Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). Toosey was very different from Nicholson and was certainly not a collaborator who felt obliged to work with the Japanese. Real Bridge on the River Kwai. 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. He insisted that Lean add a scene where Shears, the American played by William Holden, cozies up to a nurse (Ann Sears). On 16 October 1943, the two ends of the Burma-Thailand railway were joined at Konkoita in Thailand. The place: Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma. The Bridge of the River kwai It is a tourist attraction of Kanchanaburi. 22. (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, Shears, and Joyce reach the river in time with the assistance of Siamese women bearers and their village chief, Khun Yai. does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. 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). 3. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. Nicholson yells for help, while attempting to stop Joyce from reaching the detonator. 14- "Be happy in your work.". During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. [30], A 1969 BBC television documentary, Return to the River Kwai, made by former POW John Coast,[33] sought to highlight the real history behind the film (partly through getting ex-POWs to question its factual basis, for example Dr Hugh de Wardener and Lt-Col Alfred Knights), which angered many former POWs. Kanchanaburi, in Myanmar border, is home to the famous Bridge River Kwai. David Lean was completely at home in the hot and humid Ceylon jungle. [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]. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. 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. Geoffrey Horne saved his life. POWs and indentured labourers were worked to death while busy constructing the railway simultaneously. The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. 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. Mitch Miller had a hit with a recording of both marches. 15- "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.". According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and also in England. Use our postcode search tool to discover more about the war dead from your local area. Prior to casting Alec Guinness, Sam Spiegel tried to persuade Spencer Tracy to play the part of Colonel Nicholson. The story is fictional but uses the construction of the Burma Railway, in 1942-1943, as its historical setting, and is partly based on Pierre Boulle's own life experience working in Malaysia rubber . At all. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. [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. In early 1943, World War II British prisoners arrive by train at a Japanese prison camp in Burma. 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. This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. There's a stench of death about you. Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. 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. [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. 21. 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. 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. Work on the bridge proceeds badly, due to both the faulty Japanese engineering plans and the prisoners' slow pace and deliberate sabotage. Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. 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. 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)). 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?") They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the . It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. 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 cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. After the war, their remains were moved from these makeshift cemeteries and graveyards to purpose-built Commission sites. 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.. It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. 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. 7. FIFTY years ago waves of Liberator bombers were deliberately destroying a remarkable feat of engineering. US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. And a bloke called George Siegatz[29] an expert whistlerbegan to whistle Colonel Bogey, and a hit was born.". The Bridge on the River Kwai was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, at the 30th Academy Awards. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. Under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives on the bridge towers. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. David Lean, director of such landmark epics as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, didn't always make giant movies. Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. The finished screenplay had significant contributions from both Wilson and Foreman, though each went to his grave insisting he was the more important contributor. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. 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. Bangkok - Kanchanaburi More info / Tickets. [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". During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. All but a small section of the route was built in dense, malarial jungles, in sweltering heat and monsoon rains. 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. Image: Bridge 277 aka the real Bridge over the River Kwai, Image: The iconic poster of the 1957 classic. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Once Spiegel relented, he realized Holden was a box office draw and offered him a great deal: $300,000 salary (about $2.5 million in 2016 dollars), plus 10 percent of the gross. Around the time that he was offered the movie, David Lean had little money, as he was in the middle of a financially ruinous divorce, and was very much in need of a new project. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. That evening, the officers are placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is beaten and locked in an iron box. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson have written the screenplay for this film. Despite the nightmarish conditions, and equipped only with the most basic of tools, the POWs pulled off an amazing feat of engineering. Unique to this film, in some ways, were other issues related to poorly made optical dissolves, the original camera lens and a malfunctioning camera. 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. As the train approaches, they hurry down to the riverbank to investigate. Tooseys men stated this never happened. Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Ceylon, and a team of government dignitaries. 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. Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. 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. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. On another occasion, they argued over the scene where Nicholson reflects on his career in the army. In fact, the cemetery is the original burial ground started by the prisoners themselves. Get information about our funding, our Customer Charter and our Strategic Plan. Aerial reconnaissance photo of the Steel Bridge taken during a bombing raid. 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]. 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). 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. During WW II, Japan constructed the meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 10 business days. 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. 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. A small tourist train offers rides across the bridges span, while pedestrians can also travel over it on foot. The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. 