Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. 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. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. [27] Gavin Young[28] recounts meeting Donald Wise, a former prisoner of the Japanese who had worked on the Burma Railway. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. [35], Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey of the British Army was the real senior Allied officer at the bridge in question. 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. 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. Clipton objects, believing this to be collaboration with the enemy. We worked at bayonet point and under bamboo lash, taking any risk to sabotage the operation whenever the opportunity arose. Chungkai was also a POW worker base camp. The surviving sections stand as monuments to the men who suffered so much to build them. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. After the war, their remains were moved from these makeshift cemeteries and graveyards to purpose-built Commission sites. The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. Weill you be in London for the Coronation in 2023? The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids. The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British. 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. It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. [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. 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. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" Real Bridge on the River Kwai. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. [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. 15. Kanburi wasnt a work camp as such. The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. It was repaired in time to be blown up the next morning, with Bandaranaike and his entourage present. Brigadier Varley would survive the hellish building work along the Burma-Siam Railway but not the war. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. c. 1945. The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. 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. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was used as a location for the hospital. The Kwai River Bridge was part of the meter-gauge railway constructed by the Japanese during World War Two. All Rights Reserved. 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. [3] The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. 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). Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. Bridge Over The River Kwai Address: Tha Makham, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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 . In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th Century. Reviews There are no reviews yet. He was listed as missing in action in June 1943. The Bridge Over the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) in 1958. 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). Colonel Nicholson, arrive at a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For the scenes where William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne and the native girls had to wade through swamps, they were wading through specially created ones. Toosey would provide the inspiration for Lt. Col Nicholson portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1957 film. 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. Only minor damage was inflicted. Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. 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. 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?") Writers: Pierre Boulle (novel), Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson (screenplay), Academy Award nominations (* denotes win), https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai-film-by-Lean, Filmsite - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), BFI Screenonline - The Bridge on the River Kwai, Turner Classic Movies - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. Only he survives, though he is wounded. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. It worked. 1. 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. For example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. 23. 25 March 1995. Save up to 50% on Thailand River Cruises August 2024. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. They were soon sent to Thailand to begin labouring on the Death Railway. 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. This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series - By Sam Hendrian - "Madness. Boulle based his novel, published in 1952, on his own experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and on an infamous construction project that he wasn't involved with. [22], Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by the river current during a break from filming.[23]. 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.. According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. 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. Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa, among others, it paints an . 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. Laughton was in his habitually overweight state, and was either denied insurance coverage, or was simply not keen on filming in a tropical location. Interested in advertising on the world's largest website dedicated to all things Britain? Both the wooden and the adjacent steel bridge were subjected to numerous air raids between January and June 1945. Himmler The Bridge on the River Kwai is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. 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.. [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. Vital equipment that would normally have been shipped through the canal had to be flown out to the location instead. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. Jun 7, 2011 - New on Blu 6-7-11: Studios unload nearly 70 titles. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . 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. [54] Slant magazine gave the film four out of five stars. Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. We want to hear from you! 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]. 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)). [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. Let's talk about British Food! The real swamps in Ceylon were deemed to be too dangerous. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. 24. [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. One of the iconic war films of its time, the Bridge on the River Kwai has shone a spotlight on POWs suffering. In the movie the bridge is destroyed by commandos. Showing the impact of disease on the workforce, Kanchanaburi contains two graves holding the ashes of 300 Cholera victims. 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 movie was filmed in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . Imperial Japanese Army Command deemed this unacceptable. 3. The bridges were quickly repaired with the use of POW labour from the camp at Tha . 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. 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. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. Just a stone's throw from the Menin Gate, visit our Information Centre to learn more about the CWGC. 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 . 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. 21. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. What's happening in this "The Bridge on the River Kwai" movie clip?Warden (Jack Hawkins from Land of the Pharaohs and Ben-Hur) fires a mortar, wounding Nicho. 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. Ernest Gordon, a survivor of the railway construction and POW camps described in the novel/film, stated in his 1962 book, Through the Valley of the Kwai: In Pierre Boulle's book The Bridge over the River Kwai and the film which was based on it, the impression was given that British officers not only took part in building the bridge willingly, but finished in record time to demonstrate to the enemy their superior efficiency. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. 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. This was an incorrect assumption. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. Nicholson objects, informing Saito the Geneva Convention exempts officers from manual labour. The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. "[55], Balu Mahendra, the Tamil film director, observed the shooting of this film at Kitulgala, Sri Lanka during his school trip and was inspired to become a film director. 10. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. 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 . 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. Has two but they are small. ABC, sponsored by Ford, paid a record $1.8 million for the television rights for two screenings in the United States. He didn't like the screenplay because it reduced Nicholson to secondary status. Sam Spiegel bought the railroad train from the Ceylonese government. (This can be compared to a scene in the 1927 movie, The General, which starred Buster Keaton.). For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. Witnessing the carnage, Clipton shakes his head and mutters, "Madness! 26. 19. Camps were set up at 100-metre intervals. Just two months later, Lieutenant Lamb was dead. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was set in 1942, shortly after the fall of Singapore. All the filming locations of The Bridge on the River Kwai are listed below. Pay on the train. It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. [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. Unlike the other two, it is not located in Thailand. 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. David Lean, director of such landmark epics as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, didn't always make giant movies. 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. 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. Saito leaves the officers standing all day in the intense heat. Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on 10 March 1957, in the presence of S.W.R.D. The Burma-Siam Railway was 250 miles of railway constructed by Allied prisoners of war alongside forced Asian labourers. 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. FIFTY years ago waves of Liberator bombers were deliberately destroying a remarkable feat of engineering. Dying, Nicholson stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge and sending the train hurtling into the river. She recommended Lean to producer Sam Spiegel, who'd been turned down by Fred Zinnemann, William Wyler, and Carol Reed, and offered the directing job to Lean as a last resort. They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. 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. [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.