The Bridge on the River Kwai (Limited Edition)

Starring:Holden, Guinness
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Amazon.com essential video

Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Like Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai has been beautifully restored and released in a highly recommended widescreen version that preserves its original aspect ratio. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character........2007-05-06

This unique film had everything you could want except romance. Action, suspense, special effects, an intruiging story, themes, cinematography, diection, & locales. This is the story of a Japanese POW camp in Burma in World War two. Commanded by Colonel Saito {Sessue Hayakawa}, the mainly British captives are being used as slave labor for the construction of a railroad bridge that will link malaysia to Rangoon over the river Kwai. The Japanese commander's life depends on it's successful completion. Colonel Nicholson the British commander is a stickler for rules & when Saito declares that officers will work as well as enlisted men, he sites the Geneva Convention restrictions on officers doing manual labor. When they refuse to work, Saito has them thrown into ovens, metal containers that bake in the tropical sweltering heat. After much angst Saito relents since the bridge is behind schedule. There's a fine mix of camera shots from all possible angles showing the grinding heat draining the overworked & malnurished men, as well as breathtaking panoramas. Above all positives of this excellent film were the performances by all concerned. Alec Guinness as Col. nicholson was beyond "PERFECTION." He totally absorbs the characters essence & then manifests it. I can't think of any actor who deserved his/her OSCAR more. William Holden is also superlative in his scenes, as were stern Sessue Hayakawa & the enigmatic Jack Hawkins. The destruction of the bridge & train was a one shot chance done very well. I saw this film on TV as a young boy. Now seeing it again on DVD, it was as enthralling as ever. Buy it, you won't be disapointed.

The bridge on the river kwai.......2007-04-02

Classic movie and glad it finally came on DVD

Enduring classic.......2007-03-26

This enduring classic is (loosely, very loosely) the story of the WW2 POWs used to build the Thai/Burma railroad. The larger war becomes a personal battle between 3 forces: The Japanese soldiers looking for labor led by Colonel Saito, the British soldiers looking to serve as prisoners as dictated by the Geneva Convention led by Colonel Nicholsen (Alec Guiness winning an academy award) and the commandos looking to destroy the bridge led by Naval officer Shear.

The morality (or more specifically madness) of war is adressed in the movie. The pointless nature of armed conflict reads true today, as do issues of handling prisoners. The movie's a long one, but one of the few that justifies the added time. Every piece is indeed required in this classic.

"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!.......2007-03-19

How Amazon could rate this as a benchmark is beyond my understanding. This movie is so far removed from the reality of the episode that it is an insult to the troops who endured the events. Perhaps it would be best if Amazon relied on combat veterans to critique war movies.

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-27

This is movie is an excellent WWII prisoner of war film. I was enamored immediately and for the entire length of this film. William Holden is perfect as an American POW caught in the middle between a mission dreamed up by his British companions and desire to sit the war out. Director David Lean is the master.

WWII 60th Anniversary Collection (The Guns of Navarone/From Here to Eternity/The Bridge on the River Kwai) (Includes Collectible Scrapbook)

Average customer rating:

WWII 60th Anniversary Collection (The Guns of Navarone/From Here to Eternity/The Bridge on the River Kwai) (Includes Collectible Scrapbook)
Starring: Gregory Peck , David Niven , Anthony Quinn , Stanley Baker , and Anthony Quayle
Director: J. Lee Thompson , Alexander Mackendrick , and Fred Zinnemann
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ASDFHC
Release Date: 2005-10-25

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character.
The bridge on the river kwai
Enduring classic
"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Limited Edition)
Starring: James Donald , Harold Goodwin , Alec Guinness , Jack Hawkins , and Sessue Hayakawa
Director: David Lean
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Military & War | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Lawrence of Arabia (Limited Edition)
The Great Escape
The Guns of Navarone (Special Edition)
On the Waterfront (Special Edition)
Patton

Accessories:

