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Pierre Boulle

Pierre Boulle

Writer · Died January 30, 1994, aged 81 · Avignon, Vaucluse, France

Oscar winner · BAFTA Award winner

Pierre Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist largely known for two famous works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963). Description above from the Wikipedia article Pierre Boulle  licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 20, 1912
Died
January 30, 1994 (aged 81)
From
Avignon, Vaucluse, France
Works as
Writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 16% in 30 days

What are Pierre Boulle's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 99th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
27%
Morality
20%
Society
17%
Survival
14%
Ideas
9%
Bonds
8%
Self
5%
Oppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 7

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Dread
5
Melancholic
4
Bittersweet
3
Contemplative
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Devastating4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Pierre Boulle's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Pierre Boulle's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

22 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • War for the Planet of the Apes(2017)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • La face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Writer

  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes(2014)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Rise of the Planet of the Apes(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Planet of the Apes(2001)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Un métier de seigneur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Novel

  • Un métier de seigneur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Novel

  • Farewell to the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Characters

  • Life, Liberty and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Characters

  • Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Characters

  • The Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Characters

  • Back to the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Characters

  • Return to the Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 13 episodes · Characters · Creator

  • Planet of the Apes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 14 episodes · Characters

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes(1973)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Escape from the Planet of the Apes(1971)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Beneath the Planet of the Apes(1970)

    Characters · Novel

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Planet of the Apes(1968)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Planet of the Apes Test Reel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Original Story

  • Noc bez końca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Story

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles from 1957 to 2016.

Biggest box office

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

$711M worldwide

Highest rated

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing19 of 19: 18 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score44thOther crew1 of 19: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s2 · crew1960s2 · crew1970s6 · crew1980s7 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

an Oscar and a BAFTA Award from 2 major nominations, 1958.

  1. 1958
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best British Screenplay

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Pierre Boulle's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 91st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 10 titles divides audiences: 4 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed4

Most loved · writer

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 59/100 and the plot and story 53/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Pierre Boulle's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles56–71 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles7–22 · median 10 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles17–42 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles17–34 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles53–75 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Pierre Boulle work with?

People who share at least 2 of Pierre Boulle's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arthur P. Jacobs shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers