The bridges were quickly repaired with the use of POW labour from the camp at Tha . 16- "You make me sick with your heroics! 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. Spiegel, the producer, bought the film rights to the book (the English version of which was called The Bridge Over the River Kwai) and hired Carl Foreman to write the script. Tooseys men stated this never happened. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 World War II POW film directed by David Lean, about the construction of the bridges over the River Kwai, although it's heavily fictionalised.It's based on the French novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, of Planet of the Apes fame; Boulle, who could neither read nor write English, was also credited for the screenplay adaptation due to . They remain standing at attention throughout the day. Warden, Shears, and two other commandos parachute into Thailand; one, Chapman, dies after falling into a tree, and Warden is wounded in an encounter with a Japanese patrol and must be carried on a litter. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a hotel restaurant Overnight: Kanchanaburi (There were other verses, too, which treated in more depth the number, location, and status of Hitler's anatomy, but you get the idea.) He insisted that Lean add a scene where Shears, the American played by William Holden, cozies up to a nurse (Ann Sears). Budget. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. The Bridge on the River Kwai was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. 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). A real train rode over the bridge as it blew up. 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. Like thousands of other POWs, Lamb was kept in degrading conditions, refused medical treatment and barely fed. [64] The image was restored by OCS, Freeze Frame, and Pixel Magic with George Hively editing. They were soon sent to Thailand to begin labouring on the Death Railway. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. 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. 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 cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). Sessue Hayakawa considered his performance as Saito as the highlight of his career. Have a question about us or our work? [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. John Coast, a young British officer who went on to become a successful filmmaker who spent three and half years as a Japanese POW, said: As nobody should ever have need telling, the picture is a load of high-toned codswallop.. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Bridge On The River Kwai Trivia: Fun And Interesting . Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi 1942. To enjoy Thailand River cruises, you need to understand a little about the geography of Thailand and its river system. Image: British troops surrender at Singapore. The Bridge On The River Kwai Trivia: Fun And Interesting Facts About The Bridge On The River Kwai: Fascinating Facts About The Bridge on the River Kwai - Kindle edition by Randolph, Amanda. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. Mortally wounded, he falls onto the plunger, the bridge is blown up, and the train with the dignitaries falls into the river. 19. Death Railway was bombed heavily by the Allies from 1943 onwards. In the movie the bridge is destroyed by commandos. 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. The ending of that was sort of the story of life. This way, he remained oblivious to the real nature of his characters fate. They were calling it the Death Railway. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. TakeMeTour's Review. They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. The story about this bridge has also been made into a Hollywood movie such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), which is based on the novel of the same name and another movie . Initial estimates from Japanese engineers suggested it would take five years. The real swamps in Ceylon were deemed to be too dangerous. 2. Cafes and tourist spots dot the banks of the Khwae Noi. [12], William Holden's deal was considered one of the best ever for an actor at the time, with him receiving $300,000 plus 10% of the film's gross receipts. Despite the discomfort the rest of the crew were experiencing, Lean was thrilled about the shoot and never complained about his living conditions. 21. Also, in the novel, the bridge is not destroyed: the train plummets into the river from a secondary charge placed by Warden, but Nicholson (never realising "what have I done?") ABC, sponsored by Ford, paid a record $1.8 million for the television rights for two screenings in the United States. Lean insisted that Laughton could lose weight before shooting began, but Columbia Pictures' insurance underwriters refused to cover him, saying he was too unhealthy to endure several months on location in the jungles of Ceylon. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. As the train approaches, they hurry down to the riverbank to investigate. But in Bangkok I was told that David Lean, the film's director, became mad at the extras who played the prisonersusbecause they couldn't march in time. [19], Guinness later said that he subconsciously based his walk while emerging from "the Oven" on that of his eleven-year-old son Matthew,[20] who was recovering from polio at the time, a disease that left him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. From iconic memorials to local churchyards, there is unique heritage to explore across Great Britain. Reviews There are no reviews yet. [14][15], The film was an international co-production between companies in Britain and the United States. Written 20 October 2021. Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. 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. By the end, prisoners working on the rail route werent calling it the Burma-Siam Railway. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). The bridge, several museums, and cemeteries have respectfully preserved the history and memorialized the dead. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. 