Award-winning adaptation of the Pierre Bouelle novel about the battle of wills between a Japanese POW camp commander and a British colonel over the construction of a rail bridge, and the parallel efforts by escaped prisoner Holden to destroy it. Holden's role was originally cast for Cary Grant. Memorable too for whistling Colonel Bogey March. Because the writers were blacklisted, Bouelle (who spoke no English) was originally credited as the screenwriter.