Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï

Enlisted in 1941 in the Free French Forces, a contingent of which was stationed in Malaysia, Pierre Boulle was taken prisoner after fighting against the Japanese in Burma, China and Indochina. He escaped and returned to France at the end of the war. This life of adventure and soldiering, which would often inform his later work, lies at the very origin of this novel, inspired by an episode of the Pacific War.

Adapted for the screen by David Lean in 1957, the film was hailed as a model of its genre. Shooting took place in Ceylon, where one of the most imposing sets ever built for a film was constructed — all the more remarkable since the destruction of the bridge, absent from the book, was David Lean’s own addition to the screenplay. When Pierre Boulle learned of the director’s idea, he admitted he wished he had thought of it himself. Boulle, who worked on the screenplay, then integrated it seamlessly.

The famous scene was shot at the very end of filming, on 11 March 1957, since only one take was possible. It went off without a flaw. After 251 days of shooting in the jungle to complete this ambitious film, Lean had the film reels flown back on three separate planes to avoid any disaster. Disaster struck nonetheless in part: the soundtrack of the bridge explosion was lost and had to be recreated in London, using sound archives from the British Army and train-derailment recordings found in film archives. The film was a triumph, winning seven Oscars, including Best Picture and, for Pierre Boulle, Best Screenplay.

The film went on to receive twenty-six international awards in total, a record for its time. It brought Lean international renown, and Pierre Boulle a fame that would only grow in Hollywood: fifteen years later came the celebrated adaptation of Planet of the Apes.

A very fine copy in wrappers, a rare condition.