A Bridge Too Far

4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (241 customer reviews)
An historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden.
  • Starring: Dirk Bogarde, James Caan
  • Directed by: Richard Attenborough
  • Runtime: 2 hours 57 minutes
  • Release year: 1977
  • Studio: MGM
Play trailer
Also available to rent in HD for playback on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku or other Amazon Instant Video HD compatible devices
 
  
 
 

Amazon Instant Video

24 hour rental

1-Click® $2.99
 
 
 
 
  
 
[Send us Feedback]
Have a promotion code? View Balance
New to Amazon Instant Video? Instantly watch thousands of movies and TV shows. Learn more. Watch on your computer or on your TV with one of our compatible devices.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details
Synopsis: An historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden.
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, James Caan
Supporting actors: Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Ryan O'Neal, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullmann, Denholm Elliott, Peter Faber, Christopher Good, Frank Grimes, Jeremy Kemp, Wolfgang Preiss, Nicholas Campbell, Paul Copley
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Runtime: 2 hours 57 minutes
Release year: 1977
Studio: MGM
ASIN: B0030MTQNW
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period Details
Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)
Also available on DVD

A Bridge Too Far DVD ~ Dirk Bogarde

4.2 out of 5 stars (241) $6.21
Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: June 15, 1977
  • Production Company: Joseph E. Levine Productions
  • Filming Locations: Bemmel, Lingewaard, Gelderland, Netherlands | Bronkhorst, Gelderland, Netherlands | Deventer, Overijssel, Netherlands | Gelderland, Netherlands | Grave, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands | Haarle, Overijssel, Netherlands | Lent, Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands | Moor Park Golf Club, Moor Park, Anson Walk, Batchworth Heath, Hertfordshire, England, UK | Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands | Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK
Video Format Details

Online Viewing

PC Download

TiVo box
View instantly from any PC or Mac with a broadband connection
Ready to watch in about 1 hour 10 minutes*
Ready to watch in about 1 hour 20 minutes*
* Your download times may vary--estimates shown are for a typical DSL connection (1.5 Mbits/sec). Rental videos cannot be transferred to a portable device.

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 112 people found the following review helpful
Mustering Dutch Courage September 16, 2005
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
In a film of beautiful nuance, Richard Attenborough captures the horrors or war and the dignity of those who must endure, soldiers and civilians alike. The stellar cast of "A Bridge Too Far" (a veritable who's who of acting greats) sets this film apart. Sean Connery leaves behind the cool assuredness of Bond and faces futility with a mug of tea while Anthony Hopkins, a proper Englishman in Hell, surrenders with dignity, only reluctantly accepting chocolate from the enemy. James Caan is a particular standout. With true American grit, he bends all the rules and makes good on a pledge. The scale of the film could have wrought disasters on par with the campaign it portrays. Fortunately, the immensity of the Market-Garden campaign, which historically met its Waterloo at Arnhem, doesn't swallow up the stories of individual characters, of the Brit with umbrella for instance or the Dutch resisters who spy for the Allies.

