The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): Cast, Ratings & Box Office
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 adventure drama directed by David Lean, starring William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Alec Guinness. It is based on The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle and Xan Fielding. It runs 2 hours 41 minutes and earned $27.2 million worldwide on a $3 million budget. It won 7 Oscars, including Best Motion Picture and Actor, and 14 awards in all. Critics gave it 88 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 41m (161 min)
- Director
- David Lean
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- Budget
- $3M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Bridge on the River Kwai About?
The premise of The Bridge on the River Kwai without spoilers, adapted from The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle and Xan Fielding. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
During World War II, Allied prisoners of war are forced by their Japanese captors to build a bridge across the River Kwai in Burma. A British colonel, obsessed with maintaining discipline and completing the project as a testament to British engineering, clashes with American officers who plot to sabotage the structure. The conflict escalates into a tense battle of wills with far-reaching consequences for both sides.
The Bridge on the River Kwai Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- bridge
- demolition
- british army
- sweat box
- corporal punishment
- forced labor
- pow camp
- tropics
- japanese occupation of burma
- imperial japanese army
- jungle adventure
- world war two
+38 more Show fewer
- combat
- sword
- famous score
- river
- kite
- 1940s
- bat
- slapped in the face
- raft
- soldier
- jungle
- stabbing
- funeral
- cemetery
- beach
- falling from height
- train wreck
- torture
- vulture
- whistling
- brutality
- leech
- canoe
- shame
- ceylon
- sten gun
- amnesty
- discipline
- indochina
- blowing up a bridge
- pride
- paratrooper
- camouflage
- geneva convention
- plunger detonator
- river rapids
- empire of japan
- myanmar
The Bridge on the River Kwai Cast
William Holden leads the cast, with Jack Hawkins and Alec Guinness. Directed by David Lean; 10 actors are credited in all.
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Director David Lean
Also Starring in The Bridge on the River Kwai
· 6 moreMore from David Lean
More films directed by David Lean, best-rated first: Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Passage to India.
The Bridge on the River Kwai Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave The Bridge on the River Kwai 88 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.
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IMDb 8.1 /10
See on IMDb -
Metacritic 88 Metascore
User score 8.3
See on Metacritic
The Bridge on the River Kwai Plot Summary
What happens in The Bridge on the River Kwai from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Two prisoners of war are engaged in a solemn task, burying a corpse in the graveyard of a Japanese World War II prison camp located in southern Burma. One of them, American Navy Commander Shears, has a strategy to secure his comfort; he frequently bribes the guards to get sick duty, thus allowing him to dodge the grueling labor that awaits most prisoners.
Full summary
The whole story of The Bridge on the River Kwai, scene by scene
The Bridge on the River Kwai Box Office & Budget
The Bridge on the River Kwai grossed $27.2 million worldwide on a $3 million budget, 9.1 times what it cost. $27.2 million came from the US and Canada and $836 (0%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$27.2M
9.1× its budget
- US & Canada
- $27.2M
- International
- $836
- Budget
- $3M
The Bridge on the River Kwai Awards & Nominations
The Bridge on the River Kwai won 7 Oscars, including Best Motion Picture and Actor, and 14 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Oscars 1958, with 7 wins from 8 nominations.
14 wins16 nominations4 ceremonies
-
Oscars 1958 7 wins · 8 nominations- Won Actor – Alec Guinness
- Won Best Motion Picture
- Won Cinematography
- Won Directing – David Lean
- Won Film Editing
-
Golden Globes 1958 3 wins · 4 nominations- Won Best Actor - Drama – Alec Guinness
- Won Best Director – David Lean
- Won Best Film - Drama
- Nominated Best Supporting Actor – Sessue Hayakawa
-
BAFTA 1958 3 wins · 3 nominations- Won Best British Actor – Alec Guinness
- Won Best British Film
- Won Best Film
-
DGA Awards 1957 1 win · 1 nomination- Won Feature Film – David Lean
The Bridge on the River Kwai Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 2 trailers.
- Trailer The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Re-Release Trailer
How Well Do You Know The Bridge on the River Kwai?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who played the role of Colonel Nicholson?
Cars in The Bridge on the River Kwai
6 cars on screen, including the Fordson WOT2B and the Fordson WOT2.
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Fordson WOT2B Important role -
Fordson WOT2 Minor role -
unknown Minor role -
Willys MB 'Jeep' Minor role
The Bridge on the River Kwai Also Known As
35 alternative titles, including “El Puente Sobre el Río Kwai” and “Most na rijeci Kwai”.
- Also known as
-
- El Puente Sobre el Río Kwai
- Most na rijeci Kwai
- Most na Rzece Kwai
- Broen over Kwai
- 戦場にかける橋：1957
- Die Brücke am Kwai
- Kwai Köprüsü
- Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï
- Il ponte sul fiume Kwai
- A Ponte do Rio Kwai
- Мост через реку Квай
- Bron över floden Kwai
+23 more Show fewer
- Híd a Kwai folyón
- Most přes řeku Kwai
- 桂河大桥
- Broen over floden Kwai
- 戦場にかける橋
- Η γέφυρα του ποταμού Κβάι
- הגשר על נהר קוואי
- 콰이강의 다리
- Мостът на река Куай
- Міст через річку Квай
- Podul de pe râul Kwai
- Kwai-joen silta
- 桂河橋
- 桂河大橋
- Most cez rieku Kwai
- Tiltas per Kvai upę
- Chiếc Cầu Trên Sông Kwai
- پل رودخانهی کووای
- Мост на реци Квај, ხიდი მდინარე კვაიზე
- El pont del riu Kwai
- สะพานข้ามแม่น้ำแคว
- Most na reki Kwai
- Tilts pār Kvai upi
Seen The Bridge on the River Kwai?
Movies Like The Bridge on the River Kwai
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai, Return from the River Kwai and A Bridge Too Far.
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The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai 2000 -
Return from the River Kwai 1989 -
A Bridge Too Far 1977 -
To End All Wars 2002 -
The Bridge 1969 -
The Bridges at Toko-Ri 1954 -
Bataan 1943 -
The Bridge at Remagen 1969 -
Bridge to the Sun 1961 -
The Battleship Island 2017 -
The Long and the Short and the Tall 1961 -
The Railway Man 2014
The Bridge on the River Kwai FAQ: Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, the book behind it and awards of The Bridge on the River Kwai, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Bridge on the River Kwai?
The Bridge on the River Kwai runs 2 hours 41 minutes (161 minutes).
When was The Bridge on the River Kwai released?
The Bridge on the River Kwai was released on December 14, 1957.
Who directed The Bridge on the River Kwai?
The Bridge on the River Kwai was directed by David Lean.
More films by David Lean Who is in the cast of The Bridge on the River Kwai?
The Bridge on the River Kwai stars William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Alec Guinness, among 10 credited actors.
How much did The Bridge on the River Kwai make at the box office?
The Bridge on the River Kwai grossed $27.2 million worldwide ($27.2 million domestic, $836 international) on a budget of $3 million.
How is The Bridge on the River Kwai rated?
The Bridge on the River Kwai has 8.1/10 on IMDb and 88 on Metacritic.
Is The Bridge on the River Kwai based on a book?
Yes. The Bridge on the River Kwai is adapted from The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle and Xan Fielding.
What awards did The Bridge on the River Kwai win?
The Bridge on the River Kwai won 14 awards from 16 nominations, including Actor at the Oscars 1958.
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