Before Star Wars, Alec Guinness Starred In One Of The Best War Movies Ever Made

Alec Guinness' IMDb page lists the legendary actor's top two movies as "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai." These days, most people recognize Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi from the former, but Rotten Tomatoes lists the latter as one of the best war movies of all time.

Starring Guinness as Colonel Nicholson, the plot of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" revolves around Allied prisoners of war in a Japanese POW camp who are forced to build a bridge to continue the Burma railway. In the name of pride and duty, Nicholson persuades his unit to build the bridge properly and not sabotage it. Elsewhere, Allied forces are planning an attempt to bring down the bridge, but tensions nonetheless run high between Nicholson and his captors, who are unaware of these plans.

It's a cinematic marvel of a film based on the novel of the same name. Released 20 years before "A New Hope," "The Bridge on the River Kwai" hit theaters in 1957, though it was still far from Guinness' first film. It's a tense, epic war drama from director David Lean, who also made "Lawrence of Arabia" — a film which both would later work on together, with Guinness playing Prince Faisal.

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is a thrilling adventure about the human spirit. Critic Roger Ebert said the film is not about being for or against war, but rather, an exploration of the individuals involved on either side of the conflict. In some ways, it's similar to the storytelling in the new "Star Wars" movies and TV shows.

The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is based on a French novel titled "Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai" written by Pierre Boulle and released in 1952. The events featured in the novel and the film are loosely based on real-world scenarios that took place between 1942 and 1943 during World War II. There were actual POWs, around 60,000 Allied forces and around 200,000 civilians, held captive and forced to build a railway between Burma and Thailand at that time.

The characters, like Guinness' Colonel Nicholson, William Holden's Shears, and Sessue Hayakawa's Colonel Saito, are made up for the film. Building the railroad linking the two countries together was something that happened in real life, but was adapted thematically in both the book and the movie. Notably, Boulle also wrote the "Planet of the Apes" book, which was later turned into several mind-bending sci-fi movies.

The film is set during a time known as the Burma Campaign. This period saw the British attempt to reclaim Burma from the Japanese and use it as a strategic point to defend against the Japanese expansion into China and India. For Japan, control of Burma created its own supply problem, so the Burma Railway was built as an overland link to bypass sea routes that were vulnerable to Allied attacks.

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" went on to claim some impressive awards, including a total of seven Oscars. It won the 1958 Academy Award for best picture and Alec Guinness won best actor in a leading role for his part in it. Guinness' acting legacy was an integral part of the first "Star Wars" film — and that movie's success has led to current films like "The Mandalorian and Grogu." Other awards included best cinematography, best film editing, and best music. It even won a few BAFTA Awards, with Guinness taking the best British actor award and the movie winning best British film. 

In the U.S., "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is available to rent or buy on Prime Video. Reviews for the film call it a masterpiece, with many viewers saying its cinematography makes you feel like you're in the action. It's a movie that grips you with its storytelling and focus on the characters' struggles, morals, and ideals. Many Letterboxd reviews give it high praise, with several 4- to 4.5-star reviews.

The film inspired a two-part "Top Gear" special where the trio of car reviewers headed to Burma to build a bridge over the river Kwai, reading excerpts from the book and making references to the movie throughout. Today, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is regarded as a masterpiece.