Few World War II flicks showcase the absolute beauty of the European countryside. In "A Bridge Too Far," the landscape, made all the more picturesque in its contrast to the gore and destruction, is certainly an additional star and supports the wisdom of shooting this expensive epic in the Netherlands. The wide-angle approach, as well as the moving score, give balm to eyes and ears now accustomed to the tortorous naturalism of "Saving Private Ryan." Attenborough pulls back, thankfully. In its final scene, "A Bridge Too Far" achieves poignance without dialogue, without bluster, and without the common contrivance of summoning tears with half-baked, insipid bathos. Sir Lawrence Olivier and Liv Ullman stare straight ahead, the fresh graves of British paratroopers lining their path from an elegance destroyed, from an order and faith utterly shattered. The scene is perfection. And the film itself is close to it.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Cornelius Ryan's nonfiction saga is masterfully told in the film adaptation. MARKET GARDEN, hoped to be one of the death blows to the German Reich, was daring and ambitious, but failed to bounce the Rhine and bring the war to conclusion. Locations in the Netherlands included the actual Nijmegen Bridge, drop zones outside of Oosterbeek (which is next to Arnhem), the Deventer Bridge closely doubling as the bridge at Arnhem, and many scenes filmed at the Dutch Infantry training center at nearby Harskamp. Producer Joseph E. Levine and Director Richard Attenborough drew equipment from numerous nations, including quite a few museum relics, to create this film. What they did not have, special effects and props departments created in order to create a realistic and mostly historically accurate rendition of this September 1944 battle in Holland. Where the film deviates from the book is that the movie tends to paint the Allied planners as blind to the possible flaws in the operation and German Field Marshal Model is portrayed as a cowardly fool. In reality, Model's immediate actions, though based on incorrect assumptions, greatly contributed to the containment of the Airhead north of the Neder Rijn. A BRIDGE TO FAR ranks highly with films like THE LONGEST DAY and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in terms of intensity and historical accuracy.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
43 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
In my opinion, the best war movie ever made -- a notch better than "Saving Private Ryan," which contains certain historical inaccuracies. "A Bridge Too Far" masterfully adapts Cornelius Ryan's meticulously-researched book of the same title. More importantly, with the exception of the German tanks and armored personnel carriers depicted in the failed attempt to capture the northern end of the Arnhem bridge, the uniforms, machine guns, rifles, tanks, landscape, etc. depicted in the film are accurate -- unlike the vast majority of war films that cut corners, film off location, fail to research key facts, etc. The "second Omaha Beach" crossing of the Waal River by the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division -- filmed on loaction -- is the most riveting scene in the movie. Also spectacular is the reenactment of the dropping of hundreds of paratroopers over Holland from C-47 Dakotas. The only negative is that the movie can be quite confusing to one who is not familiar with the intricacies of Operation Market Garden. I urge anyone considering viewing the film to first read "Arnhem 1944" by Martin Middlebrook or Cornelius Ryan's above-mentioned book. Some research will help put this complicated military operation into perspective. After you've seen the movie, and if you have the time, money and inclination, take a battlefield tour of Nijmegen and Arnhem (both just an hour-or-so drive from Amsterdam) so you can truly appreciate the sacrifices made by the British, American, and Polish paratroopers depicted in the film nearly 55 years ago.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bridge to Far
Excellent film highlighting airborne operations during World War II and some of the coordinating and politics of a military operation of this magnitude.
Published 4 days ago by Chuck Rose
Well done
Considering when this film was done back in the 1970's it is rather well done.What it does well is giving a good overview of operation market garden from both sides and the general... Read more
Published 1 month ago by H.Osment
Great Movie
It is a great movie...if you know the story or read the book. I enjoyed it but it is easy to get confused. Great cast, good job RECOMMENDED
Published 1 month ago by James L. Woolridge
An HD remix of a classic war movie
This is one of the best war movies ever made! An historically accurate portrayal of Operation Market Garden (the best part is the fact that the German officers and soldiers speak... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Eric DeFreest
Recommended, Even to Women
"A Bridge Too Far," (1977) is an MGM war film, a historical action drama that is based on historian Cornelius Ryan's World War II blockbuster bestselling history of the same name... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephanie DePue
a BRIDGE too FAR
History, showing the inability of those on the groundto covince those up top off whats required,
Having visited all three sites it puts it all into perspective, magic movie of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bruce
A Bridge Too Far [Blu-ray]
This was a well made film and very good blu-ray upgrade. A bit Long (almost 3 hours) but I enjoyed it.
Published 4 months ago by Robert W. Youngward
Blue Ray-Single Disc Edition
The low rating is for the Blu-Ray, single disc edition: Very grainy image on about 60% of the movie, particularly on the dark scenes. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Javier Cardona
Look for the REAL Decades Collection
Of course the movie, itself, deserves 5 stars for its visual story telling, historical accuracy, and sheer audacity of pulling off a something this big. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sam Phillips
A Bridge Too Far
A Bridge Too Far is a good movie. The actors are great, the quality is pretty good and the uniforms and much of the equipment is authentic. Read more
Published 8 months ago by War Movie Fan
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(3)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Special Edition slipcover 4 Jan 4, 2009
petition to release The Siege of Firebase Gloria to the dvd format 0 Jul 17, 2007
› See all 2 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums

By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use.  Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.  Additional taxes may apply.