[39], The major railway bridge described in the novel and film did not actually cross the river known at the time as the Kwai. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. The commandoes arrive for their mission as the finishing touches are being put on the bridge. Its telling that the railway workers had to see to their own medical care. Guinness, however, had his own reservations. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor (William Holden). Has no balls The movie won seven Academy Awards, one for Best Picture. [10], Although Lean later denied it, Charles Laughton was his first choice for the role of Nicholson. Best time to visit Bridge Over The River Kwai (preferred time): 09:00 am - 01:00 pm. During WW II, Japan constructed the meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. 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. Has something sim'lar For example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. Beijing Kwai Technology Co.'s app Kuaishou, or Kwai, is arranged for a photograph on a smartphone in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018.. Japanese engineers had been surveying and planning the route of the railway since 1937, and they had demonstrated considerable skill during their construction efforts across South-East Asia. As it opens, two POWs, the American navy commander Shears (William Holden) and an Australian, are digging graves for their companions. He succumbed to malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition at Camp Kilo 101 in Thailand. It begins with British troops being marched into the prison camp after their surrender to the Japanese at Singapore. Toosey in fact did as much as possible to delay the building of the bridge. The bridge construction is going badly, however, and Saito offers concessions to Nicholson in an effort to get the structure completed on schedule. 14- "Be happy in your work.". Toosey was very different from Nicholson and was certainly not a collaborator who felt obliged to work with the Japanese. The bridge, several museums, and cemeteries have respectfully preserved the history and memorialized the dead. POWs and indentured labourers were worked to death while busy constructing the railway simultaneously. After the war, their remains were moved from these makeshift cemeteries and graveyards to purpose-built Commission sites. One of the iconic war films of its time, the Bridge on the River Kwai has shone a spotlight on POWs suffering. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. David Lean is taken that story and directed it in 1957. [3] Since it was not a documentary, there are many historical inaccuracies in the film, as noted by eyewitnesses to the building of the real Burma Railway by historians.[30][31][32][33]. The bridge cost $250,000 to build. David Lean, a British director then in his late forties, had made 11 films, including well-received adaptations of Charles Dickens (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist) and Noel Coward (Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter). Boulle drew on the experiences of Far East POWs building the now infamous Burma-Siam Railway, linking modern-day Myanmar and Thailand to create his work. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. 24. The weather is good, not hot The train passes at 10 AM and the train returns at 4 PM. 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. Realising he has no choice, Shears volunteers. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. By daybreak, however, the river level has dropped, exposing the wire connecting the explosives to the detonator. Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. By the way, the real Kwai River was just a trickle near Burma, where Boulle set his bridge; the actual bridge had been built 200 miles away, near Bangkok. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Some Thailand River cruises begin in Bangkok and lead along the Mekong River to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The movie is best known for the "Colonel Bogey March", the song that is whistled by the POWs. In the meantime, Shears manages to escape. In 1941 the Japanese Army invaded Thailand. 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. [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. Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was used as a location for the hospital. In a 1988 interview with Barry Norman, Lean confirmed that Columbia almost stopped filming after three weeks because there was no white woman in the film, forcing him to add what he called "a very terrible scene" between Holden and a nurse on the beach. Here is 'Minder' telling me to get the timber off the base and start cutting up the dowels. [50] Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times claimed the film's strongest points were for being "excellently produced in virtually all respects and that it also offers an especially outstanding and different performance by Alec Guinness. The cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. Corrections? They were supported by an unknown number of Malaysian labourers. 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. Bus Bangkok - Kanchanaburi $ 7.19 3h 30m. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. You carry it in your pack like the plague. 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. 17. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. 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. What's your favorite? During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. Like thousands of other POWs, Lamb was kept in degrading conditions, refused medical treatment and barely fed. Despite the discomfort the rest of the crew were experiencing, Lean was thrilled about the shoot and never complained about his living conditions. In many tense, dramatic scenes, only the sounds of nature are used. The majority of its smaller components are originals, while a few are post-war replacements. 9. Let's talk about British Food! The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. 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. Read our FAQs or send a question to our customer service team. The finished screenplay had significant contributions from both Wilson and Foreman, though each went to his grave insisting he was the more important contributor. Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" Omissions? Sign-up for free daily emails with the latest news about British culture, heritage, and history! "[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. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. The year: 1943. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Laughton was in his habitually overweight state, and was either denied insurance coverage, or was simply not keen on filming in a tropical location. As Australian Brigadier Arthur Varley put it: The Japanese will carry out their schedule and do not mind if the line is dotted with crosses.. David Lean, director of such landmark epics as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, didn't always make giant movies. All the filming locations of The Bridge on the River Kwai are listed below. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 19421943, the plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay are almost entirely fictional. They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. 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. When the sun rises, the commandoes realize that the water level in the river has fallen, exposing the explosives and wiring. 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). FIFTY years ago waves of Liberator bombers were deliberately destroying a remarkable feat of engineering. The Bridge on the River Kwai, commonly referred to as the Railroad of Death or Death Railway, which stands in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, was one of only eight steel bridges of the estimated 688 that were built. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. The bridge in the movie was near Kitulgala. Prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along Death Railway. When Joyce is wounded by Japanese fire, Shears swims across, but is himself shot. Read more. A sketch of that bridge was used as the basis for the fictional one. Pay on the train. Both bridges stood for two years and were destroyed by bombers in 1945. They remain standing at attention throughout the day. In the setting of World War II, a defeated unit British Soldiers is marched into a Japanese prison camp in western Thailand, with the purpose of constructing a bridge over the River Kwai to carry a new railway line to invade Burma. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. It is a landmark of Kanchanaburi Province. This meant that some of the British prisoners were actually natives of the region wearing make-up to appear Caucasian. Log in. 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The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi 1942. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. He'd just been through a costly divorce from actress Ann Todd. 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. These issues, running throughout the film, were addressed to a lesser extent on various previous DVD releases of the film and might not have been so obvious in standard definition.[67]. To learn more about the men behind the real story of the Bridge on the River Kwai, and to discover the casualties, please use our Find War Dead tool. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to England in order to continue working. The movie is based on the novel "Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai" by Pierre Boulle. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. 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. Lets find out. The train crashed into a generator on the other side of the bridge and was wrecked. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. In 1985, the Academy officially recognized Foreman and Wilson as the screenwriters and posthumously awarded the Oscar to them. Approximately 5 kilometres north of Kanchanaburi there were two bridges that were built by POWs during the war. The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. The rail link, however, would . When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. The actual name of "Bridge on the River Kwai", on the 258 mile long Burma Railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma, built from 1940-1944, was called Bridge 277. It worked. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. Lean shouted at them, 'For God's sake, whistle a march to keep time to.' Search by location, regiment, nationality, and more fields to find the war dead involved in building the blood-soaked Burma-Siam Railway. Cast the Expert: Percy Herbert, who played the role of a prisoner of war in the film, actually spent four . English / Japanese / Thai.