The Bridge on the River Kwai damage. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. Many directors were considered for the project, among them John Ford, William Wyler, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, and Orson Welles (who was also offered a starring role). The film was an international co-production between companies in Britain and the United States. Director David Lean clashed with his cast members on multiple occasions, particularly Alec Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. Lean had a lengthy row with Guinness over how to play the role of Nicholson; Guinness wanted to play the part with a
The Bridge on the River Kwai was said to give a solid characterization and was "easy, credible and always likeable in a role that is the pivot point of the story". Balu Mahendra, the Tamil film director, saw the shooting of this film at Kitulgala, Sri Lanka during his school trip and was inspired to become a film director. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The British Film Institute placed "The Bridge on the River Kwai" as the 11th greatest British film. The 167-minute film was first telecast, uncut, by ABC-TV in color on the evening of 25