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Parents' Guide to

The Bridge on the River Kwai

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Epic of WWII honor and sacrifice gone haywire.

Movie PG 1957 161 minutes
The Bridge on the River Kwai Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Familymovies1060
Familymovies1060 Adult
May 23, 2015
age 11+

Kids liked it, skipped some parts

Parents should know that there are several scenes with sexual overtones. There's an old pin up calendar prominently featured in several scenes and several swimming-with-the-natives scenes and attraction between the Thai women who are assisting (by force?) the commando party and also POW camp party with dancers.
2 people found this helpful.
doctora
doctora Parent of 6-year-old
May 2, 2023
age 11+

A bit outdated in its portrayals although Holden and Guinness are standouts.

A film that is set up for epic grandeur. Holden is affable and Guinness is watchable, and the film takes its time getting to the end. The Japanese are given short shrift by the end so much so that they seem inconsequential. The film in many ways feels lopsided in its story structure, and the representation of each group starts to feel a bit of a slog. Lean's work here is not my favorite, although the shots are well organized and they show off the bridge and the film location. The depiction of all the interested parties has not aged well and thus is a difficult film to recommend since it is also largely fictional in the events it portrays.
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What's the Story?

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI takes place in Japan-occupied Siam (later Thailand) in 1943, after the Imperial Japanese Empire has conquered vast territories of Asia. Over a muddy jungle river called Kwai, a Japanese colonel, Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), must complete a railroad bridge vital to Japan's war effort. Into Saito's prison camp come captured British troops and their stalwart leader, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness). To Saito's confusion, Nicholson upholds British military traditions with his men, not at all taking defeat as a humiliation. Nicholson refuses to bow to Saito, and uses the bridge project to prove the superiority of the British and keep up the captives' morale. Meanwhile, escaped American soldier Shears (William Holden) is forced back to the Kwai compound to help advise a commando team assigned to destroy the bridge.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (15 ):

Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, this might be one of the finest war films of all time. Though based on a real-life WWII incident, the devastating story is really about what constitutes military duty and "honor" -- and how they can be twisted into disloyalty and dastardly treachery. While not explicitly bloody, there's a downbeat ending and a final one-word line of dialogue that sums up the whole thing: "Madness!"

There is an abundance of excitement in The Bridge on the River Kwai (the last 20 minutes are excruciatingly tense), but well-acted minefields of issues and thoughtfulness are what make this a formidable arsenal. This is a war movie about ideas, not just blowing things up -- but in the end, both those attributes turn into the same thing, in an example of the usually noble concepts of battlefield chivalry and obedience taken to extremes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the irony of The Bridge on the River Kwai, with upright military commanders working for the enemy to pull off a stupendous feat because of principles of "honor." What should have been done differently? Could it happen today?

  • Which characters are the most (or least) admirable? Are there any real villains in the story?

  • Would you say this is a pro-military movie or an anti-war one?

  • Kids might want to research more historical facts, the real-life story of the Kwai bridge, and the Allied (and British) experience in the WWII jungles of the Far East.

  • Which characters in The Bridge on the River Kwai demonstrate courage and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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