10 facts about the bridge on the river kwai

Geoffrey Horne saved his life. 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. [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 cemetery was established by the Army Graves Service to hold casualties made along the railways southern Bangkok to Nieke section. The train crashed into a generator on the other side of the bridge and was wrecked. At its behest, Sam Spiegel asked David Lean to incorporate a love scene. The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. It stars Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins and William Holden. The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. [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. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi 1942. It is close to, but not over the country's border with Myanmar. 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. [13], Many directors were considered for the project, among them John Ford, William Wyler, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, and Orson Welles (who was also offered a starring role). Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the novel, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp. 28 Fun And Interesting Facts About The Bridge On The River Kwai Sign-up for free daily emails with the latest news about British culture, heritage, and history! The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - Travel The Suez Canal crisis of 1956 badly affected production. This story is retold in: Anecdotal Tit Bits: Making "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "links for research, Allied POWs under the Japanese", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Colonel of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey and the, "Once-Stupendous-Now-Modest $2,700,000 Budget Kept Secret; 'River Kwai's' Sockfull Gross", "Screen: 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' Opens", "Film Reviews: The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Balu Mahendra, who made his visuals speak, dies at 74", "Warren Buffett carries an American Express card and about $400 in cash", "How Cartrivision's 1972 VCR ForesawAnd ForfeitedThe Time-Shifted Future", "Movies | Disc & Digital | Sony Pictures", "Wayne and Shuster Show, The Episode Guide (19541990) (series)", Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, National Board of Review Award for Best Film, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai&oldid=1138405911, Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance, Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance, Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award, Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award, Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe, Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award, Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, Films with screenplays by Michael Wilson (writer), United States National Film Registry films, World War II films based on actual events, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best DVD Original Retrospective Documentary/Featurette, Online Film & Television Association Awards, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 14:21. Visiting The Bridge On The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [7][8] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Bridge on the River Kwai the 11th greatest British film of the 20th century. [11] Guinness admitted that Lean "didn't particularly want me" for the role, and thought about immediately returning to England when he arrived in Ceylon and Lean reminded him that he wasn't the first choice. Join us in an act of virtual remembrance and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Warden tells the Siamese women that he had to prevent anyone from falling into enemy hands, and leaves with them. Himmler Just a stone's throw from the Menin Gate, visit our Information Centre to learn more about the CWGC. The region was seized by the Japanese in 1942, and they then set about making preparations . Walk over the steel bridge at the River Kwai, one of the most famous rivers in the world, which gained international fame in the book and film, "Bridge on the River Kwai". [43] By October 1960, the film had earned worldwide box office revenues of $30 million. Civilian workmen suffered terribly too, with their casualties far outstripping the military personnel. Journeying to the jungle where The Bridge On The River Kwai was filmed During WW II, Japan constructed the meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. (Spiegel got a British military adviser to help with that side of things, too.). 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 . Shears and two others escape. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. Instead of the five year predicted completion, the bridge on river Kwai, was completed in 16 months. 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. 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. He created the railroad. 1957 World War II film directed by David Lean, This article is about the film. [63], The film was restored in 1985 by Columbia Pictures. [49] Mike Kaplan, reviewing for Variety, described it as "a gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments. The prisoners of war who had . Where Is the River Kwai Located? - The Bridge on the River Kwai Tooseys men stated this never happened. The Bridge on the River Kwai was a smash hit on release. Check here to see our open positions and volunteer roles. Get information about our funding, our Customer Charter and our Strategic Plan. Japanese engineers had been surveying and planning the route of the railway since 1937, and they had demonstrated considerable skill during their construction efforts across South-East Asia. However, cameraman Freddy Ford was unable to get out of the way of the explosion in time, and Lean had to stop filming. Sam Spiegel bought the railroad train from the Ceylonese government. His career was hurt by the advent of sound, and then by increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in America. The finished screenplay had significant contributions from both Wilson and Foreman, though each went to his grave insisting he was the more important contributor. The official credit was given to Pierre Boulle (who did not speak English), and the resulting Oscar for Best Screenplay (Adaptation) was awarded to him. They are joined by approximately 1,850 Dutch casualties and one non-war grave. Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. 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. "[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. 