Movie from 1957 directed by David Lean and written by Pierre Boulle. Players: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, and more.

British soldiers are forced to build a railway bridge for their WWII Japanese captors, unaware of an allied mission to blow it up.

all of the above info is from imdb.

An excelent movie. If you like old war movies this one is a must see. It isn't just about war and fighting it is about a group of men working together to build something in adverse circumstances. The British soldiers are not only the labor for this bridge, but they run the construction and IIRC design it too. When they finish it you can sense their pride in the work they've done. This is one of my favorite older movies I can't give it anything but a 4.0/4.0.

The real bridge is in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. It is made of black iron and was brought from Java by the Japanese during World War II and reassembled under Japanese supervision by Allied POWs. It is part of what was known as the "Death Railway" linking Thailand with Burma (now Myanmar). The bridge was the target of frequent Allied bombing raids during the war, and was rebuilt after the war ended. The curved spans of the bridge are original, and the whole area has become a major tourist attraction and site of an annual sound and light show which must terrify any who remember the real bombing.

STANDARD EDITION DVD

Not Rated
Run Time: 162 minutes

Technical Features

• Region 1
• Widescreen anamorphic
• Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
• Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai
• Dual layers

Special Features

• Theatrical trailer
• Talent files for David Lean, Alec Guiness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa

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LIMITED EDITION DVD (2 CD SET)

Not Rated
Run Time: 162 minutes

Technical Features

• Region 1
• Widescreen anamorphic
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai
• Dual layers

Special Features

• Theatrical trailer
• Talent files for David Lean, Alec Guiness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa
• Exclusive Documentary: "The Making of the Bridge on the River Kwai"
• Original Featurette: "The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant"
• USC Short Film Narrated by William Holden
• An Appreciation and Discussion by Filmmaker John Milius
• Photo Montage (International Posters and Lobby Cards)
• Behind the Scenes Footage

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I've got the standard edition--both were released at the same time, but the Best Buy I bought it at only had the standard and I didn't know about the other one.  I doubt I would've shelled out another $15 for it anyway.  My only gripe about it is that the letterboxing is WIDE--2.35:1 is a damn thin rectangle, and I found myself actually wishing for a cropped version.  I actually had to lean towards the television during a couple of the wide shots to make out what was going on.