The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957 film directed by David Lean · Released 1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai, written by Pierre Boulle. Boulle's novel and the film's screenplay are fictional; they use the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943 as historical setting. It stars William Holden, Alec Guinness, and Jack Hawkins, with Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Ann Sears, and Geoffrey Horne in supporting roles. The film was initially scripted by screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was replaced by Michael Wilson.
Cast ages at release (1957)
- Jack Hawkins, as Major Warden: 46–47
- William Holden, as "Commander" Shears: 38–39
- Sessue Hayakawa, as Colonel Saito: 67–68
- Alec Guinness, as Colonel Nicholson: 42–43
- James Donald, as Major Clipton: 39–40
- Percy Herbert, as Grogan: 36–37
- André Morell, as Colonel Green: 47–48
- Ann Sears: 23–24
- Geoffrey Horne, as Lieutenant Joyce: 23–24
- Harold Goodwin, as Baker: 39–40
- Peter Williams, as Captain Reeves: 41–42
- John Boxer, as Major Hughes: 47–48
- Heihachirō Ōkawa, as Captain Kanematsu: 51–52