Clash of cultures in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Thailand, where British POW Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is determined to show the moral strength of his people -- to the detriment of himself and, ultimately, his side of the war. Fantastic script, but a vision of war that seems pretty neutered by modern standards.
Lists
- ranked 10 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest War Films
- ranked 11 in BFI 100
- ranked 13 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies
- ranked 46 in Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time
- ranked 48 in Men's Journal 50 Best Guy Movies Of All Time
- ranked 48 in WGA 101 Greatest Screenplays
- ranked 51 in Cinema Fusion Movie Bloggers' Top 100 Movies
- ranked 58 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills
- ranked 60 in The IMDb Top 250
- ranked 163 in Empire 500 Greatest Movies (2008)
- ranked 172 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 176 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- ranked 182 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- one of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies Nominees
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills Nominees
- one of BAFTA Best Film Winners
- one of Best Director Academy Award Winners
- one of Best Picture Academy Award Winners
- one of Guardian 1,000 films to see before you die
- one of New York Film Critics Circle Best Film Winners
- one of The New York Times Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies, 10th Anniversary Edition