10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai
Realising he has no choice, Shears volunteers. : 1942: Boldly advancing through Asia, the Japanese need a train route from Burma going north. 28. The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids. They included Chinese, Malayan, Burmese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean people. Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. [40] Boulle had never been to the bridge. 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. This way, he remained oblivious to the real nature of his characters fate. 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. 21. In the film, Lt. Col Nicholson is seen collaborating with his captors, even under duress. Omissions? [49] Mike Kaplan, reviewing for Variety, described it as "a gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments. Sessue Hayakawa considered his performance as Saito as the highlight of his career. Toosey in fact did as much as possible to delay the building of the bridge. 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. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. The plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay were almost entirely fictional. 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. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI takes place in Japan-occupied Siam (later Thailand) in 1943, after the Imperial Japanese Empire has conquered vast territories of Asia. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. In the movie the bridge is destroyed by commandos. When the sun rises, the commandoes realize that the water level in the river has fallen, exposing the explosives and wiring. ", The screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, were on the Hollywood blacklist and, even though living in exile in England, could only work on the film in secret. One of the iconic war films of its time, the Bridge on the River Kwai has shone a spotlight on POWs suffering. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. 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. The weather is good, not hot The train passes at 10 AM and the train returns at 4 PM. US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. The real Bridge on the River Kwai. The US was beginning to control the sea lanes, making it increasingly difficult for Japanese shipborne cargo to reach the army dotted across the Pacific. 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. 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. Save up to 50% on Thailand River Cruises August 2024. He served as an adviser during the making of the movie. At the end of the day, the officers are imprisoned, and Nicholson is thrown into the ovena small box made of corrugated metal. He wanders into a Burmese village, is nursed back to health, and eventually reaches the British colony of Ceylon. The majority of its smaller components are originals, while a few are post-war replacements. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. This Oscar-winning epic is part of movie folklore and widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever so I really wanted to see the area where director David Lean shot it way back in 1957. A sketch of that bridge was used as the basis for the fictional one. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. [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. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. Allied soldiers had built a church and a hospital on the site where the cemetery now sits. After the war, their remains were moved from these makeshift cemeteries and graveyards to purpose-built Commission sites. Jun 7, 2011 - New on Blu 6-7-11: Studios unload nearly 70 titles. Nicholson forbids any escape attempts because they were ordered by headquarters to surrender, and escapes could be seen as defiance of orders. Bridge On The River Kwai is an Epic war-based film. By 1944, its operational capacity was being massively hampered by the damage caused by air raids. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. Alec Guiness, William Holden, and Jack Hawkins in front of bridge they built in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. It was more of a transit hub where prisoners were moved to other work areas along the railway route. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. It stars Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins and William Holden. In early 1943, World War II British prisoners arrive by train at a Japanese prison camp in Burma. 1. Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 10 business days. Desperate, he uses the anniversary of Japan's 1905 victory in the Russo-Japanese War as an excuse to save face; he announces a general amnesty, releasing Nicholson and his officers and exempting them from manual labour. He created the railroad. 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 bridge construction is going badly, however, and Saito offers concessions to Nicholson in an effort to get the structure completed on schedule. Persuaded that the film would be about the horror and folly of war, the Japanese government sent a military adviser to help with the camp scenes. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . Kanchanaburi, in Myanmar border, is home to the famous Bridge River Kwai. But poor old Goebbels Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. In fact, two bridges were built: a temporary wooden bridge and a permanent steel/concrete bridge a few months later. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. Lambs sister received a letter from him in September 1943, saying he was in excellent health and being treated well by his captors. Surviving veterans consider Toosey one of the finest officers they ever served under. The Bridge on the River Kwai was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. [61][62], In 1972, the movie was among the first selection of films released on the early Cartrivision video format, alongside classics such as The Jazz Singer and Sands of Iwo Jima. [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. The Kwai River Bridge was part of the meter-gauge railway constructed by the Japanese during World War Two. [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). Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). . His first epic was his twelfth film: The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness and William Holden as P.O.W. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. Harry Cohn, the vulgar (but successful) man who ran Columbia Pictures at the time, was furious when he read the script and saw no . 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. [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. He succumbed to malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition at Camp Kilo 101 in Thailand. 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. [23], British composer Malcolm Arnold recalled that he had "ten days to write around forty-five minutes worth of music" much less time than he was used to. 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. Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson have written the screenplay for this film. 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. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. Civilian workmen suffered terribly too, with their casualties far outstripping the military personnel. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. The finished screenplay had significant contributions from both Wilson and Foreman, though each went to his grave insisting he was the more important contributor. Following the raids, Thanbyuzayat was evacuated. The Bridge on the River Kwai was a smash hit on release. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. Search by location, regiment, nationality, and more fields to find the war dead involved in building the blood-soaked Burma-Siam Railway. This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series - By Sam Hendrian - "Madness. According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. Pay on the train. Around 90,000 forced labourers are thought to have died building Death Railway. As Ashton explained, it was so cheap because "we used local labor and elephants; and the timber was cut nearby.". 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Although the obvious link was by sea, Allied submarines controlling the region made it too treacherous. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 17. 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. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. 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). . The rail link, however, would . Lean liked that draft even less. During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. 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. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Around 3,100 Commonwealth Burma war graves can be found at Thanbyuzayat, alongside roughly 620 Dutch burials. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. For many, its their first exposure to the horrors prisoners of wars suffered in the Far East. 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. The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. 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 is in Myanmar. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor (William Holden). Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. Nicholson's obsession with the bridge eventually drives him to allow his officers to volunteer to engage in manual labor. The commandoes arrive for their mission as the finishing touches are being put on the bridge. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. The film won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) at the 30th Academy Awards.
