Spiegel sent the screenplay to the Japanese government ahead of time, hoping to get their cooperation with the production. Return trains are 12.55 and 15.15. The film"s story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. They were soon sent to Thailand to begin labouring on the Death Railway. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. 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. Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. It was initially scripted by screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was later replaced by Michael Wilson. Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa, among others, it paints an . 3. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. By Barry Fox. 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. 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. Carl Foreman was the initial screenwriter, but Lean replaced him with Michael Wilson. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The bridge they build will become a symbol of service and survival to one prisoner, Colonel Nicholson, a proud perfectionist. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. This Week's Toybox is . 8. The movie won seven Academy Awards, one for Best Picture. Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Ceylon, and a team of government dignitaries. Log in. Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. Kanchanaburi, in Myanmar border, is home to the famous Bridge River Kwai. The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. 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. You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . He also didn't like hearing that he was Lean's second choice for the role, a fact made more awkward when he arrived in Ceylon and Lean greeted him with, "Of course, you know I really wanted Charles Laughton." But poor old Goebbels Prior to casting Alec Guinness, Sam Spiegel tried to persuade Spencer Tracy to play the part of Colonel Nicholson. His compassion and insistence on equality amongst the ranks ensured he protected his men as best he could. The British Film Institute placed The Bridge on the River Kwai as the 11th greatest British film. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Burma during World War II. [49] Mike Kaplan, reviewing for Variety, described it as "a gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. 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. 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. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. ABC, sponsored by Ford, paid a record $1.8 million for the television rights for two screenings in the United States. Has something sim'lar One of the iconic war films of its time, the Bridge on the River Kwai has shone a spotlight on POWs suffering. 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. A Cholera epidemic swept through Nieke Camp between May-June 1943. Search by location, regiment, nationality, and more fields to find the war dead involved in building the blood-soaked Burma-Siam Railway. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. Despite the nightmarish conditions, and equipped only with the most basic of tools, the POWs pulled off an amazing feat of engineering. [35], Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey of the British Army was the real senior Allied officer at the bridge in question. Corrections? In 1957 the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai, premiered in London and became the biggest grossing film of 1958, winning seven academy awards in the process, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Musical Score, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.Not bad for a movie that is largely a work of almost entirely fictional characters and a story which . 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. However, in 1943 a railway bridge was built by Allied POWs over the Mae Klong river renamed Khwae Yai in the 1960s as a result of the film at Tha Ma Kham, five kilometres from Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. Weill you be in London for the Coronation in 2023? Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. . 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. Mortally wounded, he falls onto the plunger, the bridge is blown up, and the train with the dignitaries falls into the river. Workers died at a rate of 20 men per day. It was set up at the beginning of the Burma-Siams construction. The Bridge on the River Kwai, commonly referred to as the Railroad of Death or Death Railway, which stands in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, was one of only eight steel bridges of the estimated 688 that were built. 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. This meant that some of the British prisoners were actually natives of the region wearing make-up to appear Caucasian. This, plus the fact that he loved to travel, plus the fact that shooting a film in Southeast Asia would be good for him tax-wise, motivated him to accept a project that was bound to be grueling. English / Japanese / Thai. The action of the movie takes place in a Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in . He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial, Malaysia. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. All but a small section of the route was built in dense, malarial jungles, in sweltering heat and monsoon rains. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. The bridge in the movie was near Kitulgala. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. [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. 18. They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a hotel restaurant Overnight: Kanchanaburi The real Bridge over the River Kwai is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. 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. [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. [3] The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. 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. Their roles and characters, however, are fictionalised. 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. Shears tries to get out of the mission by confessing that he impersonated an officer, hoping for better treatment from the Japanese. (This can be compared to a scene in the 1927 movie, The General, which starred Buster Keaton.). Civilian workmen suffered terribly too, with their casualties far outstripping the military personnel. Kwai River Bridge history. [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]. [31], On a BBC Timewatch programme, a former prisoner at the camp states that it is unlikely that a man like the fictional Nicholson could have risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and, if he had, due to his collaboration he would have been "quietly eliminated" by the other prisoners. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. Just a stone's throw from the Menin Gate, visit our Information Centre to learn more about the CWGC. Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. There's a stench of death about you. Has two but they are small. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. 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. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. Nicholson objects, informing Saito the Geneva Convention exempts officers from manual labour. 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 line passing through the scenic Three Pagodas Pass runs for 250 miles. 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. Bridge On The River Kwai is an Epic war-based film. It would be a massive undertaking. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to England in order to continue working. "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Since it first graced the silver screen won the admiration of audiences everywhere and continues to do so. He served as an adviser during the making of the movie. 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." According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. 