2025 FILM SERIES: The Epic David Lean

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, 161min)

Christopher Llewellyn Reed, chair, film & moving image department, Stevenson University

Even those who haven’t seen Kwai no doubt know its famous “Colonel Bogey March,” whistled by the British troops as they walk into their Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Set during World War II, the movie follows the misguided actions of those soldiers under the orders of Colonel Nicholson (a magnificent Alec Guinness, who reappears three more times in this series). Forced to build a railway bridge by Japanese camp commander Colonel Saito (former Hollywood silent-film star Sessue Hayakawa, equally fine), the men do as they’re told, though not until Nicholson has won a battle of wills with Saito (which includes torture). An adaptation of French author Pierre Boulle’s eponymous 1952 novel, this heart-pounding meditation on the madness of war also stars William Holden and Jack Hawkins. Winner of 7 Oscars (out of 8 nominations)—including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Guinness), and Best Cinematography—The Bridge on the River Kwai is both supremely entertaining and deeply meaningful.

The summer film series is created in partnership with The Renaissance Institute.

$10 fee for guests or $40 for six films (No fee for ASG/RI members, or ASG subscribers)