Which 1957 war film follows British prisoners building a railway bridge in Burma?

The Bridge on the River Kwai follows British prisoners building a railway bridge in Burma.

David Lean directed the 1957 film, adapted from Pierre Boulle’s 1952 novel Le Pont de la Rivière Kwaï. The story is set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, where British prisoners are ordered to construct a bridge for the Burma Railway.

A central conflict concerns Colonel Nicholson, who becomes determined to prove the skill and discipline of his men even while working for their Japanese captors. The film explores military pride, duty, collaboration, and the psychological effects of captivity.

The movie was a major critical and commercial success. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Although its characters and plot are fictionalized, the Burma Railway and the harsh treatment of prisoners were historically real. The famous bridge shown in the film was not the actual bridge at Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and the movie was filmed in Sri Lanka.