Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Invading the Reich!, May 26, 2000
I bought this movie on DVD and I am glad I did. The Keep case is full of all sorts of cool info. This film was shot on location in Czechoslovakia in 1968, while being filmed the USSR invaded the country, MIGs buzzed the set and the Russians claimed that American spys were among the cast and crew. If you have ever seen photos or film of the bridge at Remagen you will be stunned to see how close the filming location looks to the real site. The setting is March 1945, the American Army is desperately trying to capture a Rhine crossing, that was true. The film slightly modifies history by showing the Americans as wanting to blow up the Ludendorf railway bridge at Remagen to trap a retreating German army, that is not how things happened in reality but this little bit of "Hollywood history" does not detract from the movie. The German attempt to demolish the bridge fails, that also is true. I wish the film had covered some of the unique measures taken by the Germans to destroy the bridge such as the use of frogmen/commandos carrying high explosives disguised to look like flows of logs, the attacks by Luftwaffe Arado Blitz bombers, and the firing of several V2 missiles, all of which failed. While the fate of the German commander is accurate, it is a little embelished. The uniforms, weapons and acting are all top notch, it would have been nice if they had Sherman tanks but that is a small detail. The fighting/action scences (and there are alot of them) are outstanding, small arms firefights in the countryside, in the villages and finally on the bridge, there is even a hitler youth kamakazi! The roving SS execution squads and the Volkstrum portrayals are (from everything I have read) accurate. Segal does a good job playing an exhuasted squad leader who keeps seeing his men blown away in an attempt to reach a bridge which both sides want to (thats the Holloywood version anyway) destroy. There is one short makeout scene in which breasts are flashed (nice ones too!) but this is truly a war movie, there is as you'd expect alot of violence. Ben Gazara is cast well as a bitter NCO in the squad. I think the finest acting is Robert Vaughn as German Major Krueger. The pyrotechnics will (no pun intended) blow you away, they blew some s**t up making this film! The movie does not show this but several days after it's capture the bridge finally collapsed taking over 2 dozen American with it. I would have given this film 5 stars except for the music, there is alot of that typical 1960's Hogans Hero's sounding music which really detracts from the power and realism in this film. This is a great flick, if you like action, fighting and explosions this is the ticket.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic portrayal of a daring action at the end of WW2..., January 16, 1999
By A Customer
"Bridge at Remagen" is a fictionalized account of one of the more famous coups by the US Army in WW2. In March, 1945 a task force from the 9th armored division managed to seize a bridge over the Rhine, Hitler's last natural defense line. Although it doesn't follow the historical work of the same name, this movie captures the flavor of those desperate days, the speed of the advance of the American Army and the desparation of the Whermacht, trying to buy time for Hitler's miracle weapons to take effect. George Segal does a great job of portraying Lt. Hartman, the battle-weary comander that seizes the bridge. Likewise Robert Vaughn is excellent as Major Krueger, the commander of the bridge's defenders. Major Krueger attempts to keep the bridge open as long as possible, to allow retreating troops across to the safety of the east bank. A good idea, gone bad when a column of US light tanks suddenly appear shooting up everything in sight. Ben Gazzara portrays the 60's ish anti-hero, SGT Angelo, a nod to the era in which the movie was made(don't want to feel too good about the boys in green) Also Bradford Dillman's glory seeking Major Barnes, the US Battalion commander is the stereotypical, "don't care about anything but my career" commander that probably played well to audiences in the 1960's, but was certainly not typical in the US Army in WW2, from anything I've read. The local for the movie, the bridge and town in Czechoslovakia is incredibly similar to what the Ludendorf Bridge looked like in '45. The equipment and hardware is authentic too, the US forces use M24 tanks and wheeled vehicles that would have been used by a US armored force in '45. The Germans have some inaccurate uniforms, but the vehicles and the 88's on the hilltop look correct. (The 88's may be Russian 85mm AT guns) If you want to learn about this battle, read "A Bridge at Remagen". If you want to watch an entertaining, if not totally accurate portrayal, watch this movie, a must for any war movie fan.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great war films of the 1960's, June 10, 2003
The Bridge at Remagen is an excellent World War II movie based on a true story. Set in the closing days of the war, the story is about a battle for the last remaining bridge over the Rhine river. The Americans want it intact so they can cross over into the heart of Germany while the Germans want to blow it up to prevent the Allies a foothold. However, the Major placed in command of the bridge won't blow it up because there are still 50,000 German troops on the other side that will be captured if the bridge is destroyed. This is an excellent movie that shows the battle from both the American and German side. Excellent action sequences and great characters make this a must have. As well, the movie succeeds in showing the chaos on the German side as the Allied forces began to close in late in the war. George Segal stars as(get this) Lt. Phil Hartman, the leader of the American troops trying to take the bridge intact. He plays the role perfectly as the officer who refuses to see his men massacred in a pointless attack. Ben Gazzara is great as Sergeant Angelo, the soldier who picks valuable items off of dead soldiers for his own profit. Robert Vaughan plays Major Krueger, the German major placed in command of the bridge. He does a great job as the officer trying to buy time for the trapped German divisions. Also starring Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Peter Van Eyck, and Bo Hopkins. This is an excellent war movie that doesn't shy away from showing all aspects of war. Elmer Bernstein also gives an excellent musical score that at times sounds like The Magnificent Seven or The Great Escape. The DVD is a great buy with a collectible booklet, theatrical trailer, and widescreen presentation all included. Check out this great and true war tale set late in WWII!
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