7. The Bridge On The River Kwai
When compiling this list, I ignored any true stories as the argument that they are heavily in the cultural psyche was just too strong. You could argue the same should be true of absolute classics; films regarded as all time masterpieces, but this entry is one case against that. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a film where its reputation most certainly precedes it. It is incredibly renowned, at the time winning seven Oscars and to this day consistently featuring in greatest film lists. But while many know of it and its reputation, it remains under-seen. With fewer TV screenings than classics of the same era and the cultural view of focusing more on masterpieces from the forties, Bridge seems to have slipped through the fingers of recent generations. Telling the fictitious story of the titular bridge, it deals with Alec Guinness Colonel Nicholson and how this disillusioned prisoner of war helps create the bridge for the Japanese, ending fashion with its destruction. As a completely fictional tale, its unfair to say the ending is in anyway expected to be known and the films minimal awareness only compounds this point. Except some DVD covers put the bridge exploding as the main focus. Good job there, marketing.