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. [48], Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised the film as "a towering entertainment of rich variety and revelation of the ways of men". [51] Time magazine praised Lean's directing, noting he demonstrates "a dazzlingly musical sense and control of the many and involving rhythms of a vast composition. A photo of Kitulgala, Sri Lanka in 2004, where the bridge was made for the film. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. Corrections? Clipton objects, believing this to be collaboration with the enemy. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. There's a stench of death about you. But whats the real story? This meant that some of the British prisoners were actually natives of the region wearing make-up to appear Caucasian. When the sun rises, the commandoes realize that the water level in the river has fallen, exposing the explosives and wiring. 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 film was directed by David Lean and starred William Holding, Jack Hawkins and academy award winner Sir Alex Guinness. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British-American epic war movie directed by David Lean and starring William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Alec Guinness, featuring Sessue Hayakawa. Return trains are 12.55 and 15.15. The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. Chungkai War Cemetery is something of a sister site to Kanchanaburi. [23], British composer Malcolm Arnold recalled that he had "ten days to write around forty-five minutes worth of music" much less time than he was used to. Saito leaves the officers standing all day in the intense heat. 14. Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Sam Spiegel bought the railroad train from the Ceylonese government. However, cameraman Freddy Ford was unable to get out of the way of the explosion in time, and Lean had to stop filming. In the film, Lt. Col Nicholson is seen collaborating with his captors, even under duress. The adventure war film The Bridge on the River Kwai may have swept the board of awards and attracted acclaim as one best films of the 20th century, but the War Office was very nervous "it would . Image: Bridge 277 aka the real Bridge over the River Kwai, Image: The iconic poster of the 1957 classic. Lean wanted Holden, a big star and recent Oscar winner (for Stalag 17), to play American prisoner Major Shears, over the objections of producer Spiegel, who wanted Cary Grant. US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. Toosey in fact did as much as possible to delay the building of the bridge. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. 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. 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. He didn't like the screenplay because it reduced Nicholson to secondary status. To counter the Allies tightening grip on supply lines, the Japanese army resurrected an old idea first mooted by regional powers in the late 19th century: to build a railway between Myanmar and Siam. 1957 World War II film directed by David Lean, This article is about the film. All but a small section of the route was built in dense, malarial jungles, in sweltering heat and monsoon rains. Best time to visit Bridge Over The River Kwai (preferred time): 09:00 am - 01:00 pm. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Guinness), not to mention a handful of Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and even a Grammy nomination for its soundtrack. The British soldiers were slaves; they did not help the Japanese. 11. 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. 13. Carl Foreman was the initial screenwriter, but Lean replaced him with Michael Wilson. Mitch Miller had a hit with a recording of both marches. Nicholson yells for help, while attempting to stop Joyce from reaching the detonator. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. In particular, they objected to the implication presented in the film that Japanese military engineers were generally unskilled at their profession and lacked proficiency. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. David Lean was completely at home in the hot and humid Ceylon jungle. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. The Bridge on the River Kwai is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. 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. The Bridge On The River Kwai was the first of David Lean's five epic films and the third of six movies that he made with Alec Guinness. Goering 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. 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]. [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. The correct name for the River Kwai is Khwae Noi, meaning small tributary, which merges with Khwae Yai River to create the Mae Kong River. 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. The railway ran for 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma and is now known as the Death Railway. First Joyce and then Shears are killed in the ensuing gunfire. The Burma-Siam Railway was 250 miles of railway constructed by Allied prisoners of war alongside forced Asian labourers. On another occasion, they argued over the scene where Nicholson reflects on his career in the army. Has something sim'lar Nicholson desperately tries to keep Joyce from depressing the plunger, while Shears and Warden try to kill Nicholson. [50] William Holden was also credited for his acting for giving a solid characterization that was "easy, credible and always likeable in a role that is the pivot point of the story". Although the Death Railway has never again reached the Myanmar border, a shorter stretch was reopened by Thailand's railway authorities between 1949 and 1958, and trains on this modern-day line cross the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial, Malaysia. 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. The negative itself manifested many of the kinds of issues one would expect from a film of this vintage: torn frames, embedded emulsion dirt, scratches through every reel, colour fading. The plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay were almost entirely fictional. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor (William Holden). He, Shears, and Joyce reach the river in time with the assistance of Siamese women bearers and their village chief, Khun Yai. Some of the characters in the film use the names of real people who were involved in the Burma Railway. Kanchanaburi town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. Lean liked that draft even less. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI takes place in Japan-occupied Siam (later Thailand) in 1943, after the Imperial Japanese Empire has conquered vast territories of Asia. Under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives on the bridge towers. Drilled holes for the piers; and cut them to length. [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 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. But the unusual move paid off for ABCthe telecast drew huge ratings with a record audience of 72 million[60] and a Nielsen rating of 38.3 and an audience share of 61%. It would be a massive undertaking. 20. Shears is enjoying his hospital stay in Ceylon unwittingly within a commando school referred to as "Force 316" (likely based on the real world Force 136 of the Special Operations Executive (SOE)). Updates? It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. 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. In fact, there were two: one a wooden railway bridge and the other a ferroconcrete structure built using imported bridge sections from Japanese-controlled Java. There were no facilities on the island of Ceylon to process film rushes, so the days filming had to be flown to London to be processed and then flown back out to Ceylon. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. British people of Anglotopia, what do you make of the whole anglophile thing ? He knew that the railway ran parallel to the Kwae for many miles, and he therefore assumed that it was the Kwae which it crossed just north of Kanchanaburi. In fact, the cemetery is the original burial ground started by the prisoners themselves. He described the music for The Bridge on the River Kwai as the "worst job I ever had in my life" from the point of view of time. It is a landmark of Kanchanaburi Province. 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. Bridge Over The River Kwai Timing: 24-hrs. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. Two bridges were built; one was made of wood, one was made of concrete and steel. It was set up at the beginning of the Burma-Siams construction. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" Lamb, as he was known, had been a politician before calling up, serving the state legislature in Victoria, Australia. The surviving sections stand as monuments to the men who suffered so much to build them. This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. The place is regarded as "The Symbol of Peace". A picture of the actual bridge over the River Kwai in June 2004. Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Highly competent work is also done by William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa". The majority of its smaller components are originals, while a few are post-war replacements. Imperial Japanese Army Command deemed this unacceptable. 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. Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. It worked. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. Civilian workmen suffered terribly too, with their casualties far outstripping the military personnel. 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]. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. It was still highly unusual at that time for a television network to show such a long film in one evening; most films of that length were still generally split into two parts and shown over two evenings. Sessue Hayakawa really did accidentally strike Alec Guinness hard enough to draw blood in one scene. Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). A Smith article describes bridge on River Kwai, near Kanchanaburi, Thailand, built by Allied POWs during Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II and subject of famous film The Bridge on . 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). Chandran Rutnam and William Holden while shooting The Bridge on the River Kwai. The Bridge over the River Kwai met its fate in 1945. California Doubling: The film is set in Thailand, but was filmed in Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), a distinction the publicity of the time didn't see fit to make clear.Instead, it raved about the movie being shot in Ceylon in a way which implied the real-life River Kwai was located there. [65], On 2 November 2010 Columbia Pictures released a newly restored The Bridge on the River Kwai for the first time on Blu-ray. They were supported by an unknown number of Malaysian labourers. This story is retold in: Anecdotal Tit Bits: Making "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "links for research, Allied POWs under the Japanese", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the, "Once-Stupendous-Now-Modest $2,700,000 Budget Kept Secret; 'River Kwai's' Sockfull Gross", "Screen: 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' Opens", "Film Reviews: The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Balu Mahendra, who made his visuals speak, dies at 74", "Warren Buffett carries an American Express card and about $400 in cash", "How Cartrivision's 1972 VCR ForesawAnd ForfeitedThe Time-Shifted Future", "Movies | Disc & Digital | Sony Pictures", "Wayne and Shuster Show, The Episode Guide (19541990) (series)", Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, National Board of Review Award for Best Film, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai&oldid=1138405911, Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance, Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance, Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award, Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe, Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award, Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, Films with screenplays by Michael Wilson (writer), United States National Film Registry films, World War II films based on actual events, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best DVD Original Retrospective Documentary/Featurette, Online Film & Television Association Awards, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 14:21.
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