The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa. The film was filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The bridge in the film was located near Kitulgala. The film... More

Initial release date:

  • Oct 2, 1957

Directed by:

Rating:

PG (USA)

Runtime:

  • 2 h 41 min

Produced by:

Also known as:

  • The Bridge On The River Kwai

Film

Directed by

David Lean

Sir David Lean, CBE (25 March 1908 – 16 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor, best remembered for big-screen epics The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984); for bringing Charles...

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Story by:

Cinematography:

Edited by:

Release date(s):

Film release region Release Date Film release distribution medium
  • 1957
  • Nov 21, 2000
  • Dec 14, 1957
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Art direction by:

Other crew:

Crewmember Film crew role

Music by:

Runtime:

  • 2 h 41 min
  • 2 h 47 min
  • 2 h 35 min
View The Bridge on the River Kwai: Runtime »

Estimated budget:

Currency Amount
  • 3,000,000

Production companies:

Distributors:

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Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Film Winners

Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Film Nominees

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies of 1998

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Media

Adapted From

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge over the River Kwai (French: Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai) is a novel by Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation by Xan Fielding in 1954. The story is fictional but uses the construction of the Burma Railway, in 1942–43, as its historical setting. The novel deals...

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