Back in 1957, David Lean directed an adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel of the same name, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The classic World War 2 film follows a group of British POWs who are ordered to construct the Burma Railway by their Japanese captors. Penned in secret by the Hollywood blacklisted Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson before fleeing to the UK to complete their work, the film stars William Holden and Alec Guinness.
Considered one of the greatest films ever made, The Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, which was attributed to Boulle until Foreman and Wilson posthumously received the Oscar. In 1999, the BFI voted the movie the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is on Channel 4 at 3:30pm this Sunday afternoon and will be streaming on the app for a limited time afterwards.
