10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai

By Barry Fox. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. [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. An example of this is when commandos Warden and Joyce hunt a fleeing Japanese soldier through the jungle, desperate to prevent him from alerting other troops. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. There are tourist trains to Nam Tok stopping at stations in between daily from the River Kwai Bridge station at 06.05, 11.00 and 14.30. [31][32] Some consider the film to be an insulting parody of Toosey. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - IMDb Although the obvious link was by sea, Allied submarines controlling the region made it too treacherous. Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. Work on the bridge proceeds badly, due to both the faulty Japanese engineering plans and the prisoners' slow pace and deliberate sabotage. Of course, he could not save many of his men from expiring, but he did their best to make conditions more comfortable. . See details. The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. The negative itself manifested many of the kinds of issues one would expect from a film of this vintage: torn frames, embedded emulsion dirt, scratches through every reel, colour fading. Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). Tonight, enjoy dinner at a hotel restaurant Overnight: Kanchanaburi Written 20 October 2021. Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about The Bridge on the River Kwai. The Bridge on the River Kwai Ceylon Guide Visiting The Bridge On The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi The Bridge on the River Kwai. Sessue Hayakawa edited his copy of the script to contain only his lines of dialog. Wrote Guinness: "I felt like turning around and getting back on the plane and paying my own fare home!" The surviving sections stand as monuments to the men who suffered so much to build them. 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). 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. Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. Sri Lanka Filming Locations: The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Posted on July 17, 2017 by tokyofox. Bridge on the River Kwai - silverfox175 The place: Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma. 18. 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 . These issues, running throughout the film, were addressed to a lesser extent on various previous DVD releases of the film and might not have been so obvious in standard definition.[67]. "[47] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Return trains are 12.55 and 15.15. Omissions? The movie was filmed in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. Let's talk about British Food! [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. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. 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. He wanders into a Burmese village, is nursed back to health, and eventually reaches the British colony of Ceylon. While the story is fiction, the broader setting--including the construction of the Burmese railway--is based on historical events. The actual name of "Bridge on the River Kwai", on the 258 mile long Burma Railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma, built from 1940-1944, was called Bridge 277. The film won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) at the 30th Academy Awards. The Bridge on the River Kwai: The explosive bridge (HD CLIP) The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. 7. When, the next morning, Saito orders all the British prisoners to begin building the bridge under the command of a Japanese engineer, Nicholson and the other officers refuse, even when Saito threatens to kill them. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. Reviews There are no reviews yet. He, Shears, and Joyce reach the river in time with the assistance of Siamese women bearers and their village chief, Khun Yai. Its this structure, Bridge 277, that still stands and is a famous local tourist attraction. The Kwai River Bridge was part of the meter-gauge railway constructed by the Japanese during World War Two. Colonel Saito, the camp commandant, informs the new prisoners they will all work, even officers, on the construction of a railway bridge over the River Kwai that will connect Bangkok and Rangoon. The screenplay was based on French author Pierre Boulle"s 1954 novel of the same name. In 1985, the Academy officially recognized Foreman and Wilson as the screenwriters and posthumously awarded the Oscar to them. 3. 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. A picture of the actual bridge over the River Kwai in June 2004. The Burma-Siam Railways construction necessitated construction of over 670 bridges and numerous cuttings. The movie starring William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins was shot at more than 1 locations. 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. [44], The film was re-released in 1964 and earned a further estimated $2.6 million at the box office in the United States and Canada[45] but the following year its revised total US and Canadian revenues were reported by Variety as $17,195,000. POWs and indentured labourers were worked to death while busy constructing the railway simultaneously. 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. At the POW camp, Nicholson not only requires officers to work on the bridge but also pulls men from the hospital in order to meet Saitos deadline for the project. Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" 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. The Kanchanaburi Memorial sits with the cemetery grounds. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . All the filming locations of The Bridge on the River Kwai are listed below. [22], Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by the river current during a break from filming.[23]. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. At their head was Lieutenant-Colonel Phillip Toosey. Surviving veterans consider Toosey one of the finest officers they ever served under. 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. 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). A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. The bridge cost $250,000 to build. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. Last survivor of the Bridge On The River Kwai Japanese railway "[53], Among retrospective reviews, Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, noting that it is one of the few war movies that "focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals", but commented that the viewer is not certain what is intended by the final dialogue due to the film's shifting points of view. [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. