Pearl, 9.35pm
Sir Alec Guinness (above) knew all about war, serving in the Royal Navy between 1941 and 1945. 'I gave my best performances, perhaps, during the war, trying to be an officer and a gentleman,' he once said. It was an experience that he undoubtedly drew on for one of his most memorable character studies, his Oscar-winning performance in David Lean's The Bridge On The River Kwai, as the British officer, Colonel Nicholson, who grimly holds on to military discipline and pride to build a bridge for his Japanese captors.
Pearl pays tribute to the great actor who died earlier this month at the age of 86, by letting us enjoy this film, made in 1957, once again. The film won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and director and, of course, best actor. But Guinness was not Lean's first choice. Charles Laughton was originally cast, but could not face the conditions on location in Sri Lanka.
In the story, the infamous Burmese bridge was constructed by prisoners in just two months. For the movie, a British company spent eight months on the task, employing 500 workers and 35 elephants.
As Good As It Gets
HBO, 9pm