THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI

CINEMA CLASSICS brings back into print classic books that were the inspiration for some of the most beloved films of all time.Too often it is forgotten,or not even known,that many of the world's favorite movies were first bestselling books,capturing the imagination of reader,as they would later do for moviegoers.And often the book is richer,deeper,and even more dramatic and compeliing than the film,making the reading experience a pleasure all its own.
THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER K WAI is such a classic,as both film and novel.First published in 1954,and released as a movie in 1957,starring Alec Guinness and William Holden,and winning seven Academy Awards including one for Best Picture,this is a spellbinding,epic World War II novel about the futility and insanity of war,viewed through the psychological confrontations between a willful British colonel prisoner-of-war and the equally willful Japanese colonel who is head of the camp.With pride,loyalty,tradition,heroism all brought into question,this is a story-and film-that resonates with suspense,irony,and especially,utterly unforgettable characters.