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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Release Date:
2 October 1957 (UK)
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Tagline:
It spans a whole new world of entertainment!
Plot:
After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars.
Another 23 wins
&
5 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Birthday Suit: You've Seen Demi's
(From FilmExperience. 11 November 2009, 4:00 AM, PST)
Geek Deal: Columbia Best Picture Collection for $60
(From Slash Film. 17 September 2009, 11:30 PM, PDT)
(From FilmExperience. 11 November 2009, 4:00 AM, PST)
Geek Deal: Columbia Best Picture Collection for $60
(From Slash Film. 17 September 2009, 11:30 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
They don't make movies like this anymore.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | William Holden | ... | Shears |
 | Alec Guinness | ... | Colonel Nicholson |
 | Jack Hawkins | ... | Major Warden |
| Sessue Hayakawa | ... | Colonel Saito |
| James Donald | ... | Major Clipton |
| Geoffrey Horne | ... | Lieutenant Joyce |
| André Morell | ... | Colonel Green (as Andre Morell) |
| Peter Williams | ... | Captain Reeves |
| John Boxer | ... | Major Hughes |
| Percy Herbert | ... | Grogan |
| Harold Goodwin | ... | Baker |
| Ann Sears | ... | Nurse |
| Heihachiro Okawa | ... | Captain Kanematsu (as Henry Okawa) |
| Keiichiro Katsumoto | ... | Lieutenant Miura (as K. Katsumoto) |
| M.R.B. Chakrabandhu | ... | Col. Broome Yai |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG for mild war violence. (1991 reissue)
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
161 min
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:12 |
South Korea:12 |
USA:Approved |
USA:PG (re-rating) (1991) |
Brazil:12 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:PG |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:16 |
Spain:T |
UK:PG |
West Germany:12 (w) |
Sweden:15 |
Canada:PG (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the scene when a Burmese women spreads a masking paint on major Shears legs, before they are to set charges onto a bridge, it's clearly seen that William Holden is wearing 50's style loafers, that not only fit the time, but don't fit the situation at all.
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Quotes:
[Major Clipton has given up arguing with Colonel Nicholson that building the bridge could be viewed as collaboration with the enemy]
Colonel Nicholson: You're a fine doctor, Clipton, but you've a lot to learn about the army.
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Colonel Nicholson: You're a fine doctor, Clipton, but you've a lot to learn about the army.
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Movie Connections:
References The General (1926)
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Soundtrack:
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
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FAQ
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movieWhat Does Warden (Jack Hawkins) Mean By "I Had To Do It"?
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
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| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Adventure section |
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I recently saw The Bridge on the River Kwai at the Cinerama Dome, and it was quite spectacular. Unlike some of today's grand adventure films, you get to know the characters along with seeing great scenes of acting and cinematography. Alec Guinness is at the top of his form as the single minded Colonel Nicholson. The scene between Nicholson and Saito in Saito's hut is remarkable. Nicholson still will not concede defeat, he even takes offense that other officers of different armies gave in and worked alongside the enlisted men. Saito can't understand Nicholson's acceptance of his punishment, and it drives him crazy. The film's plot has two stories that are beautifully intertwined. Shears' return to the bridge is his only way to escape the bridge. In the film's final act, the tension is turned up as the British commandos try to blow up the bridge, and a train, and only then does Nicholson realise what the bridge really is. The Bridge on the River Kwai is one film that is hard to top, the only film able to do that is Lawrence of Arabia, both directed by the meticulous eye of David Lean. One director who could put intimacy in epic circumstances.