Award-winning rendition about famed novel with extraordinary performances and scenarios

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2008)

In the luxurious jungle of Thailand , British prisoners (Alec Guinnes, James Donald , Percy Herbert , among others) of WWII captured in the fall of Singapur are taken by Japanese wards for building a railway bridge on the trail since Bangcock until Rangún . With extraordinary appearance when the prisoners arrive in the POW war camp whistle the title song,the Colonel Bogey March . Central plot is the troublesome relationship between the obstinate Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinnes) and a cruel ruler , Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and parallel efforts by escaped convict (William Holden) , officer (Jack Hawkins) and soldier (Geoffrey Horne) to destroy it.
This excellent film , winner of numerous Oscars was magnificently directed by David Lean . However , first was slated Alexander Korda , but he withdrew due he deemed wrong the main roles . Also was originally considered Howard Hawks , but he abandoned , especially concern was the all male lead characters and because his previous film, Land of the pharaohs, failed at the Box office . Gary Grant was firstly hired , but declined due to other offers and was substituted by William Holden . Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were uncredited , but were blacklisted as suspect communists and only appears credited Pierre Boulle who won Academy Award for best adapted script , though he didn't know English language . In 1984 when the movie was restored , they retrospectively won the prize , but sadly they had dead, however their names were justly added to writing credits . The famous march whistle by prisoners , is original from 1916 titled ¨Bollocks and the same for you¨ by Mayor Ricketts , a chief of musical band and the actual words were obscene , later being re-titled Colonel Bogey March . Deservedly won the Oscar for best musical score by Malcolm Arnold . The authentic bridge was built by prisoners in two months and constructed for film was four months with help elephants and by hundred workers and length 425 feet long and 50 foot above the water , in Ceylon location . But was demolished in a matter of seconds , as it is splendidly reflected in the movie.