- In true Sri Lankan fashion, did we squander a golden opportunity?
The Bridge on the River Kwai is the cinematic masterpiece directed by David Lean and released in 1957, which has since gone on to become one of cinema’s most critically acclaimed films, often lauded as one of the top 10 best films ever made.
The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards, and four BAFTA awards. It has become an enduring classic and the film carries great significance to Sri Lankans considering its filming location was on our beautiful little island when it was still known as Ceylon.
The movie was based on Pierre Boulle’s 1952 novel of the same name and the film chronicles the tale of the British soldiers in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma during World War II.
The film starred Hollywood’s greatest stars at the time; William Holden who was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s and Jack Hawkins – one of the most popular British film stars of the time best known for his portrayal of military men. And of course, one can hardly forget Sir Alec Guinness who had successfully collaborated with David Lean on numerous highly acclaimed projects previously, and went on to win both the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his role Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai.
If you’ve watched the film, and as a Sri Lankan you most certainly must, at least to say “I recognise that” every few minutes. You should also watch the film purely for its incredible soundtrack. Having watched the film ourselves several times in the past few years because of a parent who is a film buff and is also obsessed with World War II, the film has made repeat appearances in life but leaving aside the dynamic plot and the sentimental performances, the most notable thing that has stayed with us over the years about the film is the music. British composer Malcolm Arnold blesses our ears with his incredible talent and quite rightfully went on to win an Oscar and a Grammy for his work.
Of course the film was filmed in Sri Lanka near Kitulgala, now known for its rainforests and adventure sports and activities. You can still visit the filming location for The Bridge on the River Kwai even today, however, the directions to the spot is haphazardly painted on a road side and its actually disappointing how little attention has been paid to what could’ve been a bustling tourist attraction thanks to the continued draw of the film. Conversely, in Thailand they’ve embraced the film’s mention of Kanchanaburi and they’ve promoted the city as the home of The Bridge on the River Kwai. It is now an incredibly popular tourism spot.
We also reached out to Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam, who as a young boy at the time was able to work on the film for a period of nine months. Speaking to Rutnam, he shared that he will be telling all about it in his upcoming autobiography and gave us a small glimpse of his experience working on the project.
He shared how it all began for him, as the crew wished to rent out his parents’ home at Baron’s Court, in Guildford Crescent and how he eventually developed a friendship with Eddie Fowlie, the Property Master of the film which then led to him getting a job opportunity on the film as a prop man. He then was asked to move to Kitulgala, where the bridge was being built, as a daily employee, which also served as a great opportunity to gain experience as a newcomer to the business.
Fate really was on his side it would seem, as he recalled how after having gained the favour of the director with his work ethic, when Eddie Fowlie had to leave before the last scenes of The Bridge on the River Kwai was completed, he assigned Rutnam as the Property Master in charge of the balance of the massive project.
This was but one of the many stories Rutnam has in store for film buffs everywhere and for some inspiration, how the world works in mysterious ways in getting you to where you are meant to be.
Rutnam also expressed his disappointment in the way that the Sri Lankan authorities have handled the preservation of the spot where the bridge was built. He said “I have been bringing up the fact that we should rebuild the bridge and promote it as a tourist destination but these requests have fallen on deaf ears.” He also noted that even the most recent mentions he made about this issue appear to be in vain, expressing that we as Sri Lankans have really failed in that regard, because despite being handed a golden opportunity, we have only squander it.
