama
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Director
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Drama
• 1997 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - National Board of Review - Best Director
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - National Board of Review - Best Picture
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - National Board of Review - Best Actor
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actor
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Director
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actor
• 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Picture