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Kithulgala – iconic location of the Gem of the Silver Screen “The Bridge on the River Kwai” – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Having won seven Academy Awards, “Bridge on the River Kwai” directed by British Film Director David Lean (Sir David Lean 1908-1991) was an epic war film shot in Ceylon in 1957 aided by Chandran Rutnam (Sri Lankan film maker and entrepreneur) who collaborated local links. Adapted from the 1952 novel by Pierre Boulle (that goes by the same name) the movie was filmed in *Kithulgala, in *Ratnapura District, perched on the western edge of Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. A makeshift bridge was constructed over the *Kelani River for the movie, although, nothing remains at present, except the concrete foundations of the Bridge (as the railway bridge utilized in the movie was blown-up as part of the film sequel). The movie describes the tale of a group of Japanese war ...

Nov 17, 2022 Posted by In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged , , , , , , ,
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Bamba in the 50’s – by Arlen van der Wall Image source: Roar ( https://roar.media/english/life/history/the-great-days-of-bamba-life-in-the-bambalapitiya-of-the-sixties-seventies ) The Bambalapitiya strip between Lion House and Saraswathi Lodge was Colombo’s walk of fame. You did not have to be rich or famous to enter the mythologies that accompanied the virtual  sidewalk stars. Here’s where Kum and Douggie Roberts faced off. Bamba heaved and trembled as the heavies clashed. Ronnie Steinwall was a mere bystander, the story goes.  Here’s where George Siegertsz lazed outside Lion House while he honed his whistle on – ‘Hitler had only one big ball…’, everybody knew he had introduced the Colonel Bogey march to the ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’. Here, it all started! And these are the Mayfair booths that were crammed with the boys that starred in the crowd scenes. Every day they returned from Kitulgala to tell tall tales of stars and stardust to their awed and envious ...

Aug 23, 2022 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , , , , , ,
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Anecdotal Tit Bits: Making “The Bridge on the River Kwai”-by Michael Roberts ONE: The Theme Tune and George Siegertsz Source:Thuppahis The mainline tale about the production process in Ceylon in the composition of the outstanding film The Bridge on the River Kwai – a film based on an actual wartime commando operation involving the destruction of a bridge being built with POW labour by the Japanese war machine in Thailand – can be read at https://thuppahis.com/2021/08/02/kitulgala-and-the-classic-movie-bridge-on-the-river-kwai/ Its digital presentation has generated sideline tales from within the Sri Lankan circuit of 2021 which merit public exposure for the historical record. The Wikipedia account about the film runs thus: “The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. 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. The cast includes Alec Guinness, William ...

Jan 8, 2022 Posted by In Articles Tagged , ,
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