The film originally made thirty million dollars over its three million dollar budget and was rereleased in theaters just after Lean and Spiegel's Lawrence of Arabia came out. River Kwai (Kanchanaburi): All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor 7. Prior to casting Alec Guinness, Sam Spiegel tried to persuade Spencer Tracy to play the part of Colonel Nicholson. In early 1943, World War II British prisoners arrive by train at a Japanese prison camp in Burma. Warden, Shears, and two other commandos parachute into Thailand; one, Chapman, dies after falling into a tree, and Warden is wounded in an encounter with a Japanese patrol and must be carried on a litter. (This can be compared to a scene in the 1927 movie, The General, which starred Buster Keaton.). The Bridge on the River Kwai Movie Review | Common Sense Media The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British. [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. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. During the cutting of Hellfire Pass, for example, 69 men were beaten to death across a twelve-week period. David Lean is taken that story and directed it in 1957. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Cutting the base board 1190 x 160 x 12 mm. Realising he has no choice, Shears volunteers. During WW II, Japan constructed the meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. This film is taken from a popular novel written by Pierre Boulle in 1952. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was set in 1942, shortly after the fall of Singapore. In fact, two bridges were built: a temporary wooden bridge and a permanent steel/concrete bridge a few months later. In 1941 the Japanese Army invaded Thailand. 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. They felt none of the Bridge on the River Kwai cast could fully understand or represent what it was like to be there. Allied soldiers had built a church and a hospital on the site where the cemetery now sits. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. Visiting The Bridge On The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi The Bridge on the River Kwai | Plot, Cast, Awards, & Facts 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. [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. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. All Rights Reserved. Tooseys men stated this never happened. 1957 World War II film directed by David Lean, This article is about the film. Leadership Analysis: The Bridge On The River Kwai | MBA Skool The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on 10 March 1957, in the presence of S.W.R.D. After a few days, the British medical officer Major Clipton (James Donald) tries to persuade both Saito and Nicholson to compromise, but both are unyielding. 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. Like thousands of other POWs, Lamb was kept in degrading conditions, refused medical treatment and barely fed. Tracy had read the book and told Spiegel emphatically that the part must be played by an Englishman. 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. In a prison camp, British POWs are forced into labor. Is Bridge on River Kwai a true story? - IronSet Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. 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.. He'd just been through a costly divorce from actress Ann Todd. Guinness had appeared in Lean's Dickens films but had since made a name for himself doing goofy comedies like The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Its a charming, idyllic spot, belying the intense horror and suffering the men who built it went through. Sri Lanka Filming Locations: The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Questions or feedback on our new site? Bridges beyond the River Kwai | Michigan Today The Bridge Over The River Kwai: The Real Story - Travel Happy Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. Death Railway was bombed heavily by the Allies from 1943 onwards. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle.Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-1943, the plot and characters of Boulle's novel and the screenplay are almost entirely fictional. Letters reveal British objections to plot of Bridge on the River Kwai 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. Kwai River Bridge - History and Facts | History Hit "[17], The film was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). [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. 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. Some Japanese viewers resented the movie's depiction of their engineers' capabilities as inferior and less advanced than they were in reality. Corrections? Pitted against the warden, Colonel . Recognising Shears, Nicholson exclaims, "What have I done? Colonel Nicholson, arrive at a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. The story about this bridge has also been made into a Hollywood movie such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), which is based on the novel of the same name and another movie . Lean liked that draft even less. They remain standing at attention throughout the day. Subsequent releases of the film finally gave them proper screen credit. 25 The Bridge on the River Kwai Trivia Questions & Answers [22], Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by the river current during a break from filming.[23]. And a bloke called George Siegatz[29] an expert whistlerbegan to whistle Colonel Bogey, and a hit was born.". In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th Century. Both bridges stood for two years and were destroyed by bombers in 1945. The story is fictional but uses the construction of the Burma Railway, in 1942-1943, as its historical setting, and is partly based on Pierre Boulle's own life experience working in Malaysia rubber . 21. 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. Sign-up for free daily emails with the latest news about British culture, heritage, and history! 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]. 13. The Bridge on the River Kwai was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, at the 30th Academy Awards. While the story is fiction, the broader setting--including the construction of the Burmese railway--is based on historical events. Be the first one to write a review. A real train rode over the bridge as it blew up. As it opens, two POWs, the American navy commander Shears (William Holden) and an Australian, are digging graves for their companions. Let's talk about British Food! 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. The Bridge On The River Kwai is the World War II Oscar winner about an Army colonel (Alec Guinness) obsessed with proving British superiority over his Japanese captors by showing that his . The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Trivia - IMDb 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. A make-up man was also badly injured in the same accident. They would work in appalling conditions, given minuscule amounts of food, snatches of sleep, and little to no medical treatment. Wise: "I never heard it in Thailand. The movie is best known for the "Colonel Bogey March", the song that is whistled by the POWs. Bridge On The River Kwai, The (original Version) - Trailer - YouTube [51] Time magazine praised Lean's directing, noting he demonstrates "a dazzlingly musical sense and control of the many and involving rhythms of a vast composition. The Bridge over the River Kwai - Wikipedia Warden tells the Siamese women that he had to prevent anyone from falling into enemy hands, and leaves with them. This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series - By Sam Hendrian - "Madness. 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). THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI: Honor, Duty, and Madness It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 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 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]. 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." ABC, sponsored by Ford, paid a record $1.8 million for the television rights for two screenings in the United States. Surviving veterans consider Toosey one of the finest officers they ever served under. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. The movie is based on the novel "Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai" by Pierre Boulle. Just as in Love is a Many Splendored Thing, normally hairy chested William Holden had to have a full body wax for his many shirtless scenes in the movie. It was not long before the Japanese army overrunning Java captured Lieutenant Lamb and his men. He was listed as missing in action in June 1943. 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. A regiment of British prisoners arrives, whistling the Colonel Bogey March, under the command of Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness). 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. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Fact and fiction - Sentinelassam In the meantime, Shears manages to escape. The Bridge on the River Kwai | Moviepedia | Fandom As shown in the movie, Guinness played the scene without flinching. The place is regarded as "The Symbol of Peace". [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. But poor old Goebbels