10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai

Bridge Over The River Kwai Address: Tha Makham, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Parts of the Burma-Siam railway still stand. Desperate, he uses the anniversary of Japan's 1905 victory in the Russo-Japanese War as an excuse to save face; he announces a general amnesty, releasing Nicholson and his officers and exempting them from manual labour. It was 425 feet long, 90 feet high, and cost $52,085 out of the film's $2 million budget. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. Here is 'Minder' telling me to get the timber off the base and start cutting up the dowels. It was more of a transit hub where prisoners were moved to other work areas along the railway route. There are tourist trains to Nam Tok stopping at stations in between daily from the River Kwai Bridge station at 06.05, 11.00 and 14.30. The deaths of the Asian workers and the prisoners were real events, but most of the book and the movie are not true. Lean only got $150,000 himself, but he always said Holden was worth it. The bridge construction is going badly, however, and Saito offers concessions to Nicholson in an effort to get the structure completed on schedule. The Bridge on the River Kwai (Film) - TV Tropes Saito leaves the officers standing all day in the intense heat. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". They were supported by an unknown number of Malaysian labourers. Omissions? The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. "[57], Some Japanese viewers have disliked the film's depiction of the Japanese characters and the historical background presented as being inaccurate, particularly in the interactions between Saito and Nicholson. As shown in the movie, Guinness played the scene without flinching. The commandoes arrive for their mission as the finishing touches are being put on the bridge. His compassion and insistence on equality amongst the ranks ensured he protected his men as best he could. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . [35], Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey of the British Army was the real senior Allied officer at the bridge in question. He also didn't like hearing that he was Lean's second choice for the role, a fact made more awkward when he arrived in Ceylon and Lean greeted him with, "Of course, you know I really wanted Charles Laughton." In 1957 the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai, premiered in London and became the biggest grossing film of 1958, winning seven academy awards in the process, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Musical Score, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.Not bad for a movie that is largely a work of almost entirely fictional characters and a story which . His first epic was his twelfth film: The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness and William Holden as P.O.W. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . The Bridge On The River Kwai Trivia: Fun And Interesting Facts About The Bridge on the River Kwai is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. Nicholson undertakes the construction of a well-made bridge, at first thinking it a good way to improve the morale and discipline of his regiment but gradually coming to regard the structure not as a part of the enemy war effort but as a monument to British ingenuity. 6. Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson have written the screenplay for this film. The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. The Real Story Behind 'The Bridge On The River Kwai' - Coffee or Die Real Bridge on the River Kwai | New Scientist Toosey would provide the inspiration for Lt. Col Nicholson portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1957 film. Saito is expected to commit ritual suicide if he fails to meet the rapidly approaching deadline. In reality, Japanese engineers proved to be just as capable at construction efforts as their Allied counterparts.[58][59]. 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. 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). [11] Guinness admitted that Lean "didn't particularly want me" for the role, and thought about immediately returning to England when he arrived in Ceylon and Lean reminded him that he wasn't the first choice. The Hitchhiker's Guide has this to say about John Rabon: When not pretending to travel in time and space, eating bananas, and claiming that things are "fantastic", John lives in North Carolina. The ending of that was sort of the story of life. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 10 business days. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. Approximately 5 kilometres north of Kanchanaburi there were two bridges that were built by POWs during the war. A photo of Kitulgala, Sri Lanka in 2004, where the bridge was made for the film. In 1997, the movie was deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress. Basically, the bridge was built during World War II when the Japanese occupied Siam (now Thailand) and neighboring Burma (now Myanmar . Since it first graced the silver screen won the admiration of audiences everywhere and continues to do so. As a result, Boulle, who did not speak English, was credited and received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; many years later, Foreman and Wilson posthumously received the Academy Award.[4]. 17. Despite the nightmarish conditions, and equipped only with the most basic of tools, the POWs pulled off an amazing feat of engineering. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. While the British prisoners celebrate their accomplishment that night, the commandoes wire the bridge with explosives to be detonated by a plunger operated by a hidden soldier, timed to collapse the bridge just as an inaugural train carrying Japanese dignitaries is crossing it. The British soldiers were slaves; they did not help the Japanese. Construction of the Burma-Siam railway began in October 1942 and would end in October 1943. Its this structure, Bridge 277, that still stands and is a famous local tourist attraction. Of course, he could not save many of his men from expiring, but he did their best to make conditions more comfortable. Visiting The Bridge On The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. Kwai River Bridge - History and Facts | History Hit US Navy Commander Shears tells of the horrific conditions. