The Bridge on the River Kwai
Directed by:
David LeanCinematography:
Jack HildyardComposer:
Malcolm ArnoldCast:
William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Geoffrey Horne, André Morell, Percy Herbert, Harold Goodwin, John Boxer, Ann Sears (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Adaptation of the Pierre Bouelle novel about POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American officers plot to blow up the structure, but the commander of the bridge's construction has different plans. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Reviews (4)
Further proof of the sheer perfectionism of David Lean, an expert in expensive, narrative big productions. Lean's no pushover, he shot Lawrence of Arabia in the heat of the African desert, with actors at the end of their rope and film technology taking a beating. This film was shot in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle. The actors and film crew had a great time again, including a fully functional massive bridge created especially for the film. However, despite all the massive production, the story is mainly conducted on a psychological level, where the audience has to answer for themselves the question of whether an officer's word of honour is higher than the strategic war aims of his country's army. Those seven Oscars are well deserved.
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A famous war drama with a very well-known musical motif, which although far from reflecting the actual course of events and strongly romanticizing the destruction of the bridge, still functions as a strong story and has a decent amount of tension and emotions. Overall impression: 80%.
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For a long time I just circled around this Lean movie in annoyance, but in the end I was all the more impressed by its genius and refinement. The opening psychological battle between Nicholson and Saito is simply unique and foreshadows the final grandeur of the film, whose long runtime passes like water and which, despite the absence of shooting and actual warfare, is one of the most gripping war dramas ever made. And that ending! I barely breathed for the last 15 minutes, so even now, writing this review, my lungs aren't working well. But it was worth it!
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I finally saw the whole film today, even though I have known the song that made it so famous for a long time. Finally, I could evaluate the film itself, and I must say that David Lean has once again created something incredibly great. It's actually just about building a bridge, but that's enough. It's great, magnificent, and yet so emotionally beautiful and touching.
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