The Bridge On The River Kwai Restored For Blu-ray

• 26th May 2011

The winner of seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay, The Bridge on the River Kwai continues to be one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of all time. Now, for the first time on Blu-ray, following an extensive 4K restoration from the original negative, with newly remastered 5.1 audio, audiences can experience David Lean’s masterpiece as never before. 

The Blu-ray™ Edition of The Bridge on the River Kwai includes all-new special Blu-ray™ exclusive special features which illustrate the scope of this epic motion picture, from its inception and premiere to its impact on audiences the world over. Produced by Sam Spiegel (On the Waterfront, Lawrence of Arabia), The Bridge on the River Kwai was an historic undertaking, with location filming in Sri Lanka capturing a sense of both the beauty and remoteness of its jungle setting.

Synopsis:

When British POWs build a vital railway bridge in enemy-occupied Burma, Allied commanders are assigned to destroy it in David Lean’s World War II adventure The Bridge on the River Kwai.  William Holden plays the cynical and opportunistic American prisoner of war Shears, and Alec Guinness is the captured British officer Colonel Nicholson, who refuses to abandon his ideals even in the harshest of conditions.  Sessue Hayakawa (nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) is the Japanese Commander who struggles to maintain control in the face of defeat.  

All-new Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Features

         William Holden and Alec Guinness on The Steve Allen Show

         The Bridge on the River Kwai Premiere, Narrated by William Holden

         Crossing the Bridge:  Picture-in-Graphics Track: Includes information on the progression of the bridge’s construction, the challenges of creating a bridge in the jungle during wartime, the real POW experience, and a book to screen comparison.

         Original Trailers

More Special Features

         Four Featurettes

o        Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai

o        USC short film introduced by William Holden

o        “An Appreciation” by Filmmaker John Milius

o        “Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant”

         Photo Gallery

The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray Disc™ is available on 6^th June 2011