The process of adapting Pierre Boulle's French-language novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai was difficult (more on that later), but the two writers ultimately responsible for it were Carl Foreman (High Noon) and Michael Wilson (A Place in the Sun). 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). Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and . Their taskmasters were relentless. Its estimated around 16,000 Allied prisoners of war were killed during construction of the Burma-Siam Railway. Pitted against the warden, Colonel . [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. Basically, the bridge was built during World War II when the Japanese occupied Siam (now Thailand) and neighboring Burma (now Myanmar . [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. 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 . : 1942: Boldly advancing through Asia, the Japanese need a train route from Burma going north. Despite this, he won an Oscar and a Grammy. Victory over the Japanese navy at Midway in June 1942 had created a turning point in the Far East and Pacific. Guinness, however, had his own reservations. Pay on the train. Real Bridge on the River Kwai. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). The bridge is still in everyday use as part of the Bangkok-Nam Tok line. Budget. Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa, among others, it paints an . Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" 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. 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. The film was based on the 1952 novel Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle. In the film, Lt. Col Nicholson is seen collaborating with his captors, even under duress. 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. 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. 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." Under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives on the bridge towers. 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). They built a railway to link Bangkok to Rangoon. You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . 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. Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. Casualties commemorated at Chungkai are mostly men who died in the field hospital set up by prisoners. Jun 7, 2011 - New on Blu 6-7-11: Studios unload nearly 70 titles. See details. Vital equipment that would normally have been shipped through the canal had to be flown out to the location instead. Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. A photo of Kitulgala, Sri Lanka in 2004, where the bridge was made for the film. Madness! When the sun rises, the commandoes realize that the water level in the river has fallen, exposing the explosives and wiring. He wanders into a Burmese village, is nursed back to health, and eventually reaches the British colony of Ceylon. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. 28. Lean shouted at them, 'For God's sake, whistle a march to keep time to.' Has only got one ball! It worked. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this. Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. [49] Mike Kaplan, reviewing for Variety, described it as "a gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments. The Bridge on the River Kwai was actually one of the reasons movies started becoming prime-time television programming. Initial estimates from Japanese engineers suggested it would take five years. Dying, Nicholson stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge and sending the train hurtling into the river. He didn't like the screenplay because it reduced Nicholson to secondary status. 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. [63], The film was restored in 1985 by Columbia Pictures. Japanese guards were known for their cruelty and would frequently torture and assault their prisoners. The screenplay was based on French author Pierre Boulle"s 1954 novel of the same name. Drilled holes for the piers; and cut them to length. The bridge depicted in the film is most definitely real. 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. 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 . Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. In reality, Risaburo Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them. 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?") [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. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. 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. The Bridge on the River Kwai. [54] Slant magazine gave the film four out of five stars. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. 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. Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. Just two months later, Lieutenant Lamb was dead. Forced labourers were labourers taken from the populations of Japan-conquered territories. (He didn't attend the Oscars, either.) It was initially scripted by screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was later replaced by Michael Wilson. While the story is fiction, the broader setting--including the construction of the Burmese railway--is based on historical events. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. 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. Only in 1984 did the Academy rectify the situation by retroactively awarding the Oscar to Foreman and Wilson, posthumously in both cases. Or maybe you have a story for us or would like to work together. Imperial Japanese Army Command deemed this unacceptable. When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. His compassion and insistence on equality amongst the ranks ensured he protected his men as best he could. [10], Although Lean later denied it, Charles Laughton was his first choice for the role of Nicholson. [9], The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. At all. Lean liked that draft even less. Tickets are 100 baht. Witnessing the carnage, Clipton shakes his head and mutters, "Madness! Nicholson will not cooperate and finally insists that the bridge can be built only under his command. 