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Bridge/River Kwai


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Anyone been to see this?

 

 

 

I know you can book a trip from BKK, and they will pick you up from certain hotels there. But, what I want to know is if there is a tour that one can join when in Kanchanaburi already?

 

 

 

thanks

 

 

 

troydeere

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Sorry I can't answer your question. But on a related note, everyone likes to point out how war movies are inaccurate and rightly so. But I do not know of a more historically inaccurate movie than the Bridge on the River Kwai.

 

 

 

No, the bridge was not destroyed by an elite brit force on the day it opened. it operated for years despite occasional bombings. No, the brits did not have to teach Japan how to build a bridge. Japan was a leader in railway engineering just as they are today. From a work force standpoint, the Japanese were more productive than the brits. Japan consistently rebuilt bridges after they were destroyed much faster than britain expected because the brits made estimates on how long it would take themselves to rebuild them. For instance, the Japanese were markedly better at pile driving as they had a particular song verse that allowed everyone to let go at precisely the same instant. And no, certainly the brits did not end up running the camp. And the list goes on... I'm going off memory here on a history channel factual account with interviews of people there which I thought was really well made and even more interesting than the movie. The history channel also did a real good piece on the movie "The Great Escape" (much more historically accurate) which was well done too.

 

 

 

The Bridge on the river kwai is an inspirational film that went on to win best picture in its year, but it seems mostly a fantasy.

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Hi Troy,

 

Went to Kanchanaburi a couple years ago and had a good time. Sure you can get on a tour from there if you want, some are combo deals, river trip and bridge and museum etc...I did most my touring solo on a bicycle got lost a lot, kept crossing that river so many times got turned around dammn what fun, and had a blast, very friendly town, many hotels/guesthouses-I stayed on the river and its was nice....even small sanuk scene including crazy disco barges!!-not my thing...anyway as far as tours-their are agents everywhere or book through your hotel...chok dee

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What is a fact is the railway and the bridges were built with slave labor, mainly Brits and Aussies captured when Singapore surrendered. It is also fact that the mortality rate in these camps was appalling.

 

Takes a lot of balls for you to stand up and say how well the Japanese built railroads during the war.

 

Go see the graveyard, then come back and make another post.

 

TH

 

 

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I am aware of the atrocities that took place at Kwai and so many other places and they all wrench my heart and Japan certainly did some pretty sick things. But atrocities happened on both sides during the war. The US used Germans for labor too. You go look at the grave sites due to Britain's "butcher" Harris who intentionally killed an estimated 1 million civilians during WWII. He became very good at it and got about 200,000 kills at the firestorm in Dresden. It was also believed that if the US had to invade Japan, they would have gassed kyushu and justify it because Japan did not sign the geneva conventions. WWII is one of my favorite subjects. I just don't like it see people change what really happened.

 

 

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Thanks for that info.

 

 

 

I guess I'll just find a tour when I arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

Escape: Dont forget that the J in JEATH stands for Japanese. They also used there own people too.

 

And I'm not sure, but almost can guess that the tune wasn't.. Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to work we go.

 

 

 

Everything on the History channel isn't etched in stone either.

 

 

 

troydeere

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Guest lazyphil

Anyway, get back in your pram. The question was only asked about who had been to the River Kwai and you get all excited and start ranting about 'Bomber Harris'.

 

Holy s**t we'd need a whole new message board to thrash out our opinions on World War 2.

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Guest lazyphil

<Takes a lot of balls for you to stand up and say how well the Japanese built railroads during the war.

 

Go see the graveyard>....

 

 

 

...takes none, got a big mouth on a message board like this, thats easy.

 

My Grandad was tortued for four years by the Japanese and came back a broken man. He didn't asked to go to Singapore in the first place. He had balls to survive that hell, unlike ER

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