The Burma-Siam Railroad and the Bridge over the River Kwai Guide Nicholson is shocked by the poor job being done by his men and orders the building of a proper bridge, intending it to stand as a tribute to the British Army's ingenuity for centuries to come. 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. Some Thailand River cruises begin in Bangkok and lead along the Mekong River to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. 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. 25 March 1995. The movie won seven Academy Awards, one for Best Picture. Some of the characters in the film use the names of real people who were involved in the Burma Railway. Work on the bridge proceeds badly, due to both the faulty Japanese engineering plans and the prisoners' slow pace and deliberate sabotage. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 10 business days. He'd just been through a costly divorce from actress Ann Todd. They remain standing at attention throughout the day. The Real Story Behind 'The Bridge On The River Kwai' - Coffee or Die 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)). His compassion and insistence on equality amongst the ranks ensured he protected his men as best he could. The telecast of the film lasted more than three hours because of the commercial breaks. 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. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". 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. 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 Kanchanaburi Memorial sits with the cemetery grounds. A Cholera epidemic swept through Nieke Camp between May-June 1943. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. But, what about the real men behind the real story of the construction of the Burma-Siam Railway? Along with 1,250 other POWs, he died while in transit from Singapore to Japan aboard the Rakuyo Maro transport ship after it was torpedoed by a US submarine. The Bridge on the River Kwai / Trivia - TV Tropes US Navy Commander Shears tells of the horrific conditions. 25. 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. The producer's press release, thoughwanting to emphasize that this was a Big Budget Hollywood Pictureclaimed the bridge had cost $250,000. 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. Here is 'Minder' telling me to get the timber off the base and start cutting up the dowels. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. Around 90,000 forced labourers are thought to have died building Death Railway. (He didn't attend the Oscars, either.) The Bridge on the River Kwai was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, at the 30th Academy Awards. The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and also in England. Under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives on the bridge towers. Madness!" So go the tragic final words of David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), a spectacular and deeply-moving WWII adventure film that still entertains and challenges over sixty years later. See some of the commonly asked questions about the Special Committee. Read our Cookie Policy, Terms & Conditions and Data Protection & Privacy Policy. This Week's Toybox is . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Bridge on the River Kwai Ceylon Guide 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. [13], Many directors were considered for the project, among them John Ford, William Wyler, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, and Orson Welles (who was also offered a starring role). [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 cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. Pitted against the warden, Colonel . 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. 8. [35], Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey of the British Army was the real senior Allied officer at the bridge in question. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. Its telling that the railway workers had to see to their own medical care. 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%. David Lean was completely at home in the hot and humid Ceylon jungle. Lambs sister received a letter from him in September 1943, saying he was in excellent health and being treated well by his captors. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Wikipedia TakeMeTour's Review. Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. This is now known as the Death Railway. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Burma during World War II. [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. Bridge On The River Kwai is an Epic war-based film. The region was seized by the Japanese in 1942, and they then set about making preparations . 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. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. Servicemen who survived the death marches, appalling working conditions, and savage treatment by their guards thought the film nor book reflected the realities of their experience. (Spiegel got a British military adviser to help with that side of things, too.). Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. 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." They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The movie was filmed in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. [63], The film was restored in 1985 by Columbia Pictures. He was listed as missing in action in June 1943. 1957 World War II film directed by David Lean, This article is about the film. Express 08:30, 10:30. The Bridge Over the River Kwai. In the setting of World War II, a defeated unit British Soldiers is marched into a Japanese prison camp in western Thailand, with the purpose of constructing a bridge over the River Kwai to carry a new railway line to invade Burma. H- Thailand - The Bridge on the River Kwai | iTravel2Learn 10 Day Central Thailand with River Kwai & Pattaya Family Tour It is famously known as the setting for the a 1957 World War Two epic Bridge over the River Kwai. 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. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. Both bridges stood for two years and were destroyed by bombers in 1945. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. Since it first graced the silver screen won the admiration of audiences everywhere and continues to do so. 19. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. As shown in the movie, Guinness played the scene without flinching. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). Goering Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. 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 place is regarded as "The Symbol of Peace". Have a question about us or our work? Shears and two others escape. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. Lamb, as he was known, had been a politician before calling up, serving the state legislature in Victoria, Australia. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. River Kwai (Kanchanaburi): All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor It was initially scripted by screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was later replaced by Michael Wilson. It stretched from Japan, Korea, and China in the north all the way down to Indonesia. 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]. Interested in advertising on the world's largest website dedicated to all things Britain? Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. [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. Log in. Ian Watts, longtime professor of English at Stanford and author of the landmark The Rise of the Novel, had actually been a prisoner in the camp and helped with the construction of the bridge. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. Showing the impact of disease on the workforce, Kanchanaburi contains two graves holding the ashes of 300 Cholera victims. The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British. Read more. The ending of that was sort of the story of life. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Kwai's composer, Malcolm Arnold, wove the march into his Oscar-winning score so seamlessly that modern viewers may assume it was original to the film. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. [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 town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. 17. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to England in order to continue working. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. 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 was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . The Bridge on the River Kwai is a British 1957 World War II film by David Lean based on the novel The Bridge Over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. His first epic was his twelfth film: The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness and William Holden as P.O.W. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - Travel 16. [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. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. Kwai River Bridge history. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. [44], The film was re-released in 1964 and earned a further estimated $2.6 million at the box office in the United States and Canada[45] but the following year its revised total US and Canadian revenues were reported by Variety as $17,195,000. Recognising Shears, Nicholson exclaims, "What have I done? In fact, two bridges were built: a temporary wooden bridge and a permanent steel/concrete bridge a few months later. "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). At one point during filming, David Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current. What's your favorite? The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. The Bridge over the River Kwai met its fate in 1945. 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. 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 Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. Both bridges were used for two years, until they were destroyed by Allied bombing. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a classic 1957 British-American war film based upon the 1952 novel Le Pont de la Rivire Kwai by Pierre Boulle. Leadership Lessons from The Bridge Over the River Kwai - LinkedIn English / Japanese / Thai. . It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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. 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 . Corrections? For many, its their first exposure to the horrors prisoners of wars suffered in the Far East. In reality, Japanese engineers proved to be just as capable at construction efforts as their Allied counterparts.[58][59]. The bridge construction is going badly, however, and Saito offers concessions to Nicholson in an effort to get the structure completed on schedule. A photo of Kitulgala, Sri Lanka in 2004, where the bridge was made for the film. 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. The building of Bridge 277, the eponymous bridge that gave Leans film its name, was overseen by 2,000 British and Dutch prisoners of war. At the end of the day, the officers are imprisoned, and Nicholson is thrown into the ovena small box made of corrugated metal. While the story is fiction, the broader setting--including the construction of the Burmese railway--is based on historical events. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. 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. 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. It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Bridge on the River Kwai | touristbangkok.com | Kanchanaburi in Thailand 13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' | Mental Floss Those who were there did not think much of the novel or film of the Bridge of the River Kwai. 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. 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.

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