The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Columbia Pictures Director: David Lean Producer: Sam Spiegel Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Ann Sears, Geoffrey Horne. Awards ceremony: -30th Academy Awards: March 26, 1958. RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Best Motion Picture this year: -12 Angry Men. -Peyton Place. -Sayonara. -Witness For The Prosecution. Plot summary: Set in the jungles of Ceylon (Thailand) 1943, British prisoners of war are ordered by their Japanese captive commander Colonel Saito to help construct a train bridge over the River Kwai. The prisoners' British commander, Colonel Nicholson (ALEC GUINNESS) refuses under the rules of the Geneva Convention to allow his officers to partake in manual labour and stubbornly stands his ground, resulting in his torturous punishment. A truce between the two rival officers is reached and the British soldiers begin working on the bridge by Nicholson to demonstrate the efficiency of the men. Shears (WILLIAM HOLDEN), an American officer who escapes the camp, is picked up by an allied unit who instruct him and fellow officers to return and blow up the same bridge. A showdown between all parties culminates in bloodshed and a bridge which is destroyed. Standout scene: For me it's the scenes in the prison camp and the outright refusal by Colonel Nicholson to co-operate with the orders issued to him by Colonel Saito. Facts: -The 30th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, it won 7: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Writing/Screenplay (adapted), Best Music Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing. -Alec Guinness won the Academy Award for Best Actor despite his third billing. Personal opinion: This is one of those films I recall as being exciting but every time I sit down and watch it I realise that it is never quite as good as I remembered it. The first half of the film is almost faultless, then it sinks to a low before picking up again in the final third. There is no consistency and that is the reason I couldn't give it a higher rating than I ultimately did. Some great scenes including the tense stand-off between Colonel Nicholson and Colonel Saito whilst at the camp is definitely one of the highlights of the film. Nicholson's stubborn British stiff upper lip attitude is something to behold as he resists the Japanese officer's demands. Some scenes, such as the float down stream to plant the explosives under the bridge and the lengthy sequences involving Shears with his commanding officers where they discuss his mission to blow up the bridge are way too long and are major hindrances. Plus points are the great on-location scenery and camp commander Colonel Saito (SESSUE HAYAKAWA); minus points for long sequences adding to an already over-bloated running time of 161 minutes, attributed to poor editing (for which it won an Academy Award - go figure?)... and William Holden. A good film, but it has too many flaws for it to be brilliant. Did it deserve the Oscar? YES.... BUT.... just look at those other nominated films!! I personally rank 12 Angry Men in my all-time top 3 movies, and then there is Witness For The Prosecution too. Wow, what a year. But although The Bridge On The River Kwai wouldn't have been my first choice, I don't begrudge it being awarded the Best Picture. 7½/10

Review date: 05 March 2025