Bridge River Kwai Plot

William holden is the cynical american pow who is forced to trek back to destroy the bridge.
Bridge river kwai plot. The bridge on the river kwai opens in a japanese prisoner of war camp in burma in 1943 where a battle of wills rages between camp commander colonel saito sessue hayakawa and newly arrived. The bridge on the river kwai 1957 on imdb. The bridge over the river kwai french. A portrait of the clash of wills between british pow officer alec guinness and tradition bound japanese officer sessue hayakawa over the building of a jungle railway bridge during wwii.
The bridge on the river kwai 1957 plot synopsis. Many former pows will scowl at the mere mention of the famous 1957 hollywood movie that starred william holden and alec guiness. The bridge on the river kwai is mainly the story of a battle of wills between two men. The famous bridge on the river kwai is located in thailand s kanchanaburi province at the city of kanchanaburi which is 128 klms west of the city of bangkok.
The senior officer of the capitulated brigade colonel nicolson conflicts with saito over the order which obliges the british officers to perform work on the bridge as well. The action of the movie takes place in a japanese prisoner of war pow camp in burma during world war ii. He insists that all prisoners regardless of rank will work on the construction of a bridge over the kwai river as part of a railroad that will link all burma. In early 1943 british pows arrive by train at a japanese prison camp in burma the commandant colonel saito informs them that all prisoners regardless of rank are to work on the construction of a railway bridge over the river kwai that will help connect bangkok and rangoon.
The senior british officer lieutenant colonel nicholson informs saito that the geneva conventions exempt. As it opens two pows the american navy commander shears william holden and an australian are digging graves for their companions. 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. 1957 columbia pictures corporation.
Scene from the bridge on the river kwai alec guinness second from left in the bridge on the river kwai 1957 directed by david lean. Le pont de la rivière kwaï is a novel by the french novelist pierre boulle published in french in 1952 and english translation by xan fielding in 1954. It is pure hollywood distorted sanitised and tame. The next morning when saito orders everyone including officers to work nicholson commands his officers to stand fast.