Movie is about world war 2 era when Japan was marching towards other asian countries. Opening sequence is about prisioners camp in Burma(Thailand) where Japanese army holding POWs for their rail road project connecting Bangkok to Rangoon. Here, camp is under Colonel Saito who has good enough pressure to construct the bridge in certain time limit.
Saito welcomes british pows under Colonel Nicholson who join them after surrender in war. Saito inform & warn 
about their new home (camp) . Camp also having other milatary man like American navy Commander(actully sailor) Shears & Medical man Clipton. Saito orders british pows to work including officers. But, Nicholson shouts about “Geneva conventions” before Saito & refuse to do work among officers. Angry Saito put all officers in “oven”(cell) , but courageous Nicholson set example of his brevery. After ,unsuccessful attempts to build bridge & some advice from Clipton results in release of all officers.
On the anniversary of Japan-Russia , Saito allow Nich’s demand of not doing work . Then, tired of mounting pressure of time line , Saito allow Nich & his officers’s bridge model & the way he want to work. Nich’s motto behind doing this is to make pows working with some hope & set an example before Japs that britis can make better bridges. Meanwhile , Shears manage to escape from camp & reaches to Colombo,Sri lanka. As he cheted , he putted in mission towards camp with company of 2 other man & local team. Their mission is to blow bridge which Nich & his british pows making in full swing.
Rest is about their mission planing & acomplish of target bridge.
Movie shot in Sri Lanka (Ceylon, remember Radio Ceylon). Generally , we see bridge falling scenes using model train & bridge ,but director did shot it with real bridge & train (perfactionist, aah) . when so much hard work is done , no wonder it won 7 Oscar awards including best director(David Lean), best actor,best cinematography( beautiful , exact lights) ,best picture (no doubt), best film editing, best music & best adapted screenplay.
really good film.
