Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the USO and AAFES Celebrate the Blu-ray Release of WWII Classic The Bridge on the River Kwai With VIP Event in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- To honor the country's heroic veterans in the lead-up to Veterans Day, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), together with the USO (United Service Organizations) and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), present a premiere screening of seven-time Academy Award® winning World War II classic The Bridge on the River Kwai. The digitally restored film is being screened at the US Navy Memorial Burke Theater in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 9, 2010 with a special introduction including an appearance by lead cast member Geoffrey Horne. Government officials and veterans of the United States armed services will be in attendance.

SPHE is also showcasing the digitally restored film at theatrical screenings in select cities across the country, including Chicago and Austin. The complete screening schedule is available at www.bridgeontheriverkwaibd.com

Among the most prized in the Columbia Pictures catalog, The Bridge on the River Kwai is now available for the first time on Blu-ray as the Blu-ray Collector's Edition.  The Blu-ray Collector's Edition includes both a Blu-ray and DVD disc of the film, replicas of the original theatrical lobby cards and all-new special features which illustrate the scope of this epic motion picture, from its inception and premiere to its impact on audiences the world over. The film underwent an extensive 4K restoration from the original negative and features newly remastered 5.1 audio, so audiences can experience director David Lean's masterpiece as never before.  More details on the original production and the restoration work can be found at www.Columbia-Classics.com.

The winner of seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay, features William Holden (Oscar® Winner for Best Actor, Stalag 17, 1953) and Alec Guinness (Oscar® Winner for Best Actor, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957) as World War II prisoners whose opposing missions in the Burmese jungle collide with devastating effects.

The Bridge on the River Kwai Synopsis:

When British POWs build a vital railway bridge in enemy-occupied Burma, Allied commanders are assigned to destroy it in David Lean's World War II adventure The Bridge on the River Kwai.  William Holden plays the cynical and opportunistic American prisoner of war Shears, and Alec Guinness is the captured British officer Colonel Nicholson, who refuses to abandon his ideals even in the harshest of conditions.  Sessue Hayakawa (nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) is the Japanese Commander who struggles to maintain control in the face of defeat.

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SOURCE Sony Pictures Home Entertainment