10 Movies That Improved On History By Blatantly Lying

2. The Bridge On The River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai is hailed by many film critics as one of the greatest films ever made, but would you know that it's actually a load of bull? The film is about a British commander who arrives in a Japanese POW camp in World War 2, where he and his men are forced to build a bridge for their enemies that will only strengthen their military fortification. The commander spends the film rallying his buddies to help build the bridge, much to the confusion of just about everyone, before at the climax, he realises it's probably best to actually blow the damn thing up. The real-life soldier involved in the incident remarked that the film tarnished his war-time reputation, suggesting that he was a coward and complying with the enemy, when in fact he mainly spearheaded the bridge's construction to keep his men alive. Needless to say, the film's depiction of a man gripped by an obsession to build a bridge is far more entertaining than the already pretty intriguing true story.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.