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. Its this structure, Bridge 277, that still stands and is a famous local tourist attraction. Check out where to stay in Kanchanaburi and book an accommodation of your choice. By the end, prisoners working on the rail route werent calling it the Burma-Siam Railway. (There were other verses, too, which treated in more depth the number, location, and status of Hitler's anatomy, but you get the idea.) The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. 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. [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. [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. See some of the commonly asked questions about the Special Committee. Prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along Death Railway. The bridge in the movie was near Kitulgala. The separate dialogue, music and effects were located and remixed with newly recorded "atmospheric" sound effects. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. train on the bridge over the river kwai in kanchanaburi, thailan - bridge over the river kwai stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images FLOATING HOUSES ON THE RIVER KWAI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND. Thanbyuzayat is in Myanmar. Bangkok-Kanchanaburi, by train or private transport, for the Bridge on River Kwai; Kanchanaburi-Nam Tok, by train or private transport, for Death Railway and Hellfire Pass; You can book your bus tickets online and in advance here. Although the obvious link was by sea, Allied submarines controlling the region made it too treacherous. There's a stench of death about you. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a hotel restaurant Overnight: Kanchanaburi 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. Mitch Miller had a hit with a recording of both marches. American casualties were repatriated back to the United States. Read more. David Lean's 1957 epic Bridge on the River Kwai is regarded as one of the all-time great war films. According to one biographer, he was "broke and needed work; he had even pawned his gold cigarette case." The movie is based on the novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle. The Real Story Behind 'The Bridge On The River Kwai' - Coffee or Die During World War II, British soldiers added lyrics to the tune that went approximately along these lines: Hitler "[57], Some Japanese viewers have disliked the film's depiction of the Japanese characters and the historical background presented as being inaccurate, particularly in the interactions between Saito and Nicholson. They were supported by an unknown number of Malaysian labourers. 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. Once Spiegel relented, he realized Holden was a box office draw and offered him a great deal: $300,000 salary (about $2.5 million in 2016 dollars), plus 10 percent of the gross. 21. By Barry Fox. The cemetery itself is located just outside the town of Kanchanaburi at the point where the Kwai splits into the Mae Khlong and Kwai Noi rivers. Spiegel had it refurbished completely and then had one mile of railway track laid for it. As the train approaches, they hurry down to the riverbank to investigate. You can also take a boat down the Kwai River . Bangkok - Kanchanaburi More info / Tickets. 20. Imperial Japanese Army Command deemed this unacceptable. Chungkai was also a POW worker base camp. In a prison camp, British POWs are forced into labor. 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 . For example, a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was in real life second in command at the camp. With William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa. Laughton would die (of cancer) five years later, at the age of 63. ", The screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, were on the Hollywood blacklist and, even though living in exile in England, could only work on the film in secret. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. [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]. For one sunset scene, David Lean specifically traveled 150 miles to capture it. The real Bridge over the River Kwai is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway. Parts of the Burma-Siam railway still stand. Some Japanese viewers resented the movie's depiction of their engineers' capabilities as inferior and less advanced than they were in reality. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Only he survives, though he is wounded. Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. He, Shears, and Joyce reach the river in time with the assistance of Siamese women bearers and their village chief, Khun Yai. [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. This film is taken from a popular novel written by Pierre Boulle in 1952. Commonwealth war graves commission Caring for the fallen, Commonwealth war graves foundation Our charity site. He shows a rare sense of humor and a feeling for the poetry of situation; and he shows the even rarer ability to express these things, not in lines but in lives. Alec Guiness overseeing men working on the tracks in a scene from the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', 1957. 14. It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Laughton was in his habitually overweight state, and was either denied insurance coverage, or was simply not keen on filming in a tropical location. as for the bridge on the River Kwai, it crossed the river only in the imagination of its author. [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 real Bridge on the River Kwai. The Bridge on the River Kwai. 17. After Saito cuts a ceremonial ribbon, Nicholson spots a detonator wire. Omissions? It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven -- including Best Picture . Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. The railway ran for 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma and is now known as the Death Railway. Around 90,000 forced labourers are thought to have died building Death Railway. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally . Read our FAQs or send a question to our customer service team. 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. As the train approaches, Nicholson frantically pulls up the wire, following it to find the detonator. [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. Be the first one to write a review. Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson have written the screenplay for this film. It had previously belonged to an Indian maharajah and had seen 65 years of active service.