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IMDbPro

The Bridge on the River Kwai

  • 19571957
  • PGPG
  • 2h 41m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
219K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,939
75
Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, Geoffrey Horne, and Ann Sears in 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.
Play trailer3:07
4 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaWar
British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid t... Read allBritish POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
219K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,939
75
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • David Lean
    • Writers
      • Pierre Boulle(novel "Le pont de la rivière Kwaï")
      • Carl Foreman(screenplay)
      • Michael Wilson(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • William Holden
      • Alec Guinness
      • Jack Hawkins
    Top credits
    • Director
      • David Lean
    • Writers
      • Pierre Boulle(novel "Le pont de la rivière Kwaï")
      • Carl Foreman(screenplay)
      • Michael Wilson(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • William Holden
      • Alec Guinness
      • Jack Hawkins
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 371User reviews
    • 110Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
    Top rated movie #165
    • Won 7 Oscars
      • 30 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos4

    The Bridge on the River Kwai -- Trailer
    Trailer 3:07
    The Bridge on the River Kwai -- Trailer
    Unsung Asian American Pacific Islander Heroes of Film History
    Clip 5:25
    Unsung Asian American Pacific Islander Heroes of Film History
    The Bridge On The River Kwai
    Clip 1:17
    The Bridge On The River Kwai
    The Bridge On The River Kwai
    Clip 1:55
    The Bridge On The River Kwai

    Photos111

    William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Jack Hawkins in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    "Bridge On The River Kwai, The" William Holden 1957 Columbia
    Jack Hawkins and Percy Herbert in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Jack Hawkins in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    Alec Guinness and William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Holden
    William Holden
    • Shears
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Colonel Nicholson
    Jack Hawkins
    Jack Hawkins
    • Major Warden
    Sessue Hayakawa
    Sessue Hayakawa
    • Colonel Saito
    James Donald
    James Donald
    • Major Clipton
    Geoffrey Horne
    Geoffrey Horne
    • Lieutenant Joyce
    André Morell
    André Morell
    • Colonel Green
    • (as Andre Morell)
    Peter Williams
    • Captain Reeves
    John Boxer
    • Major Hughes
    Percy Herbert
    Percy Herbert
    • Grogan
    Harold Goodwin
    Harold Goodwin
    • Baker
    Ann Sears
    Ann Sears
    • Nurse
    Heihachirô Ôkawa
    • Captain Kanematsu
    • (as Henry Okawa)
    Keiichirô Katsumoto
    • Lieutenant Miura
    • (as Keiichiro Katsumoto, K. Katsumoto)
    M.R.B. Chakrabandhu
    • Yai
    Vilaiwan Seeboonreaung
    • Siamese Girl
    Ngamta Suphaphongs
    • Siamese Girl
    Javanart Punynchoti
    • Siamese Girl
    • Director
      • David Lean
    • Writers
      • Pierre Boulle(novel "Le pont de la rivière Kwaï")
      • Carl Foreman(screenplay) (originally uncredited)
      • Michael Wilson(screenplay) (originally uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Colonel Saito was inspired by Major Risaburo Saito, who, unlike the character portrayed in this movie, was said by some to be one of the most reasonable and humane of all of the Japanese officers, usually willing to negotiate with the P.O.W.s in return for their labor. Such was the respect between Saito and Lieutenant Colonel Toosey (upon whom Colonel Nicholson was based), that Toosey spoke up on Saito's behalf at the war-crimes tribunal after the war, saving him from the gallows. Ten years after Toosey's 1975 death, Saito made a pilgrimage to England to visit his grave.
    • Goofs
      Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Conventions until 1953, therefore there was no expectation by Allied prisoners of being treated in accordance with them. In fact, the Japanese treatment of prisoners led to the review and update of the conventions in 1949.
    • Quotes

      Colonel Nicholson: What have I done?

    • Crazy credits
      And introducing Geoffrey Horne
    • Alternate versions
      Various versions have different main credits. There is the original that gives screenplay credit to Pierre Boulle, there is the restored version in which previously blacklisted Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson are credited and there is the original version that was distributed to cinemas at the time still lacking in CinemaScope equipment in which the Cinema Scope credit is omitted and the credits formatted to fit the smaller frame.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Geisha Boy (1958)
    • Soundtracks
      Colonel Bogey March
      (1914) (uncredited)

      Music by Kenneth Alford

      Arranged by Malcolm Arnold

      Whistlers trained by John Scott

      Whistled by Alec Guinness with British Prisoners of War

    User reviews371

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A powerful film experience
    I heard a film critic once say that there really aren't "war movies"; there are only "anti-war" movies. I'm still not sure what I think of that claim, but having seen - The Bridge on the River Kwai- enough times in the past several years, I think I'm persuaded that it's at least half right. -Kwai-, I believe, is both a "war" and "anti-war" movie, and, in my view, it succeeds admirably at both.

    There is almost no element of -Kwai- that is not praise-worthy. David Lean's direction is tight and evocative. The cinematography is great (even though the color seems increasingly drained in film versions that I have seen). The acting is top-notch. I honestly believe that this is Alec Guiness's best performance, and Sessue Hayakawa is also highly sympathetic and believable. William Holden and Jack Hawkins round out the cast nicely.

    The musical score is also right on. Simply put, -Kwai- is an excellently constructed film made by people who obviously cared a great deal about it. As a result, the viewer comes to care a great deal about it as well.

    Clearly -Kwai- is an anti-war film. There is no glorification here. War is brutal, period. It's brutality is not captured here in terms of gory carnage or senseless battles. Instead, the psychological dimension of brutality comes across clearly. Yet, -Kwai- also shows the resilience of the human spirit as well as its complexity. One is left wondering if participation in World War II not only psychologically brutalized the characters played by Guiness, Hayakawa, and Holden but also if it simultaneously uplifted them. The paradox is striking to me each time I view this film. War can act both as a positive and negative catalyst, and it can do both of these things at the same instant.

    So, is -The Bridge on the River Kwai- a war movie or an anti-war movie? I think Lean clearly preferred the latter, but the subject matter and his approach to it may have landed somewhere in between.

    Regardless, -Kwai- is a fantastic film experience and is not to be missed. It is, simply put, my very favorite film--bar none.
    helpful•122
    35
    • Wormtongue1
    • Dec 10, 1999

    FAQ8

    • What is 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' about?
    • Is 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' based on a book?
    • Is the movie based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1957 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
      • Thai
    • Also known as
      • Die Brücke am Kwai
    • Filming locations
      • Ambepussa, Sri Lanka
    • Production company
      • Horizon Pictures (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,200,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $27,200,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.55 : 1

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