“One of the finest war films ever. Stunningly photographed and featuring a theme guaranteed to keep you whistling” (James Monaco, The Movie Guide), The Bridge on the River Kwai was a milestone in Lean’s career, bringing him both critical and commercial success and international acclaim. Bridge was also Lean’s inaugural foray into the big budget historical epic, garnering a slough of Oscars, as many of his later films would. Based on real events, the film tells the story of a group of British POWs forced by their Japanese captors to build the infamous titular bridge during the Second World War. Deftly forging widescreen spectacle with complex characterization, Bridge revolves around the conflict between the officer in charge of the British prisoners (Alec Guinness, in his greatest performance), who ironically becomes obsessively dedicated to a task that will benefit the enemy, and the austere Japanese commander (the brilliant Sessue Hayakawa), prepared to commit hara-kiri if the bridge is not completed on time.

Rated PG.