10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai 10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai

The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. Despite the nightmarish conditions, and equipped only with the most basic of tools, the POWs pulled off an amazing feat of engineering. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". He wanders into a Burmese village, is nursed back to health, and eventually reaches the British colony of Ceylon. Just as in Love is a Many Splendored Thing, normally hairy chested William Holden had to have a full body wax for his many shirtless scenes in the movie. Mitch Miller had a hit with a recording of both marches. 4. For all the death and misery caused by its building, the Burma-Siam Railway only ever carried two Japanese divisions and 500,000 tons of supplies before VJ Day brought the war in Asia to a close. Toosey in fact did as much as possible to delay the building of the bridge. Bridge on the River Kwai - silverfox175 The casualties of the Burma-Siam railway were often buried in camp burial grounds located close to where they originally fell. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle.Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-1943, the plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay are almost entirely fictional. Pride, Fatalism, and Human Connection in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai The place is regarded as "The Symbol of Peace". This way, he remained oblivious to the real nature of his characters fate. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. [Ronald Searle, To the Kwai and Back: War drawings 1939-45, London, Collins, 1986, 104] 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' is now the best-known site on the Burma-Thailand railway but its fame is due more to a fictional film than its significance in World War II. The events depicted in the film, of a chaotic Commando raid and Lt. Col Nicholsons wounded body falling dramatically on the detonator and blowing the bridge up, are completely false. Walk over the steel bridge at the River Kwai, one of the most famous rivers in the world, which gained international fame in the book and film, "Bridge on the River Kwai". Surviving veterans consider Toosey one of the finest officers they ever served under. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Burma during World War II. Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. The screenplay was based on French author Pierre Boulle"s 1954 novel of the same name. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. Lamb, as he was known, had been a politician before calling up, serving the state legislature in Victoria, Australia. In 1985, the Academy officially recognized Foreman and Wilson as the screenwriters and posthumously awarded the Oscar to them. 14. The Kwai River Bridge was part of the meter-gauge railway constructed by the Japanese during World War Two. The documentary itself was described by one newspaper reviewer when it was shown on Boxing Day 1974 (The Bridge on the River Kwai had been shown on BBC1 on Christmas Day 1974) as "Following the movie, this is a rerun of the antidote."[37]. [31] He strongly denied the claim that the book was anti-British, although many involved in the film itself (including Alec Guinness) felt otherwise.[36]. In reality, Japanese engineers proved to be just as capable at construction efforts as their Allied counterparts.[58][59]. comment. The key sites containing Thailand and Burma war graves related to Death Railway and the Bridge on the River Kwai are: Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is located a short distance from the former Kanburi POW camp. [39], The major railway bridge described in the novel and film did not actually cross the river known at the time as the Kwai. Bridge on the River Kwai; the true story - Digger History Letters reveal British objections to plot of Bridge on the River Kwai It was set up at the beginning of the Burma-Siams construction. The Bridge on the River Kwai | Moviepedia | Fandom Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). After a few days, the British medical officer Major Clipton (James Donald) tries to persuade both Saito and Nicholson to compromise, but both are unyielding. Drilled holes for the piers; and cut them to length. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. But he'd never made anything on an epic scale, wasn't well known outside of England, and wouldn't have been considered for The Bridge on the River Kwai if it weren't for Katharine Hepburn, the star of his 1955 film Summertime. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. First Joyce and then Shears are killed in the ensuing gunfire. Toosey was very different from Nicholson and was certainly not a collaborator who felt obliged to work with the Japanese. The railway ran for 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma and is now known as the Death Railway. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Fact and fiction - Sentinelassam The movie has been included on the American Film Institutes list of best American films ever made. Nicholson's obsession with the bridge eventually drives him to allow his officers to volunteer to engage in manual labor. [13], Many directors were considered for the project, among them John Ford, William Wyler, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, and Orson Welles (who was also offered a starring role). Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. Madness! The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. It stretched from Japan, Korea, and China in the north all the way down to Indonesia. 2. Kanchanaburi, in Myanmar border, is home to the famous Bridge River Kwai. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. A temporary wooden bridge was completed at the beginning of 1943 and a few months later the steel bridge (which can be seen today) was finished. 13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' | Mental Floss British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it. It was repaired in time to be blown up the next morning, with Bandaranaike and his entourage present. Guinness had appeared in Lean's Dickens films but had since made a name for himself doing goofy comedies like The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Reviews There are no reviews yet. The British soldiers were slaves; they did not help the Japanese. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. By this time, the United States and its naval and industrial might had entered the war. The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. This, plus the fact that he loved to travel, plus the fact that shooting a film in Southeast Asia would be good for him tax-wise, motivated him to accept a project that was bound to be grueling. In a prison camp, British POWs are forced into labor. Chungkai War Cemetery is something of a sister site to Kanchanaburi. Since it first graced the silver screen won the admiration of audiences everywhere and continues to do so. The Kwai Bridge: The Reel and the Real - The New York Times [43] By October 1960, the film had earned worldwide box office revenues of $30 million. The Bridge on the River Kwai, British-American war film, released in 1957 and directed by David Lean, that was both a critical and popular success and became an enduring classic. 12. After the war, their remains were moved from these makeshift cemeteries and graveyards to purpose-built Commission sites. It is a landmark of Kanchanaburi Province. British and American intelligence officers conspire . The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Addeddate 2021-08-19 15:12:20 Identifier the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai_202108 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. plus-circle Add Review. Questions or feedback on our new site? Nicholson advises Saito that the officers cannot be required to do manual labour according to the Geneva Convention. The Bridge on the River Kwai poses complex interpretive issues about the vagaries of war and military behavior as conveyed by the Japanese soldiers, Commander Saito, Lt. Col. Nicholson, and the British captives. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . After the enlisted men are marched to the bridge site, Saito threatens to have the officers shot, until Major Clipton, the British medical officer, warns Saito there are too many witnesses for him to get away with murder. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. Both bridges stood for two years and were destroyed by bombers in 1945. 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. Pierre Boulle, a Frenchman, who had experienced great hardship after being captured by the Vichy French on the Mekong River, wrote a novel called 'Le Pont de la rivire Kwa' - The Bridge of the . WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. Sessue Hayakawa really did accidentally strike Alec Guinness hard enough to draw blood in one scene. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. Prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along Death Railway. 60,000 or so Allied prisoners of war, including British, Australian, Dutch and some US troops, alongside more than 200,000 civilian labourers were pressed into service. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - Travel In early 1943, a contingent of British prisoners of war, led by Lt. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and also in England. Rather than start building at two ends and meet in the middle, as per normal railway construction, the Japanese created hundreds of camps across its lengths. Cast the Expert: Percy Herbert, who played the role of a prisoner of war in the film, actually spent four . 7. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 in the United States and Canada and was also the most popular film at the British box office that year. The surviving sections stand as monuments to the men who suffered so much to build them. The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. The Bridge over the River Kwai (French: Le Pont de la rivire Kwa) is a novel by the French novelist Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation by Xan Fielding in 1954. According to one biographer, he was "broke and needed work; he had even pawned his gold cigarette case." They remain standing at attention throughout the day. Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Ceylon, and a team of government dignitaries. Image: British troops surrender at Singapore. 15. But Laughton, a fine actor with such credits as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) on his resume, was in poor physical shapegreat for playing the corpulent Henry VIII in Young Bess (1953), not so great for playing a British military officer in a prison camp. At their head was Lieutenant-Colonel Phillip Toosey. Around the time that he was offered the movie, David Lean had little money, as he was in the middle of a financially ruinous divorce, and was very much in need of a new project. Shears tries to get out of the mission by confessing that he impersonated an officer, hoping for better treatment from the Japanese. 10 Day Central Thailand with River Kwai & Pattaya Family Tour 10. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Trivia - IMDb Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the River Kwai. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. [30], A 1969 BBC television documentary, Return to the River Kwai, made by former POW John Coast,[33] sought to highlight the real history behind the film (partly through getting ex-POWs to question its factual basis, for example Dr Hugh de Wardener and Lt-Col Alfred Knights), which angered many former POWs. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Anzac Portal The commandoes arrive for their mission as the finishing touches are being put on the bridge. 15- "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.". What's happening in this "The Bridge on the River Kwai" movie clip?Warden (Jack Hawkins from Land of the Pharaohs and Ben-Hur) fires a mortar, wounding Nicho. While the story is fiction, the broader setting--including the construction of the Burmese railway--is based on historical events. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. You carry it in your pack like the plague. River Kwai (Kanchanaburi): All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor $ 3 million (estimated) The Bridge on the River Kwai is a British 1957 movie from Columbia Pictures, based on Pierre Boulle 's 1952 book The Bridge over the River Kwai ( French: Le Pont de la Rivire Kwai ). Lean wanted to use the tune in Kwai, figured those lyrics wouldn't pass the censors (or the approval of the composer's widow), and opted to have the troops whistle it instead. All Rights Reserved. Sam Spiegel bought the railroad train from the Ceylonese government. Bridge Over The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi | Ticket Price | Timings For example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. [55] Slant stated that "the 1957 epic subtly develops its themes about the irrationality of honor and the hypocrisy of Britain's class system without ever compromising its thrilling war narrative", and in comparing to other films of the time said that Bridge on the River Kwai "carefully builds its psychological tension until it erupts in a blinding flash of sulfur and flame. Dying, Nicholson stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge and sending the train hurtling into the river. The deaths of the Asian workers and the prisoners were real events, but most of the book and the movie are not true. [60] The 167-minute film was first telecast, uncut, in colour, on the evening of 25 September 1966, as a three hours-plus ABC Movie Special. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was set in 1942, shortly after the fall of Singapore. English / Japanese / Thai. His first epic was his twelfth film: The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness and William Holden as P.O.W. Thanbyuzayat continued to be used as a POW reception centre to reinforce work parties along the Burma-Siam Railway. After Saito cuts a ceremonial ribbon, Nicholson spots a detonator wire. 16- "You make me sick with your heroics! It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . In the film, Lt. Col Nicholson is seen collaborating with his captors, even under duress. David Lean is taken that story and directed it in 1957. We want to hear from you! Be the first one to write a review. Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). The movie was filmed in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. Persuaded that the film would be about the horror and folly of war, the Japanese government sent a military adviser to help with the camp scenes. Get information about our funding, our Customer Charter and our Strategic Plan. US Navy Commander Shears tells of the horrific conditions. 18. The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on 10 March 1957, in the presence of S.W.R.D. They included Chinese, Malayan, Burmese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean people. . She retired Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. Bridge On The River Kwai Ending Explained: What Happened to - OtakuKart The process of adapting Pierre Boulle's French-language novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai was difficult (more on that later), but the two writers ultimately responsible for it were Carl Foreman (High Noon) and Michael Wilson (A Place in the Sun). Sessue Hayakawa edited his copy of the script to contain only his lines of dialog. This was an incorrect assumption. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in . Nicholson is shocked by the poor job being done by his men and orders the building of a proper bridge, intending it to stand as a tribute to the British Army's ingenuity for centuries to come. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. Further afield, and appealing to my military family war history, is Kanchanaburi with its war cemetery and bridge over the Kwai river which is made famous by the Oscar winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai. But whats the real story? Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44.