In 1985, the Academy officially recognized Foreman and Wilson as the screenwriters and posthumously awarded the Oscar to them. POWs and indentured labourers were worked to death while busy constructing the railway simultaneously. 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. Sessue Hayakawa considered his performance as Saito as the highlight of his career. This was an entertaining story. Initial estimates from Japanese engineers suggested it would take five years. FIFTY years ago waves of Liberator bombers were deliberately destroying a remarkable feat of engineering. The Burma-Siam Railway was 250 miles of railway constructed by Allied prisoners of war alongside forced Asian labourers. Forced labourers were labourers taken from the populations of Japan-conquered territories. Express 08:30, 10:30. Find the latest updates on the work of the Special Committee. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . This records the names of 11 Indian army men buried in Muslim cemeteries throughout Thailand whose graves could not be maintained. The film originally made thirty million dollars over its three million dollar budget and was rereleased in theaters just after Lean and Spiegel's Lawrence of Arabia came out. Nicholson's obsession with the bridge eventually drives him to allow his officers to volunteer to engage in manual labor. Tickets are 100 baht. The movie has been included on the American Film Institutes list of best American films ever made. Find out how you can apply to become a CWGC Volunteer. The conditions to which POW and civilian labourers were subjected were far worse than the film depicted. Around 90,000 forced labourers are thought to have died building Death Railway. 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. In January 1943, a base hospital was organised to care for sick and injured prisoners and labourers. Both writers had to work in secret, as they were on the Hollywood blacklist and had fled to the UK in order to continue working. Search by location, regiment, nationality, and more fields to find the war dead involved in building the blood-soaked Burma-Siam Railway. [38] Some Japanese viewers also disliked the film for portraying the Allied prisoners of war as more capable of constructing the bridge than the Japanese engineers themselves were, accusing the filmmakers of being unfairly biased and unfamiliar with the realities of the bridge construction, a sentiment echoed by surviving prisoners of war who saw the film in cinemas. It worked. The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Facts. Over a muddy jungle river called Kwai, a Japanese colonel, Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), must complete a railroad bridge vital to Japan's war effort. Boulle drew on the experiences of Far East POWs building the now infamous Burma-Siam Railway, linking modern-day Myanmar and Thailand to create his work. Want to work for the CWGC? 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). 21. Its estimated around 16,000 Allied prisoners of war were killed during construction of the Burma-Siam Railway. Ian Watts, longtime professor of English at Stanford and author of the landmark The Rise of the Novel, had actually been a prisoner in the camp and helped with the construction of the bridge. [56] Warren Buffett said it was his favorite movie. (There were other verses, too, which treated in more depth the number, location, and status of Hitler's anatomy, but you get the idea.) Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Ceylon, and a team of government dignitaries. Victims were cremated and their remains are buried in the aforementioned graves. Corrections? Under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives on the bridge towers. Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese. The film won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) at the 30th Academy Awards. Thousands of Asian workers and POWs (prisoners of war) died while working on the project. 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. To keep costs down, producer Sam Spiegel decided not to hire any extras, using crew members and Ceylon locals instead. Then he hired Lean to directand Lean didn't like Foreman's version. [65], On 2 November 2010 Columbia Pictures released a newly restored The Bridge on the River Kwai for the first time on Blu-ray. 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. First Joyce and then Shears are killed in the ensuing gunfire. See some of the commonly asked questions about the Special Committee. The Bridge over the River Kwai met its fate in 1945. Death Railway was bombed heavily by the Allies from 1943 onwards. So Spiegel hired another writer, Calder Willingham, to give it a crack. That evening, the officers are placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is beaten and locked in an iron box. The bridge they build will become a symbol of service and survival to one prisoner, Colonel Nicholson, a proud perfectionist. Cafes and tourist spots dot the banks of the Khwae Noi. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a work of fiction, but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942 to 1943 for its historical setting. The weather is good, not hot The train passes at 10 AM and the train returns at 4 PM. It was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Dying, Nicholson stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, blowing up the bridge and sending the train hurtling into the river. Madness! It was more of a transit hub where prisoners were moved to other work areas along the railway route. Geoffrey Horne saved his life. 23. [16], Director David Lean clashed repeatedly with his cast members, particularly Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. 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. 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. It spans crosses the lazily winding Khwae Noi at Kanchanaburi, Thailand. David Lean, director of such landmark epics as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, didn't always make giant movies. The River Kwai, also known as Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok is a river located in the western region of Thailand. To counter the Allies tightening grip on supply lines, the Japanese army resurrected an old idea first mooted by regional powers in the late 19th century: to build a railway between Myanmar and Siam. No visit to the Western Front is complete without a trip to The CWGC Visitor Centre. 7. According to Columbia Pictures, they followed an all-new 4K digital restoration from the original negative with newly restored 5.1 audio. $ 3 million (estimated) 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 ). Omissions? Realising he has no choice, Shears volunteers. The Bridge on the River Kwai was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, at the 30th Academy Awards. 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. Log in. Nicholson will not cooperate and finally insists that the bridge can be built only under his command. Other parts have been placed in various local war museums. Explore the CWGC Archive through our online portal. Nicholson advises Saito that the officers cannot be required to do manual labour according to the Geneva Convention. The Bridge on the River Kwai. [21] Guinness later reflected on the scene, calling it the "finest piece of work" he had ever done. