c. 1945. [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. Parts of the Burma-Siam railway still stand. 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 takes place in Japan-occupied Siam (later Thailand) in 1943, after the Imperial Japanese Empire has conquered vast territories of Asia. Has two but they are small. Thanbyuzayat was originally a POW administration headquarters and base camp. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial, Malaysia. Himmler Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. 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. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. 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. The rest were made of wood and local materials. 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. 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. David Lean, director of such landmark epics as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, didn't always make giant movies. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was used as a location for the hospital. 23. Basically, the bridge was built during World War II when the Japanese occupied Siam (now Thailand) and neighboring Burma (now Myanmar . This was an incorrect assumption. On 16 October 1943, the two ends of the Burma-Thailand railway were joined at Konkoita in Thailand. Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. The cemetery itself is located just outside the town of Kanchanaburi at the point where the Kwai splits into the Mae Khlong and Kwai Noi rivers. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Goering 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. Questions or feedback on our new site? Japanese guards were known for their cruelty and would frequently torture and assault their prisoners. He served as an adviser during the making of the movie. She retired Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. It was repaired in time to be blown up the next morning, with Bandaranaike and his entourage present. 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.. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. Some sections, such as the infamous Hellfire Pass, required carving through tough sheer rock. Weill you be in London for the Coronation in 2023? It stretched from Japan, Korea, and China in the north all the way down to Indonesia. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). The two did not collaborate on the script; Wilson took over after Lean was dissatisfied with Foreman's work. 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 . Some Thailand River cruises begin in Bangkok and lead along the Mekong River to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The casualties of the Burma-Siam railway were often buried in camp burial grounds located close to where they originally fell. In a prison camp, British POWs are forced into labor. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a work of fiction, but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942 to 1943 for its historical setting. This page was last modified on 6 February 2023, at 06:05. 16- "You make me sick with your heroics! True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. 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. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. At the end of the day, the officers are imprisoned, and Nicholson is thrown into the ovena small box made of corrugated metal. Let's talk about British Food! does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. Written 20 October 2021. The site's critical consensus reads, "This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean. Just two months later, Lieutenant Lamb was dead. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it? Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" Nicholson objects, informing Saito the Geneva Convention exempts officers from manual labour. 14- "Be happy in your work.". Carl Foreman was the initial screenwriter, but Lean replaced him with Michael Wilson. [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. The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. (This can be compared to a scene in the 1927 movie, The General, which starred Buster Keaton.). Unique to this film, in some ways, were other issues related to poorly made optical dissolves, the original camera lens and a malfunctioning camera. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). 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." Read our Cookie Policy, Terms & Conditions and Data Protection & Privacy Policy. 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. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . [31] He strongly denied the claim that the book was anti-British, although many involved in the film itself (including Alec Guinness) felt otherwise.[36]. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. It was 425 feet long, 90 feet high, and cost $52,085 out of the film's $2 million budget. The Bridge on the River Kwai was actually one of the reasons movies started becoming prime-time television programming. [43] By October 1960, the film had earned worldwide box office revenues of $30 million. The real Bridge on the River Kwai. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. Nicholson forbids any escape attempts because they were ordered by headquarters to surrender, and escapes could be seen as defiance of orders. 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. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. He created the railroad. Guinness, however, had his own reservations. 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. [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. 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. Its estimated around 16,000 Allied prisoners of war were killed during construction of the Burma-Siam Railway. Kanchanaburi, in Myanmar border, is home to the famous Bridge River Kwai. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the . 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. Save up to 50% on Thailand River Cruises August 2024. [63], The film was restored in 1985 by Columbia Pictures. 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. