The Bridge On The River Kwai Film Location Sri Lanka By Patrick Ranasinghe

movies that financial considerations reversed the old convention, with Sinhalese The Kelani River flows through Kitulgala offering the opportunity for a gamut of water sports now. In 1956 the location was used to film the movie – Bridge on the Kwai.  Old Movie, Bridge On The River Kwai, Visit to the Bridge On The River Kwai film location Kitulgala, Sri Lanka. Old movies, Film location, train crash, greenery, William Holden, Alec Guiness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donale, Geoffrey Horne. And many locals as extras POWs including Chris Greet. 425 feet long, rising 90 feet above the water and supposedly costing a phenomenal quarter of a million dollars, Lean’s bridge was built at a small community called Kitulgala on the Masleliya Oya, a tributary of the Kelani River, between the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and Kandy. The cast and crew stayed at the Government Rest House in Kitulgala, which overlooks the site of the bridge. Rather than bring in hordes of expensive Western extras, this must be one of the few occasions in locals being made up to play British POWs. Please Enjoy Bridge on the River Kwai Colonel Bogey March Mitch Miller.

Patrick Ranasinghe

Here are some comments on this article sent to eLanka (many thanks Charles Schokman!)

From London.

If you look at the credits for the film you will see that the Consulting Engineers were Husband & Co – the firm that I was indentured to. The owner of the firm was Sir Henry Charles Husband.
I recall all the drawings and other relevant documentation that were created by Ceylonese Staff including a relative ….Angelo de Fry!!
Dugald Gonsal

From Australia

My dad, Fred Isidore Keegel was one of the key people who had to give permission for the use of the area and bridge for this filming

One of his proudest claims to fame

From Sri Lanka

Do you remember in 1999 we went to Kithulgala and I took you all to this spot where the bridge was built. There is a small suspension bridge built close to this spot and you’ll walked on that bridge over the river.

Yes, it brings back memories.