The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Director:

David Lean

Writer (WGA):

Pierre Boulle (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

14 December 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

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.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | Japanese | Jungle | River | Construction

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
Heihachirô Ôkawa	...	Captain Kanematsu (as Henry Okawa)
Keiichirô Katsumoto	...	Lieutenant Miura (also as K. Katsumoto) (as Keiichiro Katsumoto)
M.R.B. Chakrabandhu	...	Yai (in opening credits) (as M.R.B. Chakrabandhu {Col. Broome})
Vilaiwan Seeboonreaung	...	Siamese Girl
Ngamta Suphaphongs	...	Siamese Girl
Javanart Punynchoti	...	Siamese Girl
Kannikar Dowklee	...	Siamese Girl

Directed by
David Lean

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael Wilson		(screenplay) originally uncredited and
Carl Foreman		(screenplay) originally uncredited
Pierre Boulle		(novel "Le pont de la rivière Kwaï")

Produced by
Sam Spiegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Malcolm Arnold

Cinematography by
Jack Hildyard		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Taylor		(chief editor)

Art Direction by
Donald M. Ashton

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
George Partleton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Cecil F. Ford	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gus Agosti	....	assistant director
Ted Sturgis	....	assistant director
John Kerrison	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Geoffrey Drake	....	assistant art director
Peter Dukelow	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Pam Bosworth	....	additional sound editor
Eric Boyd-Perkins	....	additional sound editor
Fred Burnley	....	additional sound editor
Rusty Coppleman	....	additional sound editor
John Cox	....	sound
Teddy Darvas	....	additional sound editor
Janet Davidson	....	additional sound editor
Norma Hawkes	....	additional sound editor
Peter Miller	....	additional sound editor
John W. Mitchell	....	sound (as John Mitchell)
Winston Ryder	....	chief sound editor
Peter Davies	....	post-synchronisation (uncredited)

Stunts
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Archie Dansie	....	chief electrician
Peter Newbrook	....	camera operator
Ron Drinkwater	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Gerry Fisher	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Gerry Fisher	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Merry	....	lighting technician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Wilson-Apperson	....	wardrobe (as John Apperson)

Editorial Department
George Hively	....	editor (restoration)
William Pine	....	color timer (restoration) (as Bill Pine)
Sati Tooray	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Malcolm Arnold	....	conductor (uncredited)
Charles Camilleri	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Martelli	....	continuity
L.E.M. Perowne	....	technical adviser (as Major-Gen. L.E.M. Perowne C.B. C.B.)
William Harrigan Jr.	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Robert Haslam	....	consultant: explosives (uncredited)
Robert Haslam	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Grady Johnson	....	publicist (uncredited)
Maurice Landsberger	....	cashier (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Horizon Pictures (II) (as A Horizon Picture)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Columbia Pictures Release) (Released through Columbia Pictures Corporation also)
• Warner Bros. (1957) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (as A Columbia Pictures Release) (Released through Columbia Pictures Corporation also)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1966) (USA) (TV)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS) (digitally restored pan and scan)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS) (digitally restored/widescreen)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• LK-TEL (1999) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Film (1958) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1958) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1972) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Egmont Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• Egmont Film (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1988) (1995) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (2000) (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Nordisk Film (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• R-Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• VTC-Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Videosonic Arts (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1998) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Columbia Pictures  is the author of this film (motion picture) for the purpose of copyright and other laws
• Equipment and Construction Co.  bridge constructed by (as Equipment and Construction Co. Ceylon)
• Government of Ceylon  the producers gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and help extended to them by the various departments of, during the course of the production of the film (as the Government of Ceylon)
• Husband & Co. of Sheffield  consulting engineers for the bridge
• OCS/Freeze Frame/Pixel Magic  negative restoration by (restoration) (as OCS/Freeze Frame)
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The  music played by (as The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Sony Pictures Studios  sound services at (restoration) (as Sony Pictures Studios Culver City, California)
• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages (uncredited)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild war violence (re-rating) (1991)

Runtime:

161 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Japanese | Thai

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (RCA Sound Recording) | Mono (35 mm prints) (RCA Sound Recording) | 4-Track Stereo (Linear PCM)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:T | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (1992) | West Germany:12 (w) | Sweden:15 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | USA:Approved | USA:PG (re-rating) (1991) | Brazil:12 | Japan:G (2010) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:U (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Ambepussa, Sri Lanka

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

While David Lean didn't always get along with everyone in his cast, he was very fond of William Holden. Lean found Holden to be extremely professional. He felt that Holden's considerable talent often went unnoticed, in part because the actor made everything look so effortless.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Major Shears and the others are parachuting, the POV is the audience looking up at them coming down. There are some white clouds, and a lot of clear sky. Cut to their guide waiting on the ground, watching the men for a few seconds. Cut back to the audience POV looking up, and the sky is now all dark clouds.

