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The Bridge on the River Kwai

Oscar™ Best Picture - Winning Movies

1957

David Lean

William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, James Donald ...

7.8

50,465

War. Adventure British POWs in Burma are employed by the Japanese to build a bridge; meanwhile, British agents seek to destroy it. After surrendering his unit to the Japanese. Colonel Nicholson demands his men behave by the book, and refuses to cooperate with the equally dutiful Japanese commander. When the Japapese insist that the POWs build a bridge, they decide to build the best one possible, thereby restoring morale. But after one of the men ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"Most war movies are either for or against their wars. 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957) is one of the few that focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Bosley Crowther The New York Times	"[It] makes it more than a towering entertainment of rich variety and revelation of the ways of men. It makes it one of the niftiest bargains to be had on the screen this holiday."	POS
United Kingdom	Ian Nathan Empire	"Possibly Lean's most complicated movie, 'Kwai' is a towering work (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"It ain't bad (...) If all you do is systematically invert cliches, you simply end up creating new ones."	NEU
United Kingdom	Almar Haflidason BBC	"David Lean achieves a fine balance of creating complex characters from a fine cast, while keeping the pace up throughout this long movie (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Andrew Collins Radio Times	"Few Second World War films are as enduring (...) The central performances are all first rate (...) but it's Guinness who stands out (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Mike Kaplan Variety	"A gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments (...) What elevates 'Kwai' to the rank of an artistic and financial triumph (...) is the engrossing entertainment it purveys"	POS
United States	Kate Cameron New York Daily News	"A stirring drama (...) Brilliant performances are to be credited to Alec Guinness (...) and Sessue Hayakawa (...) The action, under Lean's superb direction, is filled with suspense"	POS
United States	Christian Blauvelt Slant	"'The Bridge on the River Kwai' carefully builds its psychological tension until it erupts in a blinding flash of sulfur and flame (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Tony Paley The Guardian	"Those coming fresh to the work will also be fascinated by what this film tells us about British attitudes to war"	POS
United Kingdom	Phil Hardy Time Out	"A classic example of a film that fudges the issues it raises"	NEU

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