Customer Reviews

A Bridge Too Far

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

- History -
Operation Market-Garden, begun in September 1944, was an Allied military campaign led by Montgomery, the senior British field commander, in the latter stages of World War II. While the Allies were still in France, a plan had to be formulated for making the major push into German territory, a difficult task, considering the Rhine River (one of the major rivers of the world) provided a natural defensive border with the majority of the German homeland. Planning offensive operations required taking this into account, and how the forces would cross the river and remain safe while doing so, rather than have bottlenecks that would make the forces easy targets.

While Patton was in the south, pushing through France on the backside of the old Maginot line, Montgomery hit upon an idea to seize a series of bridges across the various rivers that made up the geography of the Low Countries, all the way up to Arnhem, one of the northern-most major bridges across the Rhine, a bridge outside of German territory, but a good jumping-off point for invading northern Germany. His plan won approval, and in one of the largest military operations of the war, a major push was developed to secure the bridges. This had the largest airborne component of any battle in the war, as troops were airlifted and dropped into position around each bridge, charged to hold the bridges until ground forces pushed northward linking up logistic and defensive lines toward each spot.

Operation Market-Garden was actually two operations -Market was the airborne component; Garden was the ground component. It was meant to take the Germans by surprise (which it did) and exploit their disorganisation (which was, sadly for the Allies, not as severe as intelligence predicted). The Allies were stopped short of their primary military objectives (securing an 80-mile corridor of bridges) by some 25-30 miles. Hence the name of the film, derived from the book by Cornelius Ryan, 'A Bridge Too Far'.

- Film -
Cornelius Ryan's book was adapted for the screen by writer William Goldman and director Richard Attenborough, a leading director of British cinema, noted for such diverse films as Gandhi (for which he won an Oscar), A Chorus Line, Cry Freedom, and Shadowlands. Attenborough was nominated for a BAFTA directing award for 'A Bridge Too Far' in 1978. Attenborough is also well-known in front of the camera, too.

Attenborough brought together a monumental cast for this epic film, worthy of Cecil B. DeMille in scope and size. At just under three hours in length, it is as unrelenting as the combat scenes it depicts. While not matching the graphic realism of films such as 'Saving Private Ryan', it nonetheless does a good job at combining a look at grand strategies (from formation to failure), tactical maneuvers, and individual combat situations. The high command in Britain, hoping to capitalise on the continuing disorder in Germany arising from their adjustment to fighting a losing war on two fronts (three, in fact, if one includes Italy), saw the opportunity to strike. Through a series of misfires and misunderstandings, they end up fighting not local police forces (the Netherlands had been spared intense battleground warfare for most of the war, and thus was thought to not contain any real combat-strength troops) but crack Panzer division placed there, essentially on a rest stop before being deployed in more critical areas.

The planning and preparations are realistic, from a look at the intelligence gathering and analysis (these were the days before satellite imagery), the gathering together of equipment and personnel, the execution of the operations, and the demoralising realisation that Operation Market-Garden is not going well. One of the most outstanding scenes involves General Stanislaw Sosabowski (played by Gene Hackman) discussing the operation with his superiors - Sosabowski, a general of the Polish forces in exile in England, distrusts the operation, for good reason, but acquiesces to support the plan. His uneasiness is palpable.

The cinematography is terrific, considering it was done largely without 'trick' shots - no helicopter shots, no CGI graphics, no slow motion or composite tricks. The airborne drops are breathtaking, giving the thrill and the danger a realistic tone. The film does not depict glider landings (some of the most dangerous types of drops, and presumably because of this danger, omitted from the filming). The desperation of the men who land without their equipment (or miss the airdrops later due to failed communications) is easily felt - the sense of the waste of war is driven home when one soldier sprints to get some desperately needed supplies that have fallen just outside of the secure zone - being shot by a sniper, the sense of futility is underscored by the breeze blowing soldiers' caps (which was the contents of the supplies for which the soldier paid with his life) drifting away.

The acting is stunning in many instances, but for the most part it is the usual good job rather than outstanding that one might hope for from such an elite group of actors. The music is memorable and appropriate. One drawback is that the editing of the film makes it a bit confusing to keep the various storylines going, particularly if one has studied the sequence of events in World War II history, which, while followed as a pattern, is not adhered to with rigour in the filming.

- Conclusions -
Operation Market-Garden was conceived as a plan to get the troops 'home for Christmas', hoping to secure a passage into Germany prior to the winter, to force them into surrender. As history would have it, there were major battles to fight before the war would finish the following summer. This film captures a significant campaign in good format, showing the operational and human aspects in a high relief.

Probably considered top-notch for its time, A Bridge Too Far most definitely shows its age after twenty-five years. By this, I'm referring mostly to the technical aspects, some of which are still impressive, but the battle scenes lack the gruesome authenticity of more recent war pictures such as Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers, and what graphic violence the movie does present isn't terribly convincing. Worse yet, the skirmishes that are presented are very unconvincingly acted, and as a consequence, much of the death scenes are more melodramatic than realistic (the part where the old lady is shot is unintentionally amusing, and not the slightest bit horrific).

