THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

British POWs during World War II are ordered by the Japanese to build a bridge for the Burma-Siam railway. The POWs want to sabotage the bridge but Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness) convinces them to build it as a symbol of British spirit and dignity. The prisoners admire Nicholson initially when he suffers torture rather than change his views. But as time goes on Nicholson is gradually revealed as deluded and obsessive -- the bridge is a monument to himself rather than Great Britain.

The glittering cast includes: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, Geoffrey Horne, James Donald, Andre Morell, and Ann Sears.

#13 on the AFI Top 100. Eight Oscar nominations; seven wins (Best Picture, Best Actor, Direction,Writing, Cinematography, Editing, and Music).

Director David Lean's "Bridge on the River Kwai" is an epic of a sweeping, highly moving, war-time drama.

The Bridge Over the River Kwai Review

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