The Bridge on the River Kwai order to continue working. As a result, Boulle, who did not speak English, was credited and received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; many years later, Foreman and Wilson posthumously received the Academy Award. The film was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) at the 30th Academy Awards. It used lush colour to bring out the British stiff upper lip of the colonel, played by Alec Guinness in an Oscar-winning performance. In 1997, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library
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