His compassion and insistence on equality amongst the ranks ensured he protected his men as best he could. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. It had previously belonged to an Indian maharajah and had seen 65 years of active service. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was used as a location for the hospital. Workers died at a rate of 20 men per day. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. 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. [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. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. Some Japanese viewers resented the movie's depiction of their engineers' capabilities as inferior and less advanced than they were in reality. 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. The film originally made thirty million dollars over its three million dollar budget and was rereleased in theaters just after Lean and Spiegel's Lawrence of Arabia came out. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. But I am writing a factual account, and in justice to these menliving and deadwho worked on that bridge, I must make it clear that we never did so willingly. Reviews There are no reviews yet. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. Lean liked that draft even less. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai. [50] William Holden was also credited for his acting for giving a solid characterization that was "easy, credible and always likeable in a role that is the pivot point of the story". Everywhere in the jungle, the graveyards made their appearance; starting in a small way they gradually grew bigger, until when the railway was completed at the end of the year, thousands of bodies lay in the jungle from one end to the other.. This film is taken from a popular novel written by Pierre Boulle in 1952. This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. As shown in the movie, Guinness played the scene without flinching. Work on the bridge proceeds badly, due to both the faulty Japanese engineering plans and the prisoners' slow pace and deliberate sabotage. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". In a 1988 interview with Barry Norman, Lean confirmed that Columbia almost stopped filming after three weeks because there was no white woman in the film, forcing him to add what he called "a very terrible scene" between Holden and a nurse on the beach. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. He joined up in 1940 and served in the Middle East with the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion before transferring back to the Dutch East Indies in early 1942. TakeMeTour's Review. Rather than start building at two ends and meet in the middle, as per normal railway construction, the Japanese created hundreds of camps across its lengths. The casualties of the Burma-Siam railway were often buried in camp burial grounds located close to where they originally fell. 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. [39], The major railway bridge described in the novel and film did not actually cross the river known at the time as the Kwai. Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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. 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)). The movie has been included on the American Film Institutes list of best American films ever made. . 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 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. Read our Cookie Policy, Terms & Conditions and Data Protection & Privacy Policy. Some of the Second World War's fiercest battles involved bridges and inspired some riveting accounts - capture of key bridges (Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day"; Stephen. In fact, two bridges were built: a temporary wooden bridge and a permanent steel/concrete bridge a few months later. The movie won seven Academy Awards, one for Best Picture. 15- "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.". 17. The real River Kwai, and its bridge, is in what was then Siam, now Thailand.The name 'River Kwai' refers to the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers in western Thailand, which converge to become the Mae Klong river at Kanchanaburi, about 70 miles northwest of Bangkok, and it was across the Mae Klong that the infamous bridge was built. This was an entertaining story. He created the railroad. 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." This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series - By Sam Hendrian - "Madness. It is a landmark of Kanchanaburi Province. 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. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. After the final scene was shot, producer Sam Spiegel shipped the movie footage on five different planes to minimize the risk of loss. Let's talk about British Food! Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. It stars Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins and William Holden. 21. When Columbia Pictures read the script for Kwai, it was concerned that the story was too much about men and had no love interest. Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Ceylon, and a team of government dignitaries. 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. While Nicholson disapproves of acts of sabotage and other deliberate attempts to delay progress, Toosey encouraged this: termites were collected in large numbers to eat the wooden structures, and the concrete was badly mixed. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. The Bridge on the River Kwai is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. 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 World War II, British soldiers added lyrics to the tune that went approximately along these lines: Hitler Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. Interested in advertising on the world's largest website dedicated to all things Britain? 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. He'd just been through a costly divorce from actress Ann Todd. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. 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). Use our postcode search tool to discover more about the war dead from your local area. Copyright 2020 Tons Of Facts. 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. 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. Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. Sessue Hayakawa edited his copy of the script to contain only his lines of dialog. It was 425 feet long, 90 feet high, and cost $52,085 out of the film's $2 million budget. 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 . Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. Has no balls Sessue Hayakawa really did accidentally strike Alec Guinness hard enough to draw blood in one scene. rainy day Therefore, there are not many people. 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. Chungkai was also a POW worker base camp. They remain standing at attention throughout the day. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. 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. 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. Want to work for the CWGC? Their taskmasters were relentless. [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. Wrote Guinness: "I felt like turning around and getting back on the plane and paying my own fare home!" 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. He didn't like the next draft of the screenplay, either, because it made Nicholson "a blinkered character." Allied bombers struck the wooden bridge and its concrete counterpart in February 1945 with one of the earliest uses of guided bombs in history. A Smith article describes bridge on River Kwai, near Kanchanaburi, Thailand, built by Allied POWs during Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II and subject of famous film The Bridge on . (Spiegel got a British military adviser to help with that side of things, too.). 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. Carl Foreman was the initial screenwriter, but Lean replaced him with Michael Wilson. 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. "[50] Kaplan further praised the actors, especially Alec Guinness, later writing "the film is unquestionably" his. Though he'd already earned five Oscar nominations (three for directing, two for adapting the Dickens novels) and would soon be widely celebrated for Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Doctor Zhivago (1965), at this stage, Lean was in trouble. 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. In the meantime, Shears manages to escape. 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. He, Shears, and Joyce reach the river in time with the assistance of Siamese women bearers and their village chief, Khun Yai. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. The march was written in 1914 by Kenneth J. Alford, a pseudonym of British Bandmaster Frederick J. Ricketts. [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. The camp commander, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), informs the prisoners that they will all begin working on the building of a railway bridge the following day. 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. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. Lean wanted Holden, a big star and recent Oscar winner (for Stalag 17), to play American prisoner Major Shears, over the objections of producer Spiegel, who wanted Cary Grant. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. Nicholson will not cooperate and finally insists that the bridge can be built only under his command. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" Has only got one ball! Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). 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. Construction began before anyone had been cast. The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. [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. THE HEAD OF COLUMBIA PICTURES FORCED LEAN TO ADD A LOVE SCENE. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. The Hitchhiker's Guide has this to say about John Rabon: When not pretending to travel in time and space, eating bananas, and claiming that things are "fantastic", John lives in North Carolina. 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.. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. Some sections, such as the infamous Hellfire Pass, required carving through tough sheer rock. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 World War II POW film directed by David Lean, about the construction of the bridges over the River Kwai, although it's heavily fictionalised.It's based on the French novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, of Planet of the Apes fame; Boulle, who could neither read nor write English, was also credited for the screenplay adaptation due to . Tickets are 100 baht. Approximately 5 kilometres north of Kanchanaburi there were two bridges that were built by POWs during the war. 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. It was repaired in time to be blown up the next morning, with Bandaranaike and his entourage present. To enjoy Thailand River cruises, you need to understand a little about the geography of Thailand and its river system. Find the latest updates on the work of the Special Committee. Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on 10 March 1957, in the presence of S.W.R.D. 10. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. Has two but they are small. For many, its their first exposure to the horrors prisoners of wars suffered in the Far East. The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. In the movie the bridge is destroyed by commandos. 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?") 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. 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. By the end, prisoners working on the rail route werent calling it the Burma-Siam Railway. Unlike the other two, it is not located in Thailand. Like Chungkai and Kanchanaburi, Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was originally part of the camp set up serving the Burma-Siams construction. The railway ran for 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma and is now known as the Death Railway. What's your favorite? 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. Return trains are 12.55 and 15.15. In 1941 the Japanese Army invaded Thailand. Use our search tools to explore our records and find out about those we commemorate. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . 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. We want to hear from you! The documentary itself was described by one newspaper reviewer when it was shown on Boxing Day 1974 (The Bridge on the River Kwai had been shown on BBC1 on Christmas Day 1974) as "Following the movie, this is a rerun of the antidote."[37]. This is now known as the Death Railway. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Imperial Japanese Army Command deemed this unacceptable. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. At their head was Lieutenant-Colonel Phillip Toosey. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. The year: 1943. Real Bridge on the River Kwai.
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