The problems go far beyond the action sequences. As most know, the film features a huge cast of stars, including Sean Connery, the excellent Anthony Hopkins (the best actor of this cast), Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Michael Caine, James Caan, and a lot more people than I'd care to waste space mentioning. Just about everyone here, with the possible exception of Hackman, is slumming, obviously just there to pick up paychecks and get their screen time over with. Almost no here makes an impression. They're just on-screen to inform us of the dire situation and occasionally wield a gun and fire it.

Worst of all is that Operation Market Garden was a massive event, but the film fails to capture just how epic the invasion was. The battles we witness are small in scale, very disappointing when you consider how many extras were involved in the production.

The musical score is horrendous; most of the time its composition consists of a distracting, upbeat tune that doesn't gel with the material it corresponds with. Thus, moments that should be generating suspense almost elicit laughter, since the score almost seems to be inviting parody.

Sure, I realize this was the late 70's and all, but Apocalypse Now, made just two years later, was a much more convincing and effective anti-war film, and it wasn't even an accurate depiction of the Vietnam War! True, A Bridge Too Far strives for accuracty, but such an attempt amounts to little if you can't make the audience care.

I liked this film very much. It's not overly patriotic like Saving Private Ryan. It doesn't go for the happy, crowd pleasing ending. It doesn't pick out heros & bad guys for easy watching and it doesn't oversimplify.

This is well-paced, collage-style film about human fallibility and what happens when large wartime operations break down.

The dialogue is superb. There are 10+ characters interlocked in various relationships at all levels inside the army. These were the top actors in the world at the time, each with a role to play and an independent fate in the battle. All these guys are in their 60's now and seeing them so young is a surprise. Look for John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven of Cheers) in Robert Redford's paratrooper platoon.

The production values were also excellent, on par with the best of WWII movies. There were many very realistic battle scenes and all the scenery and soldiers, equipment, etc. one could imagine. To the untrained eye it was 100% authentic.

This is not a happy movie or much fun. It's more real than that. Unfortunately it's also not especially harrowing - you know that things are not going to work out. It's just thoughtful and well-paced and very watcheable. If you like WWII movies this one is certainly worthwhile.

This is a terrific film in many ways. It is not entirely accurate in places (Redford crosses the river bravely, not the British)... it also suffers from an overblown and, at times, tedius repetitive "military march" music score that seems inappropriate for the scenes now and again..... HOWEVER.... it is truly entertaining, moving, and it is accurate enough to show how truly tragic war can be. The acting is first rate, especially the British actors, the Americans also turn in some fine parformances, particularly Gene Hackman.... the only weak performance is by Ryan O'Neil, who looks terrific, but seems too young for the part he plays and tends to walk through his part with one blank and static expression.

I did enjoy this film though, great action shots, superior sets, props, costumes, and gorgeous photography. Overall the film is a moving tribute to some very brave and heroic men in a fierce battle... and the battle scenes are amazing and vivid.

The look of my DVD is VERY GOOD. The print is not without flaws, but it is clear and clean and the sound is fully stereophonic. It is presented in true widescreen and the color was very natural. It is nearly 3 hours long and I had no trouble with my player reading the second layer smoothly. I would give this print and transfer an 8 out of 10.

This DVD is not expensive, and its well worth the money for anyone who enjoys great world war 2 films... and this rates among the best of those concerning the European Theater. A fine DVD and a wonderful evening of entertainment.

This film was made in 1977 about an actual srategic operation mounted in Europe in 1944. It was planned by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the British commander who was well-known for his competition with (and dislike of) the American General George S. Patton, who is not represented in the film.

Montgomery is the bloke who got credit for pushing Rommel's Afrika Korps out of the Sahara, and for trying (unsuccessfully) to beat Patton across Sicily.

Like many top commanders, he was extremely egotistical, but short on aggression, as Patton demonstrated, and in this case his "Operation Market Garden" turned out to be a hairbrained disaster and blood bath: the Aircraft and gliders missed many of their drop zones and failed to drop vehicles and armament as planned (gliders were a disaster on D-Day, too, and they should have known). Eisenhower, being more politician than general, and trying to placate the Brits, let Monty talk him into the disastrous plan.) In the story, at least, one of the top British commanders refused to accept photographic evidence that German "Tiger" tanks from an SS Panzer division near Ramaden (one of their targets, which was supposed to be a "cakewalk") because he didn't want the operation to be delayed, which resulted in many unnecessary deaths. At the end of the movie, he said, "Well, as you know, I always thought we were trying to go a bridge too far." Hence the title. The man he addressed, played by Connery, should have shot him on the spot. The route chosen for the main body of troops who were to support the
airborne units was too narrow, incapable of carrying the required traffic, and resulted in the operation taking over a week, instead of the planned two days. Then, there were the inadequate boats for crossing the Rhine. The operation was mounted in only seven days, as opposed to several months for D-Day, which accounted, perhaps, for the numerous foul-ups. That, and the unmitigated arrogance of the planners!

