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 awardsr, 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. Running time 161 minutes region region 2 subtitles bulgarian danish english french german hindi icelandic swedish turkish release date 4 dec. 2000