Quotes:

Major Reeves:By the way, sir, I meant to tell you, there are trees in this forest very similar to elm. And the elm piles of London Bridge lasted six hundred years.
Colonel Nicholson:Six hundred years, Reeves?
Major Reeves:Yes, sir.
Colonel Nicholson:Six hundred years... That would be quite something.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Pucker Up (2005)

Soundtrack:

Colonel Bogey March

Still Stirring Wartime Adventure and Compelling Psychological Drama Exhibit David Lean at His Peak

After years of more intimate British films and just discovering the joys of location shooting with 1955's "Summertime", master director David Lean made his first actual widescreen epic with 1957's "The Bridge on the River Kwai", an acknowledged classic that deserves attention from a new generation of viewers and another visit from the rest of us who love perfectly executed films by an unparalleled craftsman. Recently, this movie has been overshadowed by his 1962 follow-up epic, the comparatively more elaborate "Lawrence of Arabia", but this richly textured WWII-set adventure is special enough on its own terms. While it has its share of action and suspense presented in exacting detail, the film is even more resonant as a psychological drama about the test of wills between mission-driven officers amid the perils of wartime survival.

The plot takes place in 1943 when after surrendering in Singapore, Col. Nicholson marches his ragged British company into a Japanese prisoner work camp in the Burmese jungle (this is where the famous whistling of "Colonel Bogey March" is first heard). The erudite Col. Saito runs the camp and demands that the new prisoners build a massive railway bridge, a critical juncture between Rangoon and Malaysia. In a classic stand-off, Nicholson finally forces Saito to respect Geneva Convention and not allow his officers to do manual labor on the construction. Upon his ironic Pyrrhic victory, Nicholson slowly descends into the madness of seeing the completed bridge as a potential morale booster for his battle-weary men. Meanwhile, shortly after Nicholson's arrival, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Shears escapes from the camp only to be later blackmailed into joining a British commando mission led by do-or-die Maj. Warden and hesitant Lt. Joyce with the sole goal of blowing up the bridge. Through Peter Taylor's thoughtful film editing, the movie breathlessly alternates between the parallel story lines of the bridge construction and the jungle commando mission until the exciting climax.

Lean's accomplishments are many with this memorable film - the authenticity of the Burmese jungle locations (filmed in Sri Lanka), the seamless integration of the two story lines, the masterful handing of the final scenes, and in particular, the gradual metamorphosis of Nicholson from a by-the-book British officer to Saito's willing collaborator. A frequent participant in Lean's films, Alec Guinness gives his career-best performance as Nicholson providing all sorts of unexpected shades to his complex characterization. As Shears, William Holden does what he did best in the 1950's, concurrently exude natural bravado and a conflicted soul and then added a layer of cynicism that dares to challenge the viewer to support him. The 68-year old Sessue Hayakawa came out of retirement to play Saito and delivers a subtle performance of unbending discipline and pained humiliation. Jack Hawkins and Geoffrey Horne lend sturdy support as Warden and Joyce respectively. With the same expert eye he lent to "Summertime", Jack Hildyard provides the superbly expressive and composed cinematography. Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, both blacklisted at the time, wrote the brilliantly developed screenplay. This is essential viewing.

The two-disc 2000 Limited Edition DVD set has a pristine print transfer with great sound making the entire experience feel surprisingly fresh upon viewing. There is a nearly hour-long documentary on Disc Two, "The Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai", produced for the DVD and full of intriguing insight into the production logistics. There are a couple of shorter featurettes produced around the time of the film's original release, the first is a black-and-white teaser for the film itself and the second a rather pedestrian lesson in Film 101 produced by USC grad students and introduced by Holden. Director John Milius provides a respectful tribute to the film in another short.