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . But I am writing a factual account, and in justice to these menliving and deadwho worked on that bridge, I must make it clear that we never did so willingly. A train carrying important dignitaries and soldiers is scheduled to be the first to cross the bridge the following day, and Warden wants to destroy both. The Bridge on the River Kwai Ceylon Guide Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ", Warden fires a mortar, killing Shears and Joyce and fatally wounding Nicholson. Has something sim'lar Search by location, regiment, nationality, and more fields to find the war dead involved in building the blood-soaked Burma-Siam Railway. 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). Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. He didn't like the next draft of the screenplay, either, because it made Nicholson "a blinkered character." Nicholson desperately tries to keep Joyce from depressing the plunger, while Shears and Warden try to kill Nicholson. The Japanese did indeed force British, Dutch, Australian, and American prisoners to build the Burma Railway, resulting in some 13,000 POW deaths and at least 80,000 civilian deaths. In 1941 the Japanese Army invaded Thailand. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. They included Chinese, Malayan, Burmese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean people. 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. [31][32] Some consider the film to be an insulting parody of Toosey. 20. At one point during filming, David Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current. "[52] Harrison's Reports described the film as an "excellent World War II adventure melodrama" in which the "production values are first-rate and so is the photography. 11. Sri Lanka Filming Locations: The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Posted on July 17, 2017 by tokyofox. Tickets are 100 baht. The movie starring William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins was shot at more than 1 locations. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). Death Railway: History of the Bridge on The River Kwai The real Bridge over the River Kwai is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway. The Burma-Siam Railroad and the Bridge over the River Kwai Guide Nicholson forbids any escape attempts because they were ordered by headquarters to surrender, and escapes could be seen as defiance of orders. 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. Two bridges were built; one was made of wood, one was made of concrete and steel. 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. Like thousands of other POWs, Lamb was kept in degrading conditions, refused medical treatment and barely fed. Let's talk about British Food! Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the . The Bridge on the River Kwai. "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Lean feared Guinness' public persona had changed so much that audiences wouldn't buy him in this very dramatic role, but came around to the idea when the Laughton plan didn't work. Jun 7, 2011 - New on Blu 6-7-11: Studios unload nearly 70 titles. 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. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. 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. The movie, based on the novel Le Pont de la rivire Kwa (1952) by French novelist Pierre Boulle, was adapted for the screen by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, who were both at the time on the Hollywood blacklist. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. 13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' | Mental Floss The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. He shows a rare sense of humor and a feeling for the poetry of situation; and he shows the even rarer ability to express these things, not in lines but in lives. For the scenes where William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne and the native girls had to wade through swamps, they were wading through specially created ones. So Spiegel hired another writer, Calder Willingham, to give it a crack. The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . The real River Kwai, and its bridge, is in what was then Siam, now Thailand.The name 'River Kwai' refers to the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers in western Thailand, which converge to become the Mae Klong river at Kanchanaburi, about 70 miles northwest of Bangkok, and it was across the Mae Klong that the infamous bridge was built. 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. In 1984 the Academy Board of Governors voted posthumous Oscars to Foreman and Wilson, and their names were included on prints of the film beginning in the 1990s. 15- "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.". 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. The US was beginning to control the sea lanes, making it increasingly difficult for Japanese shipborne cargo to reach the army dotted across the Pacific. 2. Is Bridge on River Kwai a true story? - IronSet 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. Where Is the River Kwai Located? - The Bridge on the River Kwai [41] According to Variety, the film earned estimated domestic box office revenues of $18,000,000[42] although this was revised downwards the following year to $15,000,000, which was still the biggest for 1958 and Columbia's highest-grossing film at the time. Budget. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. Victims were cremated and their remains are buried in the aforementioned graves. Bus Bangkok - Kanchanaburi $ 7.19 3h 30m. For the novel, see, American theatrical release poster, "Style A", A transcript of the interview and the documentary as a whole can be found in the new edition of John Coast's book, Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, 11th greatest British film of the 20th century, the highest-grossing film of 1957 in the United States and Canada, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Best Sound Track Album, Dramatic Picture Score or Original Cast, AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), "Complete National Film Registry Listing", "New to the National Film Registry (December 1997) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin", "Columbia Earns as It Holds Coin Due Bill Holden on 10% of 'Kwai', "Flashback: A look back at this day in film history (, "Sri Lanka to rebuild bridge from River Kwai movie", "Film locations for David Lean's The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957), in Sri Lanka", "How Father Brown Led Sir Alec Guinness to the Church", "sic - correct spelling is Siegertsz. 7. The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) was the first to conduct air raids on the bridges over the River Kwai between November 1944 and January 1945. