Bridge from River Kwai film to be rebuilt
The bridge that was destroyed in a famous scene from classic 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai is to be rebuilt in Sri Lanka.
The detonation of the bridge is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. Now, 57 years after it was blown to smithereens, authorities in Sri Lanka plan to rebuild the 'Bridge on the River Kwai' in a bid to soften the blow among locals over a controversial dam project.
Sri Lanka's Electricity Board plans to dam the Kelani River as part of a £50 million hydro-electric project, the Daily Mail reports.
It announced that it would pay for the reconstruction of the new wooden bridge.
Authorities hope to build the bridge in the next two years, which is set to attract fans of the Oscar-winning movie.
Speaking to AFP, the board's chief project engineer Kamal Laksiri said: "We have offered to rebuild the bridge at the same location.
"Today there is no bridge, only a few concrete posts remain. But we have looked at drawings and pictures of the bridge and we will recreate it."
Locals feared the planned dam would harm the area, which is popular among tourists who visit for the white water rapids of the Kelani River, the BBC reports.
The scene in which the bridge was blown up in the World War Two epic sees a British officer, played by Alec Guinness, blow up a railway bridge that his fellow prisoners of war have just built.
It had to be filmed twice as the cameraman failed to give the correct signal to director David Lean.
Related articles
Travel operators to challenge new Sri Lanka tourist tax?
Is the new Star Wars film being shot in the Abu Dhabi desert? (pictures)
