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 of Congress . It has been included on the American Film Institute 's list of best American films ever made . In 1999 , the British Film Institute voted '' The Bridge on the River Kwai '' the 11th greatest British film of the 20th Century
30th Academy Awards
30th Academy Awards
The Bridge on the River Kwai