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi 1942. The elephants employed in helping build the bridge would take breaks every four hours and lie around the water, whether the crew wanted them to or not. Shears and two others escape. By Barry Fox. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Bridge On The River Kwai Trivia: Fun And Interesting . Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. The movie was filmed in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. When, the next morning, Saito orders all the British prisoners to begin building the bridge under the command of a Japanese engineer, Nicholson and the other officers refuse, even when Saito threatens to kill them. River Kwai Bridge | TakeMeTour From iconic memorials to local churchyards, there is unique heritage to explore across Great Britain. Has only got one ball! Over a muddy jungle river called Kwai, a Japanese colonel, Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), must complete a railroad bridge vital to Japan's war effort. Sessue Hayakawa considered his performance as Saito as the highlight of his career. Written 20 October 2021. Image: Bridge 277 aka the real Bridge over the River Kwai, Image: The iconic poster of the 1957 classic. He was a huge star, drawing a weekly salary of $5000 in 1915 (adjusted for inflation: $119,000) and appearing in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1924. British people of Anglotopia, what do you make of the whole anglophile thing ? Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. Along with 1,250 other POWs, he died while in transit from Singapore to Japan aboard the Rakuyo Maro transport ship after it was torpedoed by a US submarine. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. (Lean denied ever wanting Laughton for the role, despite abundant documented evidence to the contrary.). American casualties were repatriated back to the United States. In particular, they objected to the implication presented in the film that Japanese military engineers were generally unskilled at their profession and lacked proficiency. Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. The steel bridge was repaired and is still in use today. It would be a massive undertaking. By the end, prisoners working on the rail route werent calling it the Burma-Siam Railway. Sign-up for free daily emails with the latest news about British culture, heritage, and history! Writers: Pierre Boulle (novel), Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson (screenplay), Academy Award nominations (* denotes win), https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai-film-by-Lean, Filmsite - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), BFI Screenonline - The Bridge on the River Kwai, Turner Classic Movies - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). In the film, a Colonel Saito is camp commandant. He created the railroad. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. One of a number of Allied POW"s . Despite the discomfort the rest of the crew were experiencing, Lean was thrilled about the shoot and never complained about his living conditions. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. It is a landmark of Kanchanaburi Province. Work on the bridge proceeds badly, due to both the faulty Japanese engineering plans and the prisoners' slow pace and deliberate sabotage. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. Lean wanted Charles Laughton (who'd starred in his 1954 film Hobson's Choice) to play Colonel Nicholson, the role that ultimately went to Alec Guinness. However, in 1943 a railway bridge was built by Allied POWs over the Mae Klong river renamed Khwae Yai in the 1960s as a result of the film at Tha Ma Kham, five kilometres from Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 28. 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. : 1942: Boldly advancing through Asia, the Japanese need a train route from Burma going north. Also, the dense surrounding jungle renders escape virtually impossible. Spiegel sent the screenplay to the Japanese government ahead of time, hoping to get their cooperation with the production. 10 Day Central Thailand with River Kwai & Pattaya Family Tour [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. We want to hear from you! What is it that makes the film 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' such an [38] Some Japanese viewers also disliked the film for portraying the Allied prisoners of war as more capable of constructing the bridge than the Japanese engineers themselves were, accusing the filmmakers of being unfairly biased and unfamiliar with the realities of the bridge construction, a sentiment echoed by surviving prisoners of war who saw the film in cinemas. Bridge On The River Kwai is an Epic war-based film. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor (William Holden). The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. The bridges were quickly repaired with the use of POW labour from the camp at Tha . Clipton objects, believing this to be collaboration with the enemy. In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th Century. [44], The film was re-released in 1964 and earned a further estimated $2.6 million at the box office in the United States and Canada[45] but the following year its revised total US and Canadian revenues were reported by Variety as $17,195,000. 28 Fun And Interesting Facts About The Bridge On The River Kwai The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. A sketch of that bridge was used as the basis for the fictional one. A Cholera epidemic swept through Nieke Camp between May-June 1943. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. In fact, the cemetery is the original burial ground started by the prisoners themselves. 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. The True Story of the Bridge over the River Kwai | CWGC Only in 1984 did the Academy rectify the situation by retroactively awarding the Oscar to Foreman and Wilson, posthumously in both cases. Their roles and characters, however, are fictionalised. The year: 1943. 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. Journeying to the jungle where The Bridge On The River Kwai was filmed The official credit was given to Pierre Boulle (who did not speak English), and the resulting Oscar for Best Screenplay (Adaptation) was awarded to him. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. FIFTY years ago waves of Liberator bombers were deliberately destroying a remarkable feat of engineering. 1. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to England in order to continue working. He was listed as missing in action in June 1943.

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