IMDb > The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai
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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) More at IMDbPro »

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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) -- 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.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) -- Clip: What have I done
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) -- 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.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
David Lean
Writer (WGA):
Pierre Boulle (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Bridge on the River Kwai on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 October 1957 (UK) more
Genre:
Adventure | Drama | War more
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
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 5 nominations more
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)
User Comments:
Ageless and all but perfect more (210 total)

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
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for mild war violence. (1991 reissue)
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
161 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English | Japanese | Thai
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (RCA Sound System) | Dolby SR (re-release) | Mono (35 mm prints)
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:
Ambepussa, Sri Lanka more
Company:
Horizon Pictures (II) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In some prints of this movie, star Alec Guinness's surname is written as "Guiness". more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Col. Saito leaves Col. Nicholson and the other officers standing in the sun their shadows lengthen during the day. The scene then cuts to a view from inside the 'hospital' and the shadows of the officers are noticeably shorter. more
Quotes:
Colonel Nicholson: It is quite understandable; it's a very natural reaction. But one day - in a week, a month, a year - on that day when, God willing, we all return to our homes again, you're going to feel very proud of what you have achieved here in the face of great adversity... more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Spaceballs (1987) more
Soundtrack:
God Save the King more

FAQ

Is this a true story?
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
What Does Warden (Jack Hawkins) Mean By "I Had To Do It"?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
30 out of 40 people found the following comment useful.
Ageless and all but perfect, 6 September 1999
10/10
Author: Spleen from Canberra, Australia

Of all war movies this is the one with the best idea behind it. Think how easy it is to make a bad war movie. A group of people must blow up a bridge, and this is the story of their quest ... Actually, that DID serve as the premise for a film: it was called `Force Ten from Navarone', and it was dire. Or how about this one: we see close up the brutalities of war. (Then we see them again. Then we see some more of the brutalities of war. Then we see the credits.) Or how about this: a humble American soldier, with the pragmatism native to his breed, rejects his superiors' highfalutin talk of honour and glory and asserts his basic humanity in trying to stay alive. Or this one: we see English prisoners of war maintain their dignity in the face of Japanese brutality.

They're all present, in a sort of a way: but ALSO present is a magnificent, long, suspenseful, tight story, around which these apparent clichés wrap naturally. If the clichés don't wrap naturally then they, not the story, are bent out of shape. Just when we think that the American pragmatist will turn out to be the hero, we see him cut a rather shabby figure, and it seems that there really WAS something to that highfalutin talk of honour and glory, after all. But then we discover that he has standards of his own, and they appear to be better ones. But THEN it seems that ... I could go on indefinitely, since there are many people here with something to be said for them, and it requires some thought to see who has the most to be said for him in the end.

There's almost no need to mention the excellent performances, photography and music. The only thing one might have qualms about is historical accuracy. Nothing like this ever happened. Still, that makes the movie much less dishonest than those that base themselves on historical events, and then proceed to get them all wrong. You can only be misled by `The Bridge on the River Kwai' if you don't know that it's pure fiction. Well - you know now.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Am i the only one who thinks that.... jenseyde
Major Warden's Retreat wrunge7-1
need help.. searching for name of movie similar to this one... Maquina_Muerte
The ending of the ending sucked...(spoiler) vespid23
The uncredited actors ? claude-rouyer
Greatest Last Lines in Movie History DD-931
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