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 -- 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 -- Clip: What have I done
The Bridge on the River Kwai -- Clip: A reasonable type

Overview

User Rating:
Top 250: #101  (login to vote)
8.3/10   93,782 votes »
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
David Lean
Writer (WGA):
Pierre Boulle (novel)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Bridge on the River Kwai on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 December 1957 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Adventure | Drama | History | War See 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:
See more »
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 5 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(137 articles)
The Game-Changer: Ray Harryhausen
 (From Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy. 7 May 2013, 6:05 PM, PDT)
‘Richard III’ to be restored in 4K
 (From The Moving Arts Journal. 26 April 2013, 9:34 AM, PDT)
How Many of the Movies from Roger Ebert's List of Great Movies Have You Seen?
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 10 April 2013, 4:28 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
A movie about madness See more (237 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies

Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
MPAA:
Rated PG for mild war violence (re-rating) (1991)
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
161 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English | Japanese | Thai
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
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 LankaSee more »
Company:
Columbia Pictures CorporationSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
For the scenes where William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne and the native girls had to wade through swamps, they were wading through specially created ones. The real swamps in Ceylon were deemed to be too dangerous. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Col. Nicholson is examining the wire sticking out of the river, the current switches direction.See more »
Quotes:
Maj. Warden:[lowering binoculars] Kill him... Kill him!
Major Shears:[screaming] KILL HIM! KILL HIM!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Villains: So Bad, They're Good" (1995)See more »
Soundtrack:
God Save the KingSee more »

FAQ

Is this a true story?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
29 out of 34 people found the following review useful.
A movie about madness, 22 February 1999
Author: Haplo-4 from Västerås, Sweden

I have watched this movie several times and it is just getting better and better all the time. Why? Because this movie actually has a message built-in, this isn't a violent story, like "Saving Private Ryan" - also a good movie with a message - but it is still not a slow story.

When I last saw it, I realised that there was something in the movie that I had never understood, this isn't a movie about war, torture or how it was to be a prisoner of war; this is a movie about madness and pride. The pride shows both in Saiko and Colonel Nicholson, they are so full of it that it is almost impossible for them to come to a civil-conclusion with the problems they have with each other. The madness is shown in Colonel Nicholson and Holden's character - here they are, two prisoners of war and they don't want to help each other out, instead they try to reach separate goals, and they are both willing to die for it.

After you have watched this movie one is amazed by the performances made by Alec Guinness and William Holden and I must say that this is therefore one of the best War/Drama movies ever made My vote? 9 out of 10 naturally.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (237 total) »

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
Just fell out of the Top 100. Really?? SpaceMonkey-Mafioso
Nicholson deliberately set off the explosives internetnicknamehere-178-30027
I don't get why they blew up the bridge. rhal
Movie never gets old JarHeadMarine2
Suggestion of seppuku? Max_Planck
What's the song they whistle? Majoofi
See more »

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