World War II · Film · 1965
King Rat
In Changi, where starving British and Australian prisoners cling to rank and dignity, an American corporal thrives on the black market, and an upper-class RAF officer becomes his partner.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 1 places.
Stop 1: Changi POW camp, Singapore
Key location
King runs his rackets, from diamonds to rat meat, until news of Japan's surrender threatens the only world in which he is a king.
What really happened
After the fall of Singapore in February 1942, tens of thousands of Allied prisoners passed through the Changi area on the island's eastern tip. Many were sent on to the Burma Railway and other labour projects, while those who stayed lived on shrinking rations, trading and improvising to survive until British forces returned in September 1945.
James Clavell, a young British artillery officer captured on Java, spent most of the war in Changi and drew on it for his first novel in 1962. King Rat and the camp's characters are fictional, but the black market, the rat farm legends and the tensions between ranks reflect memoirs of the camp.
Where to watch
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Full details
- Original title
- King Rat
- Directed by
- Bryan Forbes
- Countries
- United States, United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 1965
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- China & Southeast Asia
- Themes
- Prisoners of war