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. [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. Chungkai was also a POW worker base camp. . Colonel Nicholson, arrive at a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. 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. A photo of Kitulgala, Sri Lanka in 2004, where the bridge was made for the film. 3. After Saito cuts a ceremonial ribbon, Nicholson spots a detonator wire. [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 bridge in the movie was near Kitulgala. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. Kanchanaburi is served by a rail service from Bangkok Noi . This story is retold in: Anecdotal Tit Bits: Making "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "links for research, Allied POWs under the Japanese", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the, "Once-Stupendous-Now-Modest $2,700,000 Budget Kept Secret; 'River Kwai's' Sockfull Gross", "Screen: 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' Opens", "Film Reviews: The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Balu Mahendra, who made his visuals speak, dies at 74", "Warren Buffett carries an American Express card and about $400 in cash", "How Cartrivision's 1972 VCR ForesawAnd ForfeitedThe Time-Shifted Future", "Movies | Disc & Digital | Sony Pictures", "Wayne and Shuster Show, The Episode Guide (19541990) (series)", Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, National Board of Review Award for Best Film, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai&oldid=1138405911, Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance, Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance, Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award, Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe, Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award, Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, Films with screenplays by Michael Wilson (writer), United States National Film Registry films, World War II films based on actual events, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best DVD Original Retrospective Documentary/Featurette, Online Film & Television Association Awards, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 14:21. Despite the nightmarish conditions, and equipped only with the most basic of tools, the POWs pulled off an amazing feat of engineering. For the scene when Colonel Nicholson emerges from the oven after several days confined there, Alec Guinness based his faltering walk on that of his son Matthew Guinness when he was recovering from polio. The elephants employed in helping build the bridge would take breaks every four hours and lie around the water, whether the crew wanted them to or not. Thanks to the film, the Bridge, situated in the Thai town of Kanchanaburi a couple of hours drive from Bangkok, is one of Thailand . Copyright 2020 Tons Of Facts. US $4.49 Standard Shipping from outside US. 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. THE HEAD OF COLUMBIA PICTURES FORCED LEAN TO ADD A LOVE SCENE. Forced labourers were labourers taken from the populations of Japan-conquered territories. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. Image: British troops surrender at Singapore. 28. They remain standing at attention throughout the day. He had basically retired when Lean approached him to play Colonel Saito in Kwai, a performance that earned Hayakawa an Oscar nomination. After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said, "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. Alec Guiness overseeing men working on the tracks in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. Read our FAQs or send a question to our customer service team. The Bridge on the River Kwai. A small tourist train offers rides across the bridges span, while pedestrians can also travel over it on foot. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. You carry it in your pack like the plague. The Bridge on the River Kwai. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Burma 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. [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. The film was directed by David Lean and starred William Holding, Jack Hawkins and academy award winner Sir Alex Guinness. At its behest, Sam Spiegel asked David Lean to incorporate a love scene. 20. It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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. The Bridge On The River Kwai Trivia: Fun And Interesting Facts About The Bridge On The River Kwai: Fascinating Facts About The Bridge on the River Kwai - Kindle edition by Randolph, Amanda. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. 10. 25 March 1995. When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. Chungkai War Cemetery is something of a sister site to Kanchanaburi. 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). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Warden responds that he already knew and that the US Navy had agreed to transfer him to the British SOE with the simulated rank of Major to avoid embarrassment. He succumbed to malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition at Camp Kilo 101 in Thailand. The march was written in 1914 by Kenneth J. Alford, a pseudonym of British Bandmaster Frederick J. Ricketts. The film"s story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. By this time, the United States and its naval and industrial might had entered the war. Some Japanese viewers resented the movie's depiction of their engineers' capabilities as inferior and less advanced than they were in reality. Lean wanted to use the tune in Kwai, figured those lyrics wouldn't pass the censors (or the approval of the composer's widow), and opted to have the troops whistle it instead. At one point during filming, David Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). A sketch of that bridge was used as the basis for the fictional one. But, what about the real men behind the real story of the construction of the Burma-Siam Railway? Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. 25. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. When Joyce is wounded by Japanese fire, Shears swims across, but is himself shot. 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.