In short, Monty's plan was hairbrained and poorly thought out, but he claimed afterward that it was "Ninety percent successful." That was Sir Bernard Montgomery!

This movie was well-acted with many top name actors, all of whom did justice to their parts: Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurance Olivier, and Robert Redford, to name only a few. The film itself seemed to be well researched, and quite realistic foe that era.

One of the better World War II films, I recommend it for those of that endangered species, the WWII generation--those of us who are left--and will most appreeciate it.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

This is perhaps the best movie for the World War II buff. Might I must add this is for the buff only. If you watch a World War II movie for the passion of "Saving Private Ryan" or the formulaic melodrama of "Windtalkers," you may find yourself bored. "A Bridge Too Far" goes about as far as personal conflict with James Caan's attempt to rescue a fellow soldier to fulfill a promise that they won't die...but that lasts about ten minutes of the movie. The plot is all about the battle, the commanders, and the men who fought it, as well as the plans and actions that went behind the whole thing. If you saw "Tora Tora Tora" you'll know what I mean. And if "Tora Tora Tora" bored you, then you should probably avoid "A Bridge Too Far."

But if you like watching a movie with great attention to detail, then you will love this movie. No longer do we have American tanks with Iron Crosses painted on them, all the battles look almost like the way they would have looked in the real war. Perhaps the violence is not as graphically realistic as today's films, but being a film from the 70's you have to cut it some slack.

I can definately highlight the three best parts of this movie: 1) the airborne drops, which are filmed in first-person so that you see the paratroopers jumping out and even checking their parachutes afterward (adding to the realism); 2) the music - I don't know a collection of military themes that doesn't include the Bridge Too Far March; and 3) the cast, which was well picked for each part - I can't decide who I like better, Sean Connery as Urqheart, Edward Fox as Horrocks, or Sir Lawrence Olivier as a good-hearted Dutch doctor, but every one does their part like no other actor collection I've ever seen.

So in short, I highly recommend this for my fellow World War II historians who want to see a part of history re-animated in a near perfect fashion, then you should definately add this to your collection.

The praises of this marvelous film have been expressed well by other reviewers, I would just like to make a few points-
(1) I realize that Field Marshal Montgomery comes out looking
bad from this film and his reputation is very poor in the United States, but the plan for Operation Market Garden, coming from such a cautious commander was very bold, and if the war could have been brought to and end in 1944, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved. Eisenhower and political echelons were aware there were risks, but they were willing to take them in order to try to end the war as soon as possible. The fact is that most commanders have their setbacks and Montgomery was NOT sacked after Market Garden, so those in charge realized that he was not the bumbling fool that many portray him as. However, the question remains why so little time was allotted for the preparations-perhaps the Allies were aware that German defenses were firming up as the Wehrmacht was retreating to the borders of the homeland.
(2) General Browning is portrayed as someone supremely overconfident, yet in reality, it was he who expressed the view that perhaps they were going a "Bridge too Far"
(3) I found the following scenes especially moving-the 504 Parachute Regiment (part of the US 82nd Airborne) crossing the river (scene with Robert Redford) in small boats, many of the troops paddling with their rifles in the face of murderous German fire and yet succeeding to reach the other side, reminiscent of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg; the Polish paratroopers dropping right into a German-controlled area and being killed even before they hit the ground; and, of course,
Lt Col Frost's valiant defense with units of the British First Airborne Division of one end of Arnhem Bridge, and his stubborn pride, even after being captured.

In this troubled time we live in, this film will serve as a reminder of the price that has to be paid from time to time in order for the free world to maintain that freedom.

An excellent movie filled with important details that any history buff, old or young, would appreciate. Bravery, humour, crazy courage and
a cast of characters make this movie riveting to watch. It is action oriented and the music score is great.

Personally I found this so-called classic a total bore. But if you're one of those dusty old f*rts who collects war memorabillia and gets off on these true-to-life war epics, get yourself a multizone player and buy the Region 4 Two-disc set which also includes: "Heroes From The Sky" featurette, "A Distant Battle: Memories of Operation Market Garden" featurette, "Richard Attenborough: A Filmmaker Remembers" featurette, (These featurettes are quite long...some go for nearly an hour) Photo Gallery, Trailer, Audio Commentary and Trivia Track. This is the way classic movies on DVD should be presented. Tons of information and a great price. Ezydvd.com

The movie version of Cornelius Ryan's book A Bridge Too Far is a fully faithful adaptation of a war classic. As such, it is a classic in its own right. The movie includes the planning and execution of the flawed Operation Market Garden, the largest Allied airborne operation of World War II. It also includes several of the human interest vignettes from Ryan's book. The movie is consistently interesting throughout and is never boring.

A true classic.