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Movies / On DVD / The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai

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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:7

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.4/10

Consensus: This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.

Runtime: 2 hrs 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically... One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically complex adaptation of Pierre Boulle's 1952 novel, a classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson (a fabulous Alec Guinness), the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans. Although credited to screenwriter Carl Foreman, the script was actually written by blacklisted writer Michael Wilson. The film garnered seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Guinness). The climax is one of the great finales in film history. [More]

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Geoffrey Horne, Andre Morell, Peter Williams, Percy Herbert, Harold Goodwin, Ann Sears, K. Katsumoto, Henry Okawa

Director: David Lean

Director: David Lean
Screenwriter: Michael Henry Wilson, Carl Foreman
Producer: Sam Spiegel
Composer: Malcolm Arnold

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Bridge on the River Kwai

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1 - 6 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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A towering work.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
02/19/08
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
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Guinness, Lean and British war cinema have never been better.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/19/08
Channel 4 Film
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A classic example of a film that fudges the issues it raises.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 2 Comments
02/09/06
Time Out
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Lean achieves a fine balance of creating complex characters from a fine cast, while keeping the pace up throughout this long movie.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
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It is a whale of a story, and in the telling of it, British Director David Lean does a whale of a job.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
02/18/09
TIME Magazine
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A gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/19/08
Mike Kaplan
Mike Kaplan
Variety
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Brilliant is the word, and no other, to describe the quality of skills that have gone into the making of this picture.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
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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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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1 - 6 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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