The Bridge on the River Kwai

"It spans a whole new world of entertainment!"

Dec 14 1957 PG 2h 41m
Adventure, Drama, War

The 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, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.

Official Trailer
Plot

During WW II, allied POWs in a Japanese internment camp are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge, but under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson they're persuaded the bridge should be built to help morale, spirit. At first, the prisoners admire Nicholson when he bravely endures torture rather than compromise his principles for the benefit of Japanese Commandant Colonel Saito, but soon they realise it's a monument to Nicholson, himself, as well as a form of collaboration with the enemy.

Written by

Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson

Directed by

David Lean

Cast

William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America, United Kingdom

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures, Horizon Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

Won 7 Oscars. 30 wins & 7 nominations total

Trailers
Bridge On The River Kwai, The (original Version) - Trailer
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Re-Release Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
245,355
Average Rating
8.1 out of 10
Metascore
88
Popularity
NA