The Bridge On The River Kwai: An Original Soundtrack Recording

ASIN: B00003CX97
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character........2007-05-06

The bridge on the river kwai.......2007-04-02

Classic movie and glad it finally came on DVD

Enduring classic.......2007-03-26

"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!.......2007-03-19

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-27

The David Lean Collection (Lawrence of Arabia / The Bridge on the River Kwai / A Passage to India)

Average customer rating:

Defective Product
Triple Guinness
Great Classics

The David Lean Collection (Lawrence of Arabia / The Bridge on the River Kwai / A Passage to India)
Starring: David Lean
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Humphrey Bogart Collection (The Big Sleep/The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca/Key Largo)
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ASIN: B0000AGQ72
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Amazon.com

Lawrence of Arabia
In David Lean's masterful "desert classic," Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre. The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum. Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact. --Sam Sutherland

A Passage to India
This adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious tale of British racism in colonial India turned out to be master director David Lean's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman traveling in India with her fiancé's mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Defective Product.......2007-05-06

I regret that I have to return the Lean collection because the disc of Lawrence of Arabia is defective. And your instruction was to return the entire set. This is not the fault of Amazon but the fault of the manufacturers - Columbia Pictures and Sony. I had purchased an identical DVD of Lawwrence from a local electronics store and discovered that the disc was corrupted shortly after the start of the film's second half. I returned the disc to the store and was given another. It was corrupted in exactly the same place. That's when I ordered the Lean collection from Amazon in the hope of getting an uncorrupted disc of Lawrence. But, sad to say, the Lawrence disc in the Amazon trio of DVDs was also corrupted in precisely the same place. I am in the process of returning the collection in the hope of gaining a refund of the more than $40.00 I paid for the collection.

Triple Guinness.......2005-10-04

BRIDGE shows us a certain kind of international filmmaking when, after the war, big budget British pictures often had to haul in an American star or two to get financing. William Holden is certainly working hard in BRIDGE, but he seems as though he's panting in overdrive trying to keep up with the effortless cool of Alec Guinness and the other British stars. This trend is even more pronounced in LAWRENCE, made at a time when the studios were all in deep crisis and each individual movie had the power to make or break the studio financing it. It was a time of huge gambles, and occasionally one or two of them would pay off handsomely.

Kevin Brownlow's life of David Lean (1996) shows how Lean came to regard Alec Guinness as a sort of touchstone for good luck, using him whenever possible. (He went into RYAN'S DAUGHTER with a foreboding that proved eerily accurate; the picture had disappointing financial results--and in Lean's view he had failed to lure in Alec Guinness and that was the reason). In LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Lean was faced with the challenge of bringing Guinness into the movie even though he (Guinness) had desperately wanted to play Lawrence himself, and had done so to great acclaim in the play Terence Rattigan wrote for him to showcase his powers in the part (ROSS was the name of Rattigan's drama).

In today's political climate it is sometimes said that Guinness was making a fool of himself trying to play men from different, "exotic" cultural backgrounds, particularly his Indian doctor in A PASSAGE TO INDIA, and many Indians have objected, arguing that there were thousands of authentically Indian actors who might have played the part with more ease than Guinness. When I watch the movie I get a disagreeable feeling when I hear Guinness trying to put over his sing-song voice. It's like a whole volume of Edward Said flooding the screen with "I told you so." It's not that he's a bad actor, but he doesn't convince. He seems to be making fun of South Asian people by mocking their accents, not to mention their skin color. Same with LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, though not so bad. It's a thorny question and I have no answers, only to observe that Guinness was one of those proud men who think they can play anything--and mostly they're correct.

Great Classics.......2003-12-12

This is one of the best collections I own. If you love all the classic movies, definitely go for this one!

The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai (History Channel)

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True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai

The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai (History Channel)
Starring: True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AABL12
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese. Finishing in only 14 months, many never returned from "The Railway of Death".

