Barnes & Noble

David Lean's gripping World War II drama -- winner of Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography, Musical Score, and Editing -- is every bit as fresh and absorbing today as when originally released in 1957. Its underlying but perceptive commentary on the futility of war never supersedes the narrative, which revolves around a clash of wills between Japanese prison-camp commandant Sessue Hayakawa and British colonel Alec Guinness. Stern, didactic and indomitable, Guinness leads his men in the construction of a bridge, as directed by the Japanese officer, but does so on his own terms. This boosts morale among the British soldiers, who become defiantly proud of their bridge even as British officer Jack Hawkins and American escapee William Holden plot to destroy it. Pierre Boulle's novel is perfectly adapted by blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, and Lean's direction is absolutely flawless in every respect. You'll always remember two things about this movie: the infectious, frequently whistled "Colonel Bogey March" and Alec Guinness's Oscar-winning performance. The Limited Edition DVD spans two discs and includes an isolated music track, links to DVD-ROM features like screensavers and military plans, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary material. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly arrived British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). Saito insists that Nicholson order his men to build a bridge over the river Kwai, which will be used to transport Japanese munitions. Nicholson refuses, despite all the various "persuasive" devices at Saito's disposal. Finally, Nicholson agrees, not so much to cooperate with his captor as to provide a morale-boosting project for the military engineers under his command. The colonel will prove that, by building a better bridge than Saito's men could build, the British soldier is a superior being even when under the thumb of the enemy. As the bridge goes up, Nicholson becomes obsessed with completing it to perfection, eventually losing sight of the fact that it will benefit the Japanese. Meanwhile, American POW Shears (William Holden), having escaped from the camp, agrees to save himself from a court martial by leading a group of British soldiers back to the camp to destroy Nicholson's bridge. Upon his return, Shears realizes that Nicholson's mania to complete his project has driven him mad. Filmed in Ceylon, Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness. It also won Best Screenplay for Pierre Boulle, the author of the novel on which the film was based, even though the actual writers were blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were given their Oscars under the table. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 043396052789
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español, Portugais
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español, Portugais, Korean, Thai
• Time: 2:42:00
• Sales Rank: 6,370

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• WWII - 60th Anniversary Commemorative Box Set 2
• Columbia Best Pictures Collection
• Guns of Navarone/from Here to Eternity/the Bridge on the River Kwai

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