Date
5-16-1979
Series
Nina Mae Kellogg lecture
Length
1 hour 2 minutes
Notes
Ian Watt, an English literary critic and Professor of English at Stanford University, also served in the British Army as an infantry lieutenant from 1939 to 1946.
In this talk, Watt discusses his experience as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II building the real River Kwai bridge and traces the evolution of this historical occurrence into fiction as it was described in Pierre Boulle's novel The Bridge on the River Kwai and the 1957 motion picture of the same title.
This lecture, Portland State's fifteenth annual Nina Mae Kellogg Award presentation, was introduced by Dr. Frederick Waller of the Portland State University Department of English.
Transferred and preserved by Portland State University Library’s Special Collections with the generous support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library.
Subjects
World War -- 1939-1945, Motion pictures, History of the Novel, Western Literature
Original Format
Reel to reel, 3.75 ips, 1/4 track, mono
Rights
This digital access copy is made available as streaming media for personal, educational, and non-commercial use only. It cannot be reproduced in any form, distributed or played for commercial purposes. It is made accessible because of one or more of the following situations: the rights are owned by State Board of Higher Education, on behalf of Portland State University; Portland State University has permission to make it accessible; it is made accessible for education and research purposes under fair use; or there are no known restrictions on use. In the event that previously unknown information is shared that may change the status of this item, it will be immediately removed from public view until pertinent rights issues are clarified.
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/11436
Recommended Citation
Watt, Ian P., ""Myth of the River Kwai"" (1979). Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers. 185.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/11436
Included in
American Film Studies Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Military History Commons
Description
Transcript added February 4, 2021.
PSU Library Special Collections and University Archives presents these recordings as part of the historical record. They reflect the recollections and opinions of the individual speakers and are not intended to be representative of the views of Portland State University. They may contain language, ideas, or stereotypes that are offensive to others.