Customer Reviews:

True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai.......2007-02-22

This story is historically accurate - no punches pulled. It's not a "Hollywood" fairy tale entertainment as the 1957 movie turned out to be - this is real and worth adding to your library. Not only is it a great historical epic, but it also pays tribute to the hundreds/thousands of men who died building not one, but two bridges over the River Kwai. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in history of WWII in the Pacific Theater.

DVD TRUE STORY OF THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI AAE-72053 THE HISTORY CHANNEL

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DVD TRUE STORY OF THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI AAE-72053 THE HISTORY CHANNEL

ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:

The Bridge on the River Kwai

ASIN: B000FBC048

Average customer rating:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character.
The bridge on the river kwai
Enduring classic
"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai [Region 2]
Starring: William Holden , Jack Hawkins , Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , and James Donald
Director: David Lean
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Lawrence of Arabia (Limited Edition)
The Great Escape
The Guns of Navarone (Special Edition)
On the Waterfront (Special Edition)
Patton

ASIN: B00004YN4L

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character........2007-05-06

The bridge on the river kwai.......2007-04-02

Classic movie and glad it finally came on DVD

Enduring classic.......2007-03-26

"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!.......2007-03-19

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-27

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Enduring Classic
"Be Happy in your Work"
Indelible Imagery, Sights and Sounds
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Collector's Edition)
Starring: William Holden , Jack Hawkins , Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , and James Donald
Director: David Lean
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000MGTQ7A
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Product Description

When British POWs build a vital railway bridge in enemy-occupied Burma, Allied commandos are assigned to destroy it in David Lean's epic World War II adventure The Bridge on the River Kwai. Spectacularly produced, The Bridge on the River Kwai captured the imagination of the public and won seven 1957 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), and Best Director. Even it's theme song, an old WWII whistling tune, the Colonel Bogey March, became a massive hit.The Bridge on the River Kwai continues today as one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Enduring Classic.......2007-03-26

"Be Happy in your Work".......2007-02-17

This is one of those movies worth re-watching. All the things you expect from the British when they are captured by the Japanese and forced to build a bridge.

This movie was shot in Sri Lanka as it best fit the story. However the real river was not the Kwai. That just happened to be a better name for the river. And the real bridge was not wooden.

My favorite character was William Holden as Shears, The only pragmatic charter in the movie. Shears did not have to keep a stiff upper lip or save face or any of that sort of stuff. Where as Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson and Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito, had to go face to face with each other's interpretation of honor.

This is best depicted in one statement from Shears:

"You make me sick with your heroics. There's a stench of death about you. You carry it in your pack like the plague. Explosives and L-pills -- they go well together, don't they? And with you it's just one thing or the other: destroy a bridge or destroy yourself. This is just a game, this war! You and Colonel Nicholson, you're two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like a gentleman... how to die by the rules... when the only important thing is how to live like a human being."

Indelible Imagery, Sights and Sounds.......2007-02-07

William Holden may be the star of the film but Alec Guinness leaves an indelible image as British Colonel Nicholson. William Holden's character and predicament almost seem secondary to the central plot. The true substance of the story lies in the conflict between Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa as Japanese Colonel Saito and the morality of British soldiers building a bridge for the enemy to the best of their abilities. The bridge is central to the plot and it takes on symbolic meaning as both a monument to British ingenuity and the inept weakness of their Japanese captors. Malcolm Arnold's score is most memorable for his use of Kenneth Alford's "Colonel Bogey March." This full is full of indelible sights and sounds. The unique look of the bridge structure over the River Kwai, the "Colonel Bogey March" and the scene where Alec Guinness falls on the plunger of the detonator box rigged to blow up the bridge have lived with me ever since I saw this film as a kid. That was a longtime ago, a time well remembered that only exists in my memory now.

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-06

Average customer rating:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character.
The bridge on the river kwai
Enduring classic
"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai [Region 2]
Starring: William Holden , Jack Hawkins , Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , and James Donald
Director: David Lean
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video