The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Is it a prison movie? Or a war movie? We would say it’s both — David Lean’s The Bridge on the River Kwai is a movie that never does what you expect.

Set in a Japanese prison camp in Thailand, the film portrays a battle of wills between captured British P.O.W. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness) and his captor, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Saito demands that Nicholson and his troops build a railroad bridge over the River Kwai, which leads to questions of ethics and honor, and how to maintain your humanity while in captivity.

It was the most successful movie at the box office in 1957, and deservedly won seven Oscars, including for Best Picture. It’s one of those 1950s movies that is both a classic and a joy to watch.