The Bridge on the River Kwai

David Lean's plans to film Richard Mason's novel, The Wind Cannot Read, for Alexander Korda had come to nothing. However, his new project was also to have a jungle setting, and also brought his first collaboration with legendary producer Sam Spiegel, who approached Lean with The Bridge on the River Kwai while he was still shooting Summer Madness (US/UK, 1955). Significantly, Lean was attracted by the story's epic quality, and saw a drama of Shakespearean dimensions in the tragic relationship between Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and Nicholson (Alec Guinness). He wrote the script with Michael Wilson, although the screen credit went to the book's author, Pierre Boulle.

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