Editing The Bridge on the River Kwai (section)

===Critical response ===
On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film received an [[approval rating]] of 96% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 9.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_on_the_river_kwai/ |access-date=13 August 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |archive-date=8 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208191816/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_on_the_river_kwai |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bridge on the River Kwai Reviews |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai |access-date=13 August 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]] |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922163752/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the film as "a towering entertainment of rich variety and revelation of the ways of men".<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/12/19/archives/screen-the-bride-on-the-river-kwai-opens-memorable-war-film-stars.html |title=Screen: 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' Opens |work=The New York Times |page=39 |date=19 December 1957 |access-date=28 April 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428214145/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/12/19/archives/screen-the-bride-on-the-river-kwai-opens-memorable-war-film-stars.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Mike Kaplan, reviewing for ''Variety'', described it as "a gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments."<ref name=kaplan>{{cite news |last=Kaplan |first=Mike |date=20 November 1957 |url=https://archive.org/details/variety208-1957-11/page/n169/mode/2up |title=Film Reviews: The Bridge on the River Kwai |work=Variety |page=6 |access-date=28 April 2021 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his.<ref name=kaplan /> William Holden was also credited for his acting for giving a solid characterization that was "easy, credible and always likeable in a role that is the pivot point of the story".<ref name=kaplan /> Edwin Schallert of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' claimed the film's strongest points were for being "excellently produced in virtually all respects and that it also offers an especially outstanding and different performance by Alec Guinness. Highly competent work is also done by William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa".<ref>Schallert, Edwin (20 December 1957). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76665084/edwin-schallerts-review-of-the-bridge/ {{" '}}Bridge on River Kwai' Acclaimed as Distinguished War Film"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428214147/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76665084/edwin-schallerts-review-of-the-bridge/ |date=28 April 2021 }}. ''Los Angeles Times''. Part III, p. 10. Retrieved 28 April 2021 – via [[Newspapers.com]]. {{Open access}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine praised Lean's directing, noting he demonstrates "a dazzlingly musical sense and control of the many and involving rhythms of a vast composition. He shows a rare sense of humor and a feeling for the poetry of situation; and he shows the even rarer ability to express these things, not in lines but in lives."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,936806-1,00.html |title=Cinema: The New Pictures |magazine=Time |date=23 December 1957 |access-date=28 April 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428214145/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,936806-1,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' described the film as an "excellent World War II adventure melodrama" in which the "production values are first-rate and so is the photography."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/details/harrisonsreports39harr/page/n217/mode/2up |title='The Bridge on the River Kwai' with William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins |work=Harrison's Reports |page=186 |date=23 November 1957 |access-date=28 April 2021 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Among retrospective reviews, [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four out of four stars, noting that it is one of the few war movies that "focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals", but commented that the viewer is not certain what is intended by the final dialogue due to the film's shifting points of view.<ref name=Ebert>{{cite news |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=18 April 1999 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai-1957 |title=The Bridge on the River Kwai |access-date=11 October 2018 |via=[[RogerEbert.com]] |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502202946/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai-1957 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Slant (magazine)|Slant]]'' magazine gave the film four out of five stars.<ref name=blauvelt>{{cite news |last=Blauvelt |first=Christian |date=20 September 2010 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai |title=The Bridge on the River Kwai |access-date=11 October 2018 |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |archive-date=11 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011133407/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Slant'' stated that "the 1957 epic subtly develops its themes about the irrationality of honor and the hypocrisy of Britain's class system without ever compromising its thrilling war narrative", and in comparing to other films of the time said that ''Bridge on the River Kwai'' "carefully builds its psychological tension until it erupts in a blinding flash of sulfur and flame."<ref name=blauvelt />

[[Balu Mahendra]], the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] film director, observed the shooting of this film at [[Kitulgala]], [[Sri Lanka]] during his school trip and was inspired to become a film director.<ref>{{cite news |author=N. Venkateswaran |date=14 February 2014 |title=Balu Mahendra, who made his visuals speak, dies at 74 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Balu-Mahendra-who-made-his-visuals-speak-dies-at-74/articleshow/30363139.cms |newspaper=The Times of India |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-date=2 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302182333/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Balu-Mahendra-who-made-his-visuals-speak-dies-at-74/articleshow/30363139.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Warren Buffett]] said it was his favorite movie. In an interview, he said that "[t]here were a lot of lessons in that... The ending of that was sort of the story of life. He created the railroad. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |first=Sam |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-wallet-american-express-card-400-cash-131943350.html |title=Warren Buffett carries an American Express card and about $400 in cash |website=[[Yahoo! Finance]] |date=1 May 2019 |access-date=1 May 2019 |archive-date=1 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501190823/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-wallet-american-express-card-400-cash-131943350.html |url-status=live }}</ref>