The films story was loosely based on a true world war ii incident, and the reallife character of lieutenant colonel philip toosey. The bridge on the river kwai is a masterpiece in pacing, performances, and scripting. The real bridge on the river kwai train from bangkok to. River kwai is a medium sized river and the bridge is made of iron bars,you can. True story of the river kwai pows revealed after seventy years. The bridge on the river kwai won six academy awards. David leans classic 1957 film the bridge on the river kwai is rife with ambiguities. Many former pows will scowl at the mere mention of the famous 1957 hollywood movie that. The bridge on the river kwai simple english wikipedia.
When british pows build a vital railway bridge in enemyoccupied burma, allied commandos are assigned to destroy it in david leans epic world war ii adventure the. True story of the bridge on the river kwai 1996 survivors of the death railway as they describe the 250mile bangkokrangoon railroad constructed by the japanese during ww ii, were shocked by the images portrayed in the hollywood movie. David leans the bridge on the river kwai 1957 is a brilliant triple character study set during world war ii. The film was based on a french novel the bridge over the river kwai written by pierre boulle. It would later be named the death railway and included the bridge over the river kwai. The 1957 movie bridge on the river kwai may be one of the most famous war movies ever made, winning seven oscars including best picture and best actor for alec guinness. What the film did not win was the respect and admiration from members of the far east prisoners of war fepow due to the fictitious portrayal of. The real history of how the railway between burma and china was built, including the bridge, is. The bridge on the river kwai the bridge on the river kwai is a character driven war drama about a men with principles standing against the antagonists camp.
Two army colonels one a captive british engineer, the other a rigid japanese prison camp commandant. The movie was mainly filmed in ceylon now sri lanka and also in england in 1941 the japanese army invaded thailand. The famous bridge on the river kwai is located in thailands kanchanaburi province, at the city of kanchanaburi, which is 128 klms west of the city of bangkok. The bridge on the river kwai 48 movie clip a lot to learn about the army 1957 hd by movieclips. Road to the deep north and the celebrated 1957 film, the bridge on the river kwai. Be careful which bridge on the river kwai tour you book.
Youve probably seen the 1957 move the bridge on the river kwai, but you might not know how much of the film was real and how much was fictionalized. The bridge on the river kwai 1957 directed by david. The bridge on the river kwai is a favorite movie of mine which inspired me to go visit the actual bridge in thailand, just 2 hours out of bangkok. My dad hated the bridge on the river kwai film, it is worth seeing another point of view, doesnt mean to say you have to agree with the views cast it was first written for the japan echo vol.
British pows are forced to build a railway bridge across the river. What the film did not win was the respect and admiration from members of the far. Book your tickets online for bridge over the river kwai, kanchanaburi. Youve probably seen the 1957 move the bridge on the river kwai, but you might not know how much of the film was real and how much was. The bridge on the river kwai 1957 is one of the few that focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals. Bridge on the river kwai remains a fantastic film now, 60 years after it was released.
The bridge on the river kwai is a british 1957 movie from columbia pictures, based on pierre boulles 1952 book the bridge over the river kwai french. Was the movie bridge over the river kwai true answers. Forget the film, travels back in time to tell the true story. There are no tv airings of the bridge on the river kwai in the next 14 days. The bridge on the river kwai 1957, the memorable, epic world war ii adventureaction, antiwar drama, was the first of director david leans major multimillion dollar, widescreen superspectaculars his later epics included lawrence of. Based on the real building of the burma railway from 19421943, the film the bridge on the river kwai depicts the fictional. The bridge on the river kwai dvd, 2000 an excellent adaptation of the award winning novel by pierre boulle. However, the true history of what really happened during the building of the bridge over the river. Based on a fictional book by french writer pierre boulle, it features the construction of the burma railway.