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. Lean liked that draft even less. The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids - Kiddle Be the first one to write a review. 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. The True Story of the Bridge over the River Kwai | CWGC The Bridge on the River Kwai was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Bridge on the River Kwai / Trivia - TV Tropes The Bridge On The River Kwai | Film Locations Disease was a huge killer among railway workers, but so was brutality. The producer's press release, thoughwanting to emphasize that this was a Big Budget Hollywood Pictureclaimed the bridge had cost $250,000. Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. The Bridge of the River kwai It is a tourist attraction of Kanchanaburi. 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. 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. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. The correct name for the River Kwai is Khwae Noi, meaning small tributary, which merges with Khwae Yai River to create the Mae Kong River. At the end of the day, the officers are imprisoned, and Nicholson is thrown into the ovena small box made of corrugated metal. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - Travel A train carrying important dignitaries and soldiers is scheduled to be the first to cross the bridge the following day, and Warden wants to destroy both. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Trivia - IMDb [54] Slant magazine gave the film four out of five stars. They were calling it the Death Railway. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. He didn't like the next draft of the screenplay, either, because it made Nicholson "a blinkered character." The Bridge over the River Kwai - Wikipedia [60] The 167-minute film was first telecast, uncut, in colour, on the evening of 25 September 1966, as a three hours-plus ABC Movie Special. What is it that makes the film 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' such an Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. 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 line passing through the scenic Three Pagodas Pass runs for 250 miles. Alec Guiness overseeing men working on the tracks in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. [14][15], The film was an international co-production between companies in Britain and the United States. Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. Kwai River Bridge history. Updates? Ten Interesting Facts about The Bridge on the River Kwai - Anglotopia.net The real Bridge over the River Kwai is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway. 28. 10 Day Central Thailand with River Kwai & Pattaya Family Tour In the film, a Colonel Saito is camp commandant. The Bridge on the River Kwai | Plot, Cast, Awards, & Facts Initial estimates from Japanese engineers suggested it would take five years. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. Prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along Death Railway. David Leans 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. A Cholera epidemic swept through Nieke Camp between May-June 1943. Did he really want the enemy to come in across it? Bridges beyond the River Kwai | Michigan Today "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). [50] Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times claimed the film's strongest points were for being "excellently produced in virtually all respects and that it also offers an especially outstanding and different performance by Alec Guinness. 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. This meant that some of the British prisoners were actually natives of the region wearing make-up to appear Caucasian. This is now known as the Death Railway. By 1944, its operational capacity was being massively hampered by the damage caused by air raids. Cutting the base board 1190 x 160 x 12 mm. Also, the dense surrounding jungle renders escape virtually impossible. The railway ran for 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma and is now known as the Death Railway. Madness! Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. [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 Japanese did indeed force British, Dutch, Australian, and American prisoners to build the Burma Railway, resulting in some 13,000 POW deaths and at least 80,000 civilian deaths. Carl Foreman was the initial screenwriter, but Lean replaced him with Michael Wilson. [65], On 2 November 2010 Columbia Pictures released a newly restored The Bridge on the River Kwai for the first time on Blu-ray. Their taskmasters were relentless. After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said, "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. The Colonel Bogey March" was composed in 1914 by Kenneth Alford, a military band conductor. British and American intelligence officers conspire . This film is taken from a popular novel written by Pierre Boulle in 1952. It was filmed in Kitulgala which is 60 . 23. British people of Anglotopia, what do you make of the whole anglophile thing ? It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. 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. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. Lets find out. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. Explore the story of the CWGC, from our formation during the First World War to our work today. 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 example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [3] The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. 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. 27. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. Thanbyuzayat was originally a POW administration headquarters and base camp. But in 1966, the film aired on American . They would work in appalling conditions, given minuscule amounts of food, snatches of sleep, and little to no medical treatment. Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. 26. You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . 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. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. Thanbyuzayat is in Myanmar. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). Bridge Over The River Kwai Address: Tha Makham, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. [40], The Bridge on the River Kwai was a massive commercial success. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. 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. "[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. 25. Kanchanaburi town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Wikipedia

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