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| William Holden | ... | Shears | |
| Alec Guinness | ... | Colonel Nicholson | |
| Jack Hawkins | ... | Major Warden | |
| Sessue Hayakawa | ... | Colonel Saito | |
| James Donald | ... | Major Clipton | |
| Geoffrey Horne | ... | Lieutenant Joyce | |
| André Morell | ... | Colonel Green (as Andre Morell) | |
| Peter Williams | ... | Captain Reeves | |
| John Boxer | ... | Major Hughes | |
| Percy Herbert | ... | Grogan | |
| Harold Goodwin | ... | Baker | |
| Ann Sears | ... | Nurse | |
| Heihachiro Okawa | ... | Captain Kanematsu (as Henry Okawa) | |
| Keiichiro Katsumoto | ... | Lieutenant Miura (as K. Katsumoto) | |
| M.R.B. Chakrabandhu | ... | Col. Broome Yai | |
| Vilaiwan Seeboonreaung | ... | Siamese Girl | |
| Ngamta Suphaphongs | ... | Siamese Girl | |
| Javanart Punynchoti | ... | Siamese Girl | |
| Kannikar Dowklee | ... | Siamese Girl |
Directed by | |||
| David Lean | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Michael Wilson | (screenplay) originally uncredited and | |
| Carl Foreman | (screenplay) originally uncredited | |
| Pierre Boulle | (novel "Le pont de la rivière Kwaï") | |
Produced by | |||
| Sam Spiegel | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Malcolm Arnold | (music by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jack Hildyard | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Peter Taylor | (chief editor) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Donald M. Ashton | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Stuart Freeborn | .... | makeup artist | |
| George Partleton | .... | makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Cecil F. Ford | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Gus Agosti | .... | assistant director | |
| Ted Sturgis | .... | assistant director | |
| John Kerrison | .... | second assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Geoffrey Drake | .... | assistant art director | |
| Peter Dukelow | .... | construction manager | |
Sound Department | |||
| Pam Bosworth | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Eric Boyd-Perkins | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Fred Burnley | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Rusty Coppleman | .... | additional sound editor | |
| John Cox | .... | sound | |
| Teddy Darvas | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Janet Davidson | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Joel Fein | .... | sound mixer (restoration) | |
| Don Hall | .... | sound editor (restoration) | |
| Norma Hawkes | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Gary Krivacek | .... | sound editor (restoration) | |
| Peter Miller | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Bob Minkler | .... | sound mixer (restoration) | |
| John W. Mitchell | .... | sound (as John Mitchell) | |
| Winston Ryder | .... | chief sound editor | |
| B. Tennyson Sebastian III | .... | sound mixer (restoration) (as Tennyson Sebastian) | |
| Peter Davies | .... | post-synchronisation (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Nosher Powell | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Archie Dansie | .... | chief electrician | |
| Peter Newbrook | .... | camera operator | |
| Ron Drinkwater | .... | clapper loader (uncredited) | |
| Gerry Fisher | .... | additional camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Gerry Fisher | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
| Robert Merry | .... | lighting technician (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| John Wilson-Apperson | .... | wardrobe (as John Apperson) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| George Hively | .... | editor (restoration) | |
| William Pine | .... | color timer (restoration) (as Bill Pine) | |
| Sati Tooray | .... | colorist (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Angela Martelli | .... | continuity | |
| Jim Painten | .... | producer of restoration | |
| L.E.M. Perowne | .... | technical advisor (as Major-Gen. L.E.M. Perowne) | |
| William Harrigan Jr. | .... | technical advisor (uncredited) | |
| Robert Haslam | .... | consultant: explosives (uncredited) | |
| Robert Haslam | .... | technical advisor (uncredited) | |
| Grady Johnson | .... | publicist (uncredited) | |
| Maurice Landsberger | .... | production accountant (uncredited) | |
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I am normally an admirer of David Lean. But it is difficult to understand why he chose to base this film on a real event at the River Kwai, as it grossly misrepresents the real "Colonel Nicholson" and caused considerable distress to both him and the River Kwai veterans.
The Colonel Nicholson character is based on the allied camp commander, Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey, who was a remarkable officer by any standards.
Awarded the DSO for heroism during the defence of Singapore, he refused an order to join the evacuation so he could remain with his men during captivity. In the hellish conditions of the camp, he worked courageously to ensure that as many of his men as possible would survive. He endured regular beatings when he complained of ill-treatment of prisoners, but as a skilled negotiator he was able to win many concessions from the Japanese by convincing them that this would speed the completion of the work. Behind their backs, however, he did everything possible to delay and sabotage the construction without endangering his men, and also helped organise a daring escape, at considerable cost to himself. For his conduct in the camp, he won the undying respect of his men.
After the war, he showed great generosity of spirit by saving the life of Colonel Saito, second in command at the camp and a relatively decent officer, when he spoke up for him at the war crimes tribunal. He worked for the veterans all his life, and became President of the National Federation of Far Eastern Prisoners of War.
He refused repeated requests by the veterans to speak out against the film, being much too modest to seek any glory or recognition for himself. However you will find his achievements documented in a book by Professor Peter Davies entitled "The Man Behind the Bridge".
Toosey hoped that no one watching the film would believe a British Army officer could be so stupid in real life. But with the film being rated on this site as one of the top 50 movies of all time, this hope may have been misplaced. Enjoy the film by all means as a work of fiction, but it is surely important to set the record straight and recognise the heroism of the real man involved.