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. 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 separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. 13. 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. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. Tooseys men stated this never happened. 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.. As shown in the movie, Guinness played the scene without flinching. "[47] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and also in England. 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%. 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. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. One of a number of Allied POW"s . 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. Alec Guiness overseeing men working on the tracks in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. Lean only got $150,000 himself, but he always said Holden was worth it. [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]. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. Camps were set up at 100-metre intervals. $ 3 million (estimated) 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 ). Basically, the bridge was built during World War II when the Japanese occupied Siam (now Thailand) and neighboring Burma (now Myanmar . By daybreak, however, the river level has dropped, exposing the wire connecting the explosives to the detonator. The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is also entirely fictional. Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. Be the first one to write a review. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. Has no balls Although the obvious link was by sea, Allied submarines controlling the region made it too treacherous. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. A temporary wooden bridge was completed at the beginning of 1943 and a few months later the steel bridge (which can be seen today) was finished. [40] Boulle had never been to the bridge. Both bridges were used for two years, until they were destroyed by Allied bombing. Toosey would provide the inspiration for Lt. Col Nicholson portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1957 film. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. These problems resulted in a number of anomalies that were very difficult to correct, like a ghosting effect in many scenes that resembles colour mis-registration, and a tick-like effect with the image jumping or jerking side-to-side. Roger Ebert focused on the symbolism of the bridge in this 1999 description: "[The war] narrows down to a single task, building a . Kanchanaburi is served by a rail service from Bangkok Noi . Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. Witnessing the carnage, Clipton shakes his head and mutters, "Madness! They remain standing at attention throughout the day. At one point during filming, David Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current. 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Victory over the Japanese navy at Midway in June 1942 had created a turning point in the Far East and Pacific. Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. The screenplay was instead credited to the novelist, Boullewhich was quite a feat, since he didnt speak or read English. Pitted against the warden, Colonel . So Spiegel hired another writer, Calder Willingham, to give it a crack. 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. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor (William Holden). Spiegel finally sent Michael Wilson to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where Lean was in pre-production, and the two worked together to hammer out the final version. He didn't like the screenplay because it reduced Nicholson to secondary status. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". Some Thailand River cruises begin in Bangkok and lead along the Mekong River to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. A small tourist train offers rides across the bridges span, while pedestrians can also travel over it on foot. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). But, what about the real men behind the real story of the construction of the Burma-Siam Railway? Let's talk about British Food! This was an incorrect assumption. [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. Have a question about us or our work? 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. 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 . Both the wooden and the adjacent steel bridge were subjected to numerous air raids between January and June 1945. Wrote Guinness: "I felt like turning around and getting back on the plane and paying my own fare home!" For many, its their first exposure to the horrors prisoners of wars suffered in the Far East. Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. 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. [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. He succumbed to malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition at Camp Kilo 101 in Thailand. [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. Nicholson's obsession with the bridge eventually drives him to allow his officers to volunteer to engage in manual labor. At their head was Lieutenant-Colonel Phillip Toosey. Sam Spiegel bought the railroad train from the Ceylonese government. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Here is 'Minder' telling me to get the timber off the base and start cutting up the dowels. Read more. Interested in advertising on the world's largest website dedicated to all things Britain? Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. 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. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. It is famously known as the setting for the a 1957 World War Two epic Bridge over 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. Sri Lanka Filming Locations: The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Posted on July 17, 2017 by tokyofox. The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . He had basically retired when Lean approached him to play Colonel Saito in Kwai, a performance that earned Hayakawa an Oscar nomination. The rail link, however, would . The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. Thanbyuzayat continued to be used as a POW reception centre to reinforce work parties along the Burma-Siam Railway. Thanks to the film, the Bridge, situated in the Thai town of Kanchanaburi a couple of hours drive from Bangkok, is one of Thailand . At all. WILLIAM HOLDEN JACK HAWKINS 1957 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 8X10 PHOTO. David Lean's 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. 5. Questions or feedback on our new site? In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. Victims were cremated and their remains are buried in the aforementioned graves. [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. Copyright 2020 Tons Of Facts. [64] The image was restored by OCS, Freeze Frame, and Pixel Magic with George Hively editing. Chandran Rutnam and William Holden while shooting The Bridge on the River Kwai. From iconic memorials to local churchyards, there is unique heritage to explore across Great Britain. Geoffrey Horne saved his life. To enjoy Thailand River cruises, you need to understand a little about the geography of Thailand and its river system. [48], Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised the film as "a towering entertainment of rich variety and revelation of the ways of men". : 1942: Boldly advancing through Asia, the Japanese need a train route from Burma going north. Nicholson undertakes the construction of a well-made bridge, at first thinking it a good way to improve the morale and discipline of his regiment but gradually coming to regard the structure not as a part of the enemy war effort but as a monument to British ingenuity. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British. Recognising Shears, Nicholson exclaims, "What have I done?
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