Bridge on the river kwai director david leans masterful 1957 realization of pierre boulles novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standardlike most of leans canon, the bridge on the river kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and. Is the movie the bridge on the river kwai historically. Nearly everyone knows the famous whistle or has heard it before, often used to signal work on some difficult or unnecessary task. Financial analysis of the bridge on the river kwai 1957 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.
The bridge on the river kwai the real story youtube. Popular videos the bridge on the river kwai youtube. But the reality was a bit different than the movie. Bridge over the river kwai compare movie and real life youtube. I tour the area around the bridge over the river kwai and make comparisons between it and the movie.
Doubtless the film will be shown once more on television, this time to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with japan. The bridge on the river kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by david lean and based on the. The bridge on the river kwai is famous in thailand thanks to the david lean movie of the same name but the real story of what happened the building of. The true story of the bridge on the river kwai youtube. The river kwai and the bridge over it is at a short walking distance from here. The bridge on the river kwai movie tv listings and. The other nominated films in that category were peyton place, sayonara, 12 angry men and. Ten interesting facts about the bridge on the river kwai. The films story was loosely based on a true world war ii incident, and the real life character of lieutenant colonel philip toosey. It won seven academy awards, including best picture and leans first as best director, and has been. Like robert graves world war i memoir, goodbye to all that, it shows men grimly hanging onto military discipline and pride in their units as a. The bridge on the river kwai 1957 financial information. Bridge on the river kwai 4k reference home theater. Thanks to the film, the bridge, situated in the thai town of kanchanaburi a couple of hours drive from bangkok, is one of thailands most popular tourist attractions.
A smith article describes bridge on river kwai, near kanchanaburi, thailand, built by allied pows during japanese occupation of thailand in world war ii and subject of famous film the bridge on. Popular videos the bridge on the river kwai the bridge on the river kwai topic. The true story of the bridge on the river kwai tv movie. With william holden, alec guinness, jack hawkins, sessue hayakawa. The real bridge on the river kwai was never destroyed, not even damaged. The bridge on the river kwai dvd, 2000 for sale online. Many tourists came to see the bridge not knowing that it wasnt built on the kwai. We follow the engaging alec guinness as he masterfully and stubbornly manipulates and debates with a japanese colonel, while another man. The bridge on the river kwai opens in a japanese prisonerofwar camp in burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander colonel saito sessue. Add the bridge on the river kwai to your watchlist to find out when its coming back.
This epic movie, directed by david lean, chronicles the political. The playing fields of thailand for about half the picture, the hero of the bridge on the river kwai is a british colonel alec guiness whose depth of. Was nice to see the bridge over the river as part of our four day stay in kanchanaburi but knowing the true history behind it i. The bridge over the river kwai, true history by bangkokairporttaxi. In fact, the entire construction project cost the lives of perhaps 16,000 allied pows about 30% death rate and. The third class seats on these trains are not crowded. What makes the bridge over the river kwai such a classic. For more than two years, alistair worked for 18 hours a day, starved, beaten and weak with disease.
The guide then links the contemporary scenario to lessons in the movie. More than a movie, the death railway that is the bridge on the river kwai the bridge on the river kwai sits in infamy as a classic world war two movie. The thais renamed the river in the 1960s because of the notoriety of the film, the bridge on the river kwai. This is the story of hardship almost beyond belief. What really happened is a long way removed from the hollywood movie. It captures the struggle of men trying to stay focused and. In realworld terms the movie focuses upon the construction and subsequent demolition of the kanchanaburi bridge which spans the mae klong river by british prisoners of war on the burma railway. The bridge on the river kwai won best picture and six other oscar nods from the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences at the 1958 academy awards. The true story of the bridge on the river kwai neatorama. The true story of the bridge on the river kwai one of the most misunderstood events in history. The plot details and characters are largely fictional, and were based on a novel that used the historical building of the railway during wwii by the japanese using prisoner labor as the setting for the. Some of the characters in the film use the names of real people who were involved in the burma railway.
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