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. 23. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to England in order to continue working. 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. 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. In reality, Japanese engineers proved to be just as capable at construction efforts as their Allied counterparts.[58][59]. Nicholson's obsession with the bridge eventually drives him to allow his officers to volunteer to engage in manual labor. The Bridge Over the River Kwai. 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 was selected in 1997 for preservation in the National Film Registry. David Lean himself also claimed that producer Sam Spiegel cheated him out of his rightful part in the credits since he had had a major hand in the script. The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. Joyce, manning the detonator, breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. It is also known as the "River Kwai March". The deaths of the Asian workers and the prisoners were real events, but most of the book and the movie are not true. Major Warden of SOE invites Shears to join a commando mission to destroy the bridge just as it is completed. Showing the impact of disease on the workforce, Kanchanaburi contains two graves holding the ashes of 300 Cholera victims. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. Some 5,000 Commonwealth World War Two casualties are buried or commemorated in Kanchanaburi. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. Nicholson yells for help, while attempting to stop Joyce from reaching the detonator. Moreover, Kanchanaburi has an annual "Bridge Over the River Kwai" week, which has a sound show to relive the moments of World War II. Instead, the Lt. Col would stand up for his men when necessary to try to alleviate some of their hardships. 60,000 or so Allied prisoners of war, including British, Australian, Dutch and some US troops, alongside more than 200,000 civilian labourers were pressed into service. In the film, a Colonel Saito is camp commandant. [31][32] Some consider the film to be an insulting parody of Toosey. [64] The image was restored by OCS, Freeze Frame, and Pixel Magic with George Hively editing. Put on your marching boots and whistle a jaunty tune as we investigate some behind-the-scenes facts about this enduring war film. 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." ", Warden fires a mortar, killing Shears and Joyce and fatally wounding Nicholson. 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. This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. Workers died at a rate of 20 men per day. Contact us, Image: Rows of graves at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Image: Kanchanaburi Dutch Memorial commemorates Dutch POWs who died building Death Railway, Image: Chungkai War Cemetery's Cross of Sacrifice, Image: The Pavilion at Chungkai War Cemetery, Image: The cemetery's horticulture gives Chungkai a sense of serenity, Image: The Stone of Remembrance at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Image: Headstones and horticulture at Thanbyuzayat, Get the latest CWGC news and see some of our recent work, Report of the Special Committee to review historical inequalities in Commemoration, Discover world war casualties who lived in your area, The True Story of the Bridge over the River Kwai, Why and how were restoring the Menin Gate: What you need to know about this amazing project, A push through the desert: How The Allies Captured Jericho in 1918, Visit Commonwealth war graves in Arras, France. Assistant director John Kerrison was killed in a car crash on the way to one of the locations. (There were other verses, too, which treated in more depth the number, location, and status of Hitler's anatomy, but you get the idea.) 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. True Grit, Sanctum, Green Lantern and Superman. Nicholson suddenly realizes that his pride in the bridges construction has blinded him to his military duty. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. 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 . Nevertheless, the leeches in the recreated swamps were real. Cast the Expert: Percy Herbert, who played the role of a prisoner of war in the film, actually spent four . Unique to this film, in some ways, were other issues related to poorly made optical dissolves, the original camera lens and a malfunctioning camera. 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. After Saito cuts a ceremonial ribbon, Nicholson spots a detonator wire. 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. It had previously belonged to an Indian maharajah and had seen 65 years of active service. 7. 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 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). But in 1966, the film aired on American . The Bridge over the River Kwai met its fate in 1945. This film is produced by Sam Spiegel, and the music is composed by Malcolm Arnold for . A real train rode over the bridge as it blew up. Only minor damage was inflicted. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Directed by David Lean. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said, "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. 20. The rest were made of wood and local materials. On 16 October 1943, the two ends of the Burma-Thailand railway were joined at Konkoita in Thailand. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. 22. The Bridge on the River Kwai Facts for Kids. Toosey was very different from Nicholson and was certainly not a collaborator who felt obliged to work with the Japanese.

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