10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai

At the POW camp, Nicholson not only requires officers to work on the bridge but also pulls men from the hospital in order to meet Saitos deadline for the project. The Bridge on the River Kwai is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. 11. [31], On a BBC Timewatch programme, a former prisoner at the camp states that it is unlikely that a man like the fictional Nicholson could have risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and, if he had, due to his collaboration he would have been "quietly eliminated" by the other prisoners. 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. David Lean was completely at home in the hot and humid Ceylon jungle. The finished screenplay had significant contributions from both Wilson and Foreman, though each went to his grave insisting he was the more important contributor. Some of the characters in the film use the names of real people who were involved in the Burma Railway. Lean shouted at them, 'For God's sake, whistle a march to keep time to.' The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. 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. 25. For the scene when Colonel Nicholson emerges from the oven after several days confined there, Alec Guinness based his faltering walk on that of his son Matthew Guinness when he was recovering from polio. 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. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. In the film, a Colonel Saito is camp commandant. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. 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". Neither of them got credit, though, as The Bridge on the River Kwai was released during the three-year period when people who'd ever been Communists (or who refused to answer questions about it before Congress) were ineligible for Academy Awards. Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. 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. 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. 20. 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. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. [65], On 2 November 2010 Columbia Pictures released a newly restored The Bridge on the River Kwai for the first time on Blu-ray. 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. 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 . [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. Cutting the base board 1190 x 160 x 12 mm. 16. 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. Thanbyuzayat was originally a POW administration headquarters and base camp. Wrote Guinness: "I felt like turning around and getting back on the plane and paying my own fare home!" 7. Like Chungkai and Kanchanaburi, Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was originally part of the camp set up serving the Burma-Siams construction. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. The Kanchanaburi Memorial sits with the cemetery grounds. The cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. Harry Cohn, the vulgar (but successful) man who ran Columbia Pictures at the time, was furious when he read the script and saw no love interest. The Bridge of the River kwai It is a tourist attraction of Kanchanaburi. Updates? Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). Rather than draw on their own corps of manpower, which was busy fighting an eventual losing battle against encroaching Allied forces, it would put its legions of POWs and local forced labourers to work. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. On another occasion, they argued over the scene where Nicholson reflects on his career in the army. Written 20 October 2021. Aerial reconnaissance photo of the Steel Bridge taken during a bombing raid. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. Be the first one to write a review. The line passing through the scenic Three Pagodas Pass runs for 250 miles. Cast the Expert: Percy Herbert, who played the role of a prisoner of war in the film, actually spent four . 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. 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. He was listed as missing in action in June 1943. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in . Sessue Hayakawa (1889-1973) was a Japanese-born actor who came to Hollywood in the very early days of cinemahis first short, The Typhoon, was made in 1914and quickly became a matinee idol, playing exotic villains and such. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. The train crashed into a generator on the other side of the bridge and was wrecked. The majority of its smaller components are originals, while a few are post-war replacements. 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. Pay on the train. It is famously known as the setting for the a 1957 World War Two epic Bridge over the River Kwai. Lets find out. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to the UK in order to continue working. The film was directed by David Lean and starred William Holding, Jack Hawkins and academy award winner Sir Alex Guinness. Pitted against the warden, Colonel . Himmler English / Japanese / Thai. The real Bridge over the River Kwai is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" 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. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. US Navy Commander Shears tells of the horrific conditions. Showing the impact of disease on the workforce, Kanchanaburi contains two graves holding the ashes of 300 Cholera victims. Bridge Over The River Kwai Timing: 24-hrs. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. 25 March 1995. Read more. 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. US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. [40], The Bridge on the River Kwai was a massive commercial success. As the train approaches, they hurry down to the riverbank to investigate. There's a stench of death about you. Get information about our funding, our Customer Charter and our Strategic Plan. Just two months later, Lieutenant Lamb was dead. Other parts have been placed in various local war museums. WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. Has two but they are small. as for the bridge on the River Kwai, it crossed the river only in the imagination of its author. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. Assistant director John Kerrison was killed in a car crash on the way to one of the locations. 5. Major Warden of SOE invites Shears to join a commando mission to destroy the bridge just as it is completed. [34] According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. These problems resulted in a number of anomalies that were very difficult to correct, like a ghosting effect in many scenes that resembles colour mis-registration, and a tick-like effect with the image jumping or jerking side-to-side. 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. [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. Vital equipment that would normally have been shipped through the canal had to be flown out to the location instead. Nicholson yells for help, while attempting to stop Joyce from reaching the detonator. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. [39], The major railway bridge described in the novel and film did not actually cross the river known at the time as the Kwai. Their taskmasters were relentless. Basically, the bridge was built during World War II when the Japanese occupied Siam (now Thailand) and neighboring Burma (now Myanmar . Contact us, Image: Rows of graves at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Image: Kanchanaburi Dutch Memorial commemorates Dutch POWs who died building Death Railway, Image: Chungkai War Cemetery's Cross of Sacrifice, Image: The Pavilion at Chungkai War Cemetery, Image: The cemetery's horticulture gives Chungkai a sense of serenity, Image: The Stone of Remembrance at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Image: Headstones and horticulture at Thanbyuzayat, Get the latest CWGC news and see some of our recent work, Report of the Special Committee to review historical inequalities in Commemoration, Discover world war casualties who lived in your area, The True Story of the Bridge over the River Kwai, Why and how were restoring the Menin Gate: What you need to know about this amazing project, A push through the desert: How The Allies Captured Jericho in 1918, Visit Commonwealth war graves in Arras, France. Over a muddy jungle river called Kwai, a Japanese colonel, Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), must complete a railroad bridge vital to Japan's war effort. train on the bridge over the river kwai in kanchanaburi, thailan - bridge over the river kwai stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images FLOATING HOUSES ON THE RIVER KWAI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. [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. 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. Lean and his production designer, Donald Ashton, were in Ceylon months ahead of time to construct the film's title character (the bridge, not the river). Also, the dense surrounding jungle renders escape virtually impossible. The Bridge on the River Kwai was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, at the 30th Academy Awards. Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series - By Sam Hendrian - "Madness. Camps were set up at 100-metre intervals. Goering ", Warden fires a mortar, killing Shears and Joyce and fatally wounding Nicholson. Colonel Saito, the camp commandant, informs the new prisoners they will all work, even officers, on the construction of a railway bridge over the River Kwai that will connect Bangkok and Rangoon. [14][15], The film was an international co-production between companies in Britain and the United States. The bridge cost $250,000 to build. 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. As Ashton explained, it was so cheap because "we used local labor and elephants; and the timber was cut nearby.". The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. 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. 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. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Some of the Second World War's fiercest battles involved bridges and inspired some riveting accounts - capture of key bridges (Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day"; Stephen. They included Chinese, Malayan, Burmese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean people. They were supported by an unknown number of Malaysian labourers. Warden responds that he already knew and that the US Navy had agreed to transfer him to the British SOE with the simulated rank of Major to avoid embarrassment. 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. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. 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. However, cameraman Freddy Ford was unable to get out of the way of the explosion in time, and Lean had to stop filming. Please select which sections you would like to print: Pat Bauer graduated from Ripon College in 1977 with a double major in Spanish and Theatre. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Around 3,100 Commonwealth Burma war graves can be found at Thanbyuzayat, alongside roughly 620 Dutch burials. The weather is good, not hot The train passes at 10 AM and the train returns at 4 PM. Some Japanese viewers resented the movie's depiction of their engineers' capabilities as inferior and less advanced than they were in reality. Let's talk about British Food! The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. 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. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. TakeMeTour's Review. 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. 27. Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. Some Thailand River cruises begin in Bangkok and lead along the Mekong River to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it? In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. Weill you be in London for the Coronation in 2023? Kanchanaburi town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. Bangkok-Kanchanaburi, by train or private transport, for the Bridge on River Kwai; Kanchanaburi-Nam Tok, by train or private transport, for Death Railway and Hellfire Pass; You can book your bus tickets online and in advance here. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. 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. [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]. We worked at bayonet point and under bamboo lash, taking any risk to sabotage the operation whenever the opportunity arose. Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. Prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along Death Railway. The curved-shaped truss spans are the originals on the bridge (constructed by the Japanese military during WWII) while the two trapezoidal-shaped bridge spans were provided by Japan as war reparations after the war ended in 1945 (to replace two curved-shaped truss spans that fell into the river after the bridge was attacked and bombed by Allied aircraft. Lean had a lengthy row with Guinness over how to play the role of Nicholson; the actor wanted to play the part with a sense of humour and sympathy, while Lean thought Nicholson should be "a bore." 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. The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. 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. 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. As it opens, two POWs, the American navy commander Shears (William Holden) and an Australian, are digging graves for their companions. Sessue Hayakawa really did accidentally strike Alec Guinness hard enough to draw blood in one scene. Nicholson forbids any escape attempts because they were ordered by headquarters to surrender, and escapes could be seen as defiance of orders. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. The two did not collaborate on the script; Wilson took over after Lean was dissatisfied with Foreman's work. Reviews There are no reviews yet. [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. Answer (1 of 7): David Lean made some excellent films His Dickens films of the 1940's are classic black and white versions of OLIVER TWIST and GREAT EXPECTATIONS He discovered color and the wide screen in the 1950's and 1960's Besides BRIDGE, Lean also did LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and DR ZHIVAGO Peo. Alec Guiness overseeing men working on the tracks in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. 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)). 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. Kwai River Bridge history. 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]. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). [66] The original negative for the feature was scanned at 4k (four times the resolution in High Definition), and the colour correction and digital restoration were also completed at 4k. Find the latest updates on the work of the Special Committee. Highly competent work is also done by William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa". 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.

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