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. The casualties of the Burma-Siam railway were often buried in camp burial grounds located close to where they originally fell. They were calling it the Death Railway. As a result, Boulle, who did not speak English, was credited and received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; many years later, Foreman and Wilson posthumously received the Academy Award.[4]. Sri Lanka Filming Locations: The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) Posted on July 17, 2017 by tokyofox. (Lean denied ever wanting Laughton for the role, despite abundant documented evidence to the contrary.). 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. Highly competent work is also done by William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Sessue Hayakawa". The Kanchanaburi Memorial sits with the cemetery grounds. Lean insisted that Laughton could lose weight before shooting began, but Columbia Pictures' insurance underwriters refused to cover him, saying he was too unhealthy to endure several months on location in the jungles of Ceylon. Sessue Hayakawa edited his copy of the script to contain only his lines of dialog. 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. 11. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was used as a location for the hospital. When he asks for Saitos help in cutting the wires, the hidden commando, Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne), leaps up and kills Saito. [18] The bridge in the film was near Kitulgala. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI takes place in Japan-occupied Siam (later Thailand) in 1943, after the Imperial Japanese Empire has conquered vast territories of Asia. Mortally wounded, he falls onto the plunger, the bridge is blown up, and the train with the dignitaries falls into the river. We hadn't much breath left for whistling. Workers died at a rate of 20 men per day. 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 . But whats the real story? And a bloke called George Siegatz[29] an expert whistlerbegan to whistle Colonel Bogey, and a hit was born.". Camps were set up at 100-metre intervals. Has something sim'lar Be the first one to write a review. Supplying it by ship was the only practical solution. He was contracted for $150,000 to be paid in installments. The steel bridge was repaired and is still in use today. 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. The Bridge On The River Kwai was the first of David Lean's five epic films and the third of six movies that he made with Alec Guinness. Real Bridge on the River Kwai. Brigadier Varley would survive the hellish building work along the Burma-Siam Railway but not the war. Pitted against the warden, Colonel . Has only got one ball! Young: "Donald, did anyone whistle Colonel Bogey as they did in the film?" - Colonel Saito, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai '. The events depicted in the film, of a chaotic Commando raid and Lt. Col Nicholsons wounded body falling dramatically on the detonator and blowing the bridge up, are completely false. He served as an adviser during the making of the movie. Two bridges were built, the first made of wood. The curved-shaped truss spans are the originals on the bridge (constructed by the Japanese military during WWII) while the two trapezoidal-shaped bridge spans were provided by Japan as war reparations after the war ended in 1945 (to replace two curved-shaped truss spans that fell into the river after the bridge was attacked and bombed by Allied aircraft. "[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. In the movie the bridge is destroyed by commandos. 25. Lambs sister received a letter from him in September 1943, saying he was in excellent health and being treated well by his captors. The river is the Mae Klong River which passes through a valley of the Khwae Noi River (little tributary). Shears and two others escape. [citation needed], Julie Summers, in her book The Colonel of Tamarkan, writes that Boulle, who had been a prisoner of war in Thailand, created the fictional Nicholson character as an amalgam of his memories of collaborating French officers. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Guinness), not to mention a handful of Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and even a Grammy nomination for its soundtrack. Guinness regarded this one tiny scene as some of the finest work he did throughout his entire career. 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. Have a question about us or our work? 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. Today, he rests alongside his fellow POWs in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar). Ironically, Allied bombing raids of the region between March and June 1943 contributed to casualties sustained around Thanbyuzayat. does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. Save up to 50% on Thailand River Cruises August 2024. The British Film Institute placed The Bridge on the River Kwai as the 11th greatest British film. Lets examine the history behind the film and the men who made it. The key sites containing Thailand and Burma war graves related to Death Railway and the Bridge on the River Kwai are: Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is located a short distance from the former Kanburi POW camp. [5][6] It has been included on the American Film Institute's list of best American films ever made. TakeMeTour's Review. 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.. 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. Starring Alec Guinness, it depicts the struggles and defiance of Japanese prisoners of war building the fictional Burma railway between 1943-44. 25 March 1995. [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). The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four BAFTA awards. Part of this project was building bridges over Thailand's Kwai Yai, at a place named Tamarkan, which is near a town named Kanchanaburi. After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said, "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. 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. Kanchanaburi town is located around 130 kilometres northwest of Bangkok. Full scale plan drawing for the main cantilever bridge design. 's working to build and/or destroy a bridge for the Japanese during World War II. Although the obvious link was by sea, Allied submarines controlling the region made it too treacherous. He'd just been through a costly divorce from actress Ann Todd. Bridge Over The River Kwai Address: Tha Makham, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The trials of Australian Army Lieutenant George Hamilton Lamb reflected the mens awful experience building the Burma-Siam Death Railway. 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. Boulle nonetheless enjoyed the film version though he disagreed with its climax. Jun 7, 2011 - New on Blu 6-7-11: Studios unload nearly 70 titles. Burma-Siam Railway labourers and prisoners of war slept in rudimentary bamboo huts on filthy floors. See details. Like Chungkai and Kanchanaburi, Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was originally part of the camp set up serving the Burma-Siams construction. 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. Starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa, among others, it paints an . It stretched from Japan, Korea, and China in the north all the way down to Indonesia. [40], The Bridge on the River Kwai was a massive commercial success. Harry Cohn, the vulgar (but successful) man who ran Columbia Pictures at the time, was furious when he read the script and saw no .