Since it first graced the silver screen won the admiration of audiences everywhere and continues to do so. For example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. 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. 24. By Barry Fox. Nicholson desperately tries to keep Joyce from depressing the plunger, while Shears and Warden try to kill Nicholson. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). This Week's Toybox is . British English: The Top 50 Most Beautiful British Insults, British Slang: Your Guide to British Police Slang for the Telly Watcher, British Slang: Tea Time British Words for Tea and Tea Related Culture, ltimate List of Funny British Place Names, 101 Budget Britain Travel Tips 2nd Edition, Great Britons Book: Top 50 Greatest Brits Who Ever Lived, Anglotopias Grand Adventure Lands End to John OGroats. as soon as he signed, Lean borrowed $2,000 from Columbia Pictures to get his teeth fixed. Of course, he could not save many of his men from expiring, but he did their best to make conditions more comfortable. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it? Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese. Kanburi wasnt a work camp as such. 2. 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. Lamb, as he was known, had been a politician before calling up, serving the state legislature in Victoria, Australia. 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. 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. 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. The rest were made of wood and local materials. 5. Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. A Cholera epidemic swept through Nieke Camp between May-June 1943. In early 1943, World War II British prisoners arrive by train at a Japanese prison camp in Burma. 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. 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. 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. Has two but they are small. 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 . 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. Lean only got $150,000 himself, but he always said Holden was worth it. The movie is best known for the "Colonel Bogey March", the song that is whistled by the POWs. You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. Showing the impact of disease on the workforce, Kanchanaburi contains two graves holding the ashes of 300 Cholera victims. David Lean's classic 1957 World War II movie Bridge on the River Kwai depicted the horrors endured by the Allied prisoners of war (POWs) forced to build the Thailand-Burma railway by the Japanese Imperial Army. 18. [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. An example of this is when commandos Warden and Joyce hunt a fleeing Japanese soldier through the jungle, desperate to prevent him from alerting other troops. During WW II, Japan constructed the meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. Lambs sister received a letter from him in September 1943, saying he was in excellent health and being treated well by his captors. In particular, they objected to the implication presented in the film that Japanese military engineers were generally unskilled at their profession and lacked proficiency. (Lean denied ever wanting Laughton for the role, despite abundant documented evidence to the contrary.). Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. At their head was Lieutenant-Colonel Phillip Toosey. That evening, the officers are placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is beaten and locked in an iron box. Lets find out. 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. Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. (Spiegel got a British military adviser to help with that side of things, too.). When Columbia Pictures read the script for Kwai, it was concerned that the story was too much about men and had no love interest. Drilled holes for the piers; and cut them to length. The Bridge on the River Kwai. 7. Unlike the other two, it is not located in Thailand. [40] Boulle had never been to the bridge. The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. The ending of that was sort of the story of life. comment. Nicholson forbids any escape attempts because they were ordered by headquarters to surrender, and escapes could be seen as defiance of orders. 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. It was set up at the beginning of the Burma-Siams construction. Assistant director John Kerrison was killed in a car crash on the way to one of the locations. Within 16 months the bridge was completed but it took another two years to complete the entire rail line. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. A picture of the actual bridge over the River Kwai in June 2004. 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. 8. 15- "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.". 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. [citation needed], Julie Summers, in her book The Colonel of Tamarkan, writes that Boulle, who had been a prisoner of war in Thailand, created the fictional Nicholson character as an amalgam of his memories of collaborating French officers. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. 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. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. 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. 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. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. This way, he remained oblivious to the real nature of his characters fate. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. Image: British troops surrender at Singapore. Pay on the train. In the meantime, Shears manages to escape. WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. Interested in advertising on the world's largest website dedicated to all things Britain? The British Film Institute placed The Bridge on the River Kwai as the 11th greatest British film. "[47] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". 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.. And a bloke called George Siegatz[29] an expert whistlerbegan to whistle Colonel Bogey, and a hit was born.". [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 would work in appalling conditions, given minuscule amounts of food, snatches of sleep, and little to no medical treatment. Goering Its this structure, Bridge 277, that still stands and is a famous local tourist attraction. [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. Initial estimates from Japanese engineers suggested it would take five years. rainy day Therefore, there are not many people. 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. POWs and indentured labourers were worked to death while busy constructing the railway simultaneously. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. 3. 1. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids. The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. It stars Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins and William Holden. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Both bridges were used for two years, until they were destroyed by Allied bombing. . Bought 4 and 6 mm dowel wood for bridge piers. It would be a massive undertaking. Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. It stretched from Japan, Korea, and China in the north all the way down to Indonesia. Be the first one to write a review. The deaths of the Asian workers and the prisoners were real events, but most of the book and the movie are not true. The Colonel Bogey strain was accompanied by a counter-melody using the same chord progressions, then continued with film composer Malcolm Arnold's own composition, "The River Kwai March", played by the off-screen orchestra taking over from the whistlers, though Arnold's march was not heard in completion on the soundtrack. The weather is good, not hot The train passes at 10 AM and the train returns at 4 PM. A real train rode over the bridge as it blew up. After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said, "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. The region was seized by the Japanese in 1942, and they then set about making preparations . US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. The Bridge over the River Kwai met its fate in 1945. Laughton was in his habitually overweight state, and was either denied insurance coverage, or was simply not keen on filming in a tropical location. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. A sketch of that bridge was used as the basis for the fictional one. [64] The image was restored by OCS, Freeze Frame, and Pixel Magic with George Hively editing. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. Thanks to the film, the Bridge, situated in the Thai town of Kanchanaburi a couple of hours drive from Bangkok, is one of Thailand . 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. Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the . The Bridge of the River kwai It is a tourist attraction of Kanchanaburi. [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". The Bridge on the River Kwai was actually one of the reasons movies started becoming prime-time television programming. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. [22], Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by the river current during a break from filming.[23]. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a hotel restaurant Overnight: Kanchanaburi A small tourist train offers rides across the bridges span, while pedestrians can also travel over it on foot. 21. 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). Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa, among others, it paints an . It had previously belonged to an Indian maharajah and had seen 65 years of active service. They were soon sent to Thailand to begin labouring on the Death Railway. Its construction came about because Japan needed another supply route to link Singapore and Malaysia to its possessions in Burma following Singapores fall in February 1942. Thanbyuzayat was originally a POW administration headquarters and base camp. The Bridge on the River Kwai was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. 26. American casualties were repatriated back to the United States. [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. 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. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was set in 1942, shortly after the fall of Singapore. What's your favorite? Read more. Cast the Expert: Percy Herbert, who played the role of a prisoner of war in the film, actually spent four . Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 10 business days. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Image: Bridge 277 aka the real Bridge over the River Kwai, Image: The iconic poster of the 1957 classic. Harry Cohn, the vulgar (but successful) man who ran Columbia Pictures at the time, was furious when he read the script and saw no . The Bridge On The River Kwai is the World War II Oscar winner about an Army colonel (Alec Guinness) obsessed with proving British superiority over his Japanese captors by showing that his . Sign-up for free daily emails with the latest news about British culture, heritage, and history! [3] The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. David Lean is taken that story and directed it in 1957. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. Return trains are 12.55 and 15.15. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. Brigadier Varley would survive the hellish building work along the Burma-Siam Railway but not the war. [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. Like Chungkai and Kanchanaburi, Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was originally part of the camp set up serving the Burma-Siams construction. 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.