(David Lean, 1957, United Kingdom/USA, 161 minutes)

The hugely successful The Bridge on the River Kwai—both the highest-grossing film of 1957 and the Best Picture Oscar winner at the 1958 ceremony—concerns a group of British prisoners of war at a Japanese prison camp. The men are charged with building a railway bridge for their captors, though little do they know that the Allies have their sights on destroying it. Master epic-maker David Lean (who won Best Director for this film) here directs a legendary cast that includes Alec Guinness (who won Best Actor), William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa.