Why were the real screenwriters not credited at first?

They were blacklisted in Hollywood

The Bridge on the River Kwai Quiz: David Lean's War Epic

A proud British officer helps his captors build a railway bridge in wartime Burma, and this The Bridge on the River Kwai quiz looks at the film and the history around it. Play 10 interactive questions on Alec Guinness, Colonel Saito, William Holden, Pierre Boulle's novel, the Burma Railway, filming in Ceylon, the real bridge at Kanchanaburi and the blacklisted screenwriters.

Start the Bridge on the River Kwai Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Director
Who directed the 1957 film?
Star
Who played Colonel Nicholson?
Captor
Who played the camp commander Colonel Saito?
Novel
Who wrote the novel the film is based on?
Railway
Which real wartime railway inspired the story?
March
Which tune do the prisoners whistle?
Location
Where was the film shot?
Oscars
How many Academy Awards did it win?
Writers
Why were the real screenwriters not credited at first?
Real
Near which Thai town is the real bridge?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who directed the 1957 film?
Answer: David Lean
He later made Lawrence of Arabia.
Q2: Who played Colonel Nicholson?
Answer: Alec Guinness
He won the Oscar for Best Actor.
Q3: Who played the camp commander Colonel Saito?
Answer: Sessue Hayakawa
He earned an Oscar nomination.
Q4: Who wrote the novel the film is based on?
Answer: Pierre Boulle
He also wrote Planet of the Apes.
Q5: Which real wartime railway inspired the story?
Answer: The Burma Railway
It was called the Death Railway.
Q6: Which tune do the prisoners whistle?
Answer: The Colonel Bogey March
It became famous from the film.
Q7: Where was the film shot?
Answer: Ceylon, now Sri Lanka
The bridge was built near Kitulgala.
Q8: How many Academy Awards did it win?
Answer: Seven
Including Best Picture.
Q9: Why were the real screenwriters not credited at first?
Answer: They were blacklisted in Hollywood
Credits were restored in 1984.
Q10: Near which Thai town is the real bridge?
Answer: Kanchanaburi
It crosses the Khwae Yai.

The Bridge On The River Kwai Quiz – David Lean's War Epic

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 film directed by David Lean, based on a novel by Pierre Boulle. Alec Guinness plays Colonel Nicholson, a British prisoner who leads his men in building a railway bridge for their Japanese captors, led by Colonel Saito.

Inspired by the Burma Railway, known as the Death Railway, the film also stars William Holden. It was shot in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, where a real bridge was built and blown up. The prisoners whistle the Colonel Bogey March.

The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Guinness. Screenwriters Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted, and their credit was restored in 1984. The real bridge stands near Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

What This Quiz Teaches

Classic film fans will enjoy these questions.

Who made the film
Who starred in it
Which history inspired it
Where it was filmed
Which awards it won

Did You Know?

The real bridge was rebuilt after wartime bombing.
Tens of thousands of prisoners and laborers died building the railway.
The film's ending is far more dramatic than history.
Boulle had been a prisoner of war himself.
Kanchanaburi has war cemeteries and museums.