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. Workers died at a rate of 20 men per day. Saito is expected to commit ritual suicide if he fails to meet the rapidly approaching deadline. The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. The place is regarded as "The Symbol of Peace". You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . The actual bridge on the River Kwai is located in Thailand, and stretches over a part of the Mae Klong river, which was renamed Khwae Yai (Thai for big tributary). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But in 1966, the film aired on American . Concurrently, Shears, after a harrowing journey in which he nearly loses his life more than once, is rescued by the British and then required to lead a group of commandoes headed by Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) back to the POW camp that he escaped from in order to blow up the bridge. Civilian workmen suffered terribly too, with their casualties far outstripping the military personnel. Also, the dense surrounding jungle renders escape virtually impossible. The casualties of the Burma-Siam railway were often buried in camp burial grounds located close to where they originally fell. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it? (He didn't attend the Oscars, either.) By Barry Fox. Realising he has no choice, Shears volunteers. 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. [3] The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. Approximately 5 kilometres north of Kanchanaburi there were two bridges that were built by POWs during the war. Some of the characters in the film use the names of real people who were involved in the Burma Railway. The movie is based on the novel "Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai" by Pierre Boulle. [55] Slant stated that "the 1957 epic subtly develops its themes about the irrationality of honor and the hypocrisy of Britain's class system without ever compromising its thrilling war narrative", and in comparing to other films of the time said that Bridge on the River Kwai "carefully builds its psychological tension until it erupts in a blinding flash of sulfur and flame. Written 20 October 2021. The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and also in England. [46], On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 96% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 9.4/10. See some of the commonly asked questions about the Special Committee. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). The film"s story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. The movie won seven Academy Awards, one for Best Picture. Read the response of the CWGC to the findings of the Special Committee. [40] Boulle had never been to the bridge. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. Only in 1984 did the Academy rectify the situation by retroactively awarding the Oscar to Foreman and Wilson, posthumously in both cases. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. Kanchanaburi town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on 10 March 1957, in the presence of S.W.R.D. Lambs sister received a letter from him in September 1943, saying he was in excellent health and being treated well by his captors. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. [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. 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. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . Before the US began rolling up Japanese possessions throughout the Pacific, and the British really started gaining momentum in Burma, Japan had carved out a large empire. The bridge construction is going badly, however, and Saito offers concessions to Nicholson in an effort to get the structure completed on schedule. 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. Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. 1. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. Bus Bangkok - Kanchanaburi $ 7.19 3h 30m. In 1942 Japan seized Myanmar from British control and quickly decided to build a rail link to Thailand in order to maintain a secure supply route to their forces. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Warden tells the Siamese women that he had to prevent anyone from falling into enemy hands, and leaves with them. [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. The plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay were almost entirely fictional. The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. 25. Though he'd already earned five Oscar nominations (three for directing, two for adapting the Dickens novels) and would soon be widely celebrated for Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Doctor Zhivago (1965), at this stage, Lean was in trouble. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. David Lean is taken that story and directed it in 1957. Bridge Over The River Kwai Timing: 24-hrs. The Kwai River Bridge was part of the meter-gauge railway constructed by the Japanese during World War Two. "[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. They built a railway to link Bangkok to Rangoon. THE HEAD OF COLUMBIA PICTURES FORCED LEAN TO ADD A LOVE SCENE. The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. (Spiegel got a British military adviser to help with that side of things, too.). [26], A memorable feature of the film is the tune that is whistled by the POWsthe first strain of the "Colonel Bogey March"when they enter the camp. 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). Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. c. 1945. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. [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. "[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. Pierre Boulle, a Frenchman, who had experienced great hardship after being captured by the Vichy French on the Mekong River, wrote a novel called 'Le Pont de la rivire Kwa' - The Bridge of the . Thanbyuzayat was originally a POW administration headquarters and base camp. He served as an adviser during the making of the movie. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. It would be a massive undertaking. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. 6 Interesting And Awesome Facts About Dondokomon From Digimon, 20 Amazing And Fun Facts About San Bernardino, California, United States, 26 Fun And Fascinating Facts About The Gods Of Egypt Movie, 15 Interesting And Fun Facts About Napa, California, United States, 20 Interesting And Amazing Facts About National City, California, United States, 15 Interesting And Fascinating Facts About Needles, California, United States, 15 Interesting And Amazing Facts About Nevada City, California, United States, 15 Amazing And Interesting Facts About Newark, California, United States. 16- "You make me sick with your heroics! The Bridge on the River Kwai. 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 . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Reviews There are no reviews yet. The Bridge on the River Kwai was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. Both bridges stood for two years and were destroyed by bombers in 1945. Dying, Nicholson stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge and sending the train hurtling into the river. 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. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. Clipton objects, believing this to be collaboration with the enemy. The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. 26. Victory over the Japanese navy at Midway in June 1942 had created a turning point in the Far East and Pacific. Guinness, however, had his own reservations. During World War II, British soldiers added lyrics to the tune that went approximately along these lines: Hitler Image: British troops surrender at Singapore. Lets find out. When Columbia Pictures read the script for Kwai, it was concerned that the story was too much about men and had no love interest. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". 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.
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