Is there a real River Kwai?

Is there a real River Kwai?

The River Kwai, more correctly 'Khwae Noi' (Thai: แควน้อย, English small tributary) or Khwae Sai Yok (แควไทรโยค), is a river in western Thailand, near, but not over the border with Myanmar.

What happened on the River Kwai?

During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,0,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma.

What is the story of the Bridge on the River Kwai?

1943. Un régiment britannique est emprisonné dans un camp japonais, dirigé par le colonel Saito. Devant le refus du colonel anglais Nicholson de forcer ses hommes à construire un pont, Saito lui fait endurer les pires sévices mais n'obtient aucun résultat. Nicholson finit par prendre la tête des opérations mais les Américains débarquent... Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï/Synopsis du film

What is the River Kwai called in Thailand?

Khwae Noi River Khwae Noi River, also called Kwai River, Thai Mae Nam Khwae Noi, tributary of the Mae Klong River, flowing wholly in western Thailand.

Is the original bridge over the River Kwai still standing?

The real bridge on the River Kwai was never destroyed, not even damaged. It still stands on the edge of the Thai jungle about three miles from this peaceful town and it has become something of a tourist attraction. The bridge was erected by Allied pris oners during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II.

Is the Burma railway still in use?

The Thai portion of the railway continues to exist, with three trains crossing the original bridge twice daily bound from Bangkok to the current terminus at Nam Tok. ... During the railway's construction, around 90,000 Southeast Asian civilian forced laborers died, along with more than 12,000 Allied prisoners.

How accurate is the bridge over the River Kwai?

The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. 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.

Who won Oscars for Bridge on the River Kwai?

Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay. In 1984 the Academy Board of Governors voted posthumous Oscars to Foreman and Wilson, and their names were included on prints of the film beginning in the 1990s.

Where is the real bridge over the River Kwai?

Kanchanaburi The Bridge on the River Kwai, commonly referred to as the Railroad of Death or Death Railway, which stands in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, was one of only eight steel bridges of the estimated 688 that were built.

When was the bridge over the River Kwai built?

1943 The railway was completed on Oct. 16, 1943. “The British originally had it planned to build in five years, yet we completed it in one and a half years.

Where is the River Kwai located?

• The River Kwai, or Khwae Noi as it’s more correctly known, is located in Western Thailand. Near but not crossing over the border of Myanmar, the river begins at the confluence of Ranti, Songkalia and Bikhli Rivers, and merges with the Khwae Yai River at Kanchanaburi , a town located 180 kms west of Bangkok .

Where is the bridge over River Kwai?

• 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 Rivière Kwai). The movie was mainly filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ) and also in England.

Is the bridge over the River Kwai true?

• The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai. You've 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 real history of how the railway between Burma and China was built, including the bridge, is a horrific story.