THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957, Blu-ray released November 2, 2010 – MSRP $34.95)
| MOVIE: | ★★★★★ |
| VIDEO: | ★★★★½ |
| AUDIO: | ★★★★☆ |
| EXTRAS: | ★★★☆☆ |
| BLU-RAY: | ★★★★☆ |
When a David Lean film is released on Blu-ray it deserves a lot of attention. In fact, unless you hear otherwise, you should probably just rush out and grab it up as soon as possible, unless you hear otherwise. Well, if you don’t already own the recently released The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray disc set, the high-def debut of one of Lean’s finest films, you owe it to yourself to do so immediately.
Lean’s 1957 adaptation of Pierre Boulle‘s novel is a cinematic triumph by any measure. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for future Obi-wan Kenobi, Alec Guinness and remains the high watermark for war films to this day. Guinness is especially good as the very proper Colonel Nicholson, who leads his troops to build a bridge for their Japanese captors while waging a war of wills with the commanding officer of the P.O.W. camp.
The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray disc is a triumph on a technical level as well as on an artistic one. Sony’s Senior Vice President of Asset Management, Film Restoration, and Digital Mastering, Grover Crisp and his team of mastering commandos should be commended for their valiant efforts with this brilliant 4K restoration. Never has Kwai looked so vibrant, crisp and film-like, with grain structure and shadow detail wonderfully rendered. This is nothing short of a revelation!
Audio is presented in a well rendered DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound track. It’s unfortunate that the original mono track has not been provided as an option but considering the quality of the video and the fact that adding anything else would cut into its bandwidth, it’s hard to complain.
The Blu-ray disc and additional DVD version of the film come packaged in a really nice 32 page hardcover book with stories and photos from the production. Most of the special features from the 2000 DVD set, including the excellent 53-minute Documentary, “The Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai” are included here but sadly, only in 4:3 standard-def. The new features, including Picture-in-Graphics information track and vintage audio and video, are all welcome additions to the package but none are essential or more a boon to the set than the new transfer of the film itself. See our complete rundown of the Blu-ray features and technical details of the 2-disc set, here.
The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray is a necessary purchase for fans of the film and fans of film in general. Super-extra-highly recommended!!
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]]>We’re fast approaching November 2nd and Sony‘s release of David Lean‘s masterpiece, Bridge on the River Kwai on Blu-ray. The new promo trailer from the studio, embedded above for your viewing pleasure, is just serving to get me even more excited to see one of the finest films ever made in gorgeous 1080p. Given Sony’s recent track record, I’m expecting great things from this new, high-def transfer of the classic film. By all accounts, this should be one of the most significant releases of the year! Can’t wait!
READ MORE: The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray officially announced and detailed
Sony has just made my morning by officially announcing this incredible looking Blu-ray release for David Lean‘s The Bridge on the River Kwai! Details for the title look to be identical to those we previously reported but now we also know how great the packaging looks and when the disc is set to hit the streets.
What still isn’t confirmed, as far as I’m concerned, is the full list of special features. The three items Sony has listed as extras on the Blu-ray are referred to as “All New“, leading me to believe that the DVD included in this new 2-disc package will be the disc of bonus content from the previously available SD Limited Edition set from 2000. I have no idea if this is the case yet but I’ll include the list of extras from that disc down below. The post will updated when I receive confirmation one way or the other.
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
(November 2, 2010 – MSRP $34.95)
Video: Original 2:55:1 aspect ratio in 1080p
Audio: “newly-restored 5.1 audio”
New Special Features:
- 32 page book with stories and photos from the production
- Replications of the original lobby cards
- Bonus DVD version of the movie
- William Holden and Alec Guinness on The Steve Allen Show
- Newly Discovered archival audio of William Holden Narrating The Bridge on the River Kwai Premiere
- Crossing the Bridge: Picture-in-Graphics track and more
Original DVD Special Features:
- “The Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai” 53-minute Documentary
- “Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant” Six-minute Original Featurette
- “USC Short Film Introduced By William Holden” 15-minute Movie
- “An Appreciation By John Milius” Eight-minute Featurette
- Isolated Score
- Photo Montage
- Theatrical Trailers
- Talent Files
Via: Blu-ray.com
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]]>Oh wow. If you follow The Blu-ray Blog to any extent you’re no doubt aware of my affection for the work of master-director David Lean (read my review of his wonderful Doctor Zhivago on Blu-ray.) Sadly, most of his films have yet to make the journey to the world of HD. That’s why I’m so excited to discover that a new Blu-ray edition of The Bridge on the River Kwai, one of Lean’s finest, has turned up for pre-order on Amazon. The title has yet to be officially announced by Sony so we don’t have a release date or any confirmed details for the disc. We’ll update this page when we learn more. Until then, check out this preliminary list of special features from the Amazon listing:
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
(not official package art)
(2010 – MSRP $34.95)
Video: 2.35:1 1080p
Audio: TBA
Special Features:
- 35 page book with stories and photos from the production
- Replications of the original lobby cards
- Bonus DVD version of the movie
- William Holden and Alec Guinness on The Steve Allen Show
- Newly Discovered archival audio of William Holden Narrating The Bridge on the River Kwai Premiere
- Crossing the Bridge: Picture-in-Graphics track and more