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.
Why were the Japanese offended by the 1957 movie The Bridge on the River Kwai?
Why were the Japanese offended by the 1957 movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai? The Japanese also accused the film's "glorification of the superiority of Western civilization" because the British in the film were able to build a bridge that the Japanese could not.
Did top gear actually build a bridge?
The Bridge over the River Kok was a river bridge that was built by the entire production crew of Top Gear, including the show's three presenters, with the help of numerous Thai locals over the River Kok in Northern Thailand.
Where is the original bridge over the River Kwai?
Kanchanaburi
Is the Top Gear bridge still there?
Unfortunately, the bridge was then taken down after the filming even though we asked for it to remain in place as it was an excellent facility for the local people. The bridge was not built over the Kok, but over the Fang River which flows into the Kok, for a number of reasons.
Is the Death Railway still in use?
Following the end of the war, the railway needed extensive repairs in order to remain serviceable for the Royal Thai Railway. Today, around 130km of the line is in use. Tens of thousands of labourers died, all for a railway that wouldn't survive for much longer after the war was over.
Why is the River Kwai famous?
The workers were kept in horrific conditions and soon the project became known as the 'death railway'. It is estimated that 90,000 Asian labourers and 16,000 Allied POWs died while working on the line. The most famous section of the Burma-Thailand Railway is Bridge 277, 'The Bridge On The River Kwai'.