<P> 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 . </P>
<P> 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 . </P>
how many academy awards did bridge on the river kwai win
how many academy awards did bridge on the river kwai win
seven
seven