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on April 30, 2017
Star studded cast for this movie. All the greats you would want to be fighting ww2 for you. A ww2 movie with the end that we can't win em all.
Sometimes it just a bridge two far. Recommend to be part of anybody's DVD war library.
Sometimes it just a bridge two far. Recommend to be part of anybody's DVD war library.
on May 1, 2014
I saw this film in the theater when it came out and then later at home. It's been quite some time since I viewed it, so I rented it from Amazon Prime on impulse. It's still an excellent war film and does a good job of conveying the essentials of the book and the actual operation. Of course, the Germans are portrayed as relatively "good" enemies and the truth was somewhat different and, given the time period in which this was made, a lot of things (shooting prisoners, etc.) were whitewashed. However, the use of actual combat vehicles and aircraft (especially the C-47's) from the period give it a verisimilitude that could probably not be done today, given that most of the ones that are still left are museum pieces that would never be loaned out for a film. I highly recommend it.
on October 7, 2015
Many, Many fine actors in this including Dirk Bogarde, Ryan O'Neal, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. Too bad that the allied forces did not win, but Hitler's forces did not win either. Tremendous casualties, up to about 30,000 loss with no strategic gain. More casualties were on the Allied side. Some tout this as the greatest war movie ever made.
on July 30, 2013
I remember this when I was a kid...I read it when I was in high school.
Dame Daphne Du Maurier, the widow of Lt.-General Browning, complained that her husband had been "made the fall guy" for the failure of "Operation Market Garden" by this film. Browning and the unseen Field Marshal Montgomery, who are shown as responsible for the failure, had both died by the time the film opened in 1977 (unlike the other commanders involved).
A familiar story element in the World War II genre war film is the blowing-up of a bridge. This is especially common in films with the word "bridge" in the title such as The Bridge at Remagen and The Bridge on the River Kwai. Ironically, this film A Bridge Too Far which features a quite a number of bridges in it, only the Son bridge is depicted as destroyed. Just as Col. Stout ('Elliot Gould') approaches the crossing, the bridge is blown up by German artillery (but the actual blowing-up of the bridge is not seen in the movie). The Germans also attempt to blow up the Waal Bridge at Nijmegen, but are unsuccessful when demolition charges fail to explode. In the case of this film, "A Bridge Too Far" refers to the over-ambitions of the Allied strategy in Operation Market Garden. In order for the campaign to be successful, the Allies needed to secure several enemy bridges in a very short period of time. They were tragically unsuccessful.
Dame Daphne Du Maurier, the widow of Lt.-General Browning, complained that her husband had been "made the fall guy" for the failure of "Operation Market Garden" by this film. Browning and the unseen Field Marshal Montgomery, who are shown as responsible for the failure, had both died by the time the film opened in 1977 (unlike the other commanders involved).
A familiar story element in the World War II genre war film is the blowing-up of a bridge. This is especially common in films with the word "bridge" in the title such as The Bridge at Remagen and The Bridge on the River Kwai. Ironically, this film A Bridge Too Far which features a quite a number of bridges in it, only the Son bridge is depicted as destroyed. Just as Col. Stout ('Elliot Gould') approaches the crossing, the bridge is blown up by German artillery (but the actual blowing-up of the bridge is not seen in the movie). The Germans also attempt to blow up the Waal Bridge at Nijmegen, but are unsuccessful when demolition charges fail to explode. In the case of this film, "A Bridge Too Far" refers to the over-ambitions of the Allied strategy in Operation Market Garden. In order for the campaign to be successful, the Allies needed to secure several enemy bridges in a very short period of time. They were tragically unsuccessful.
on October 29, 2015
Amazing to me that it was not more of a success than it was. Told the story without the need to resort to the intense and graphic violence that are de rigeur in modern war films. And yet neither was it Pollyannish in its presentation of the ugliness that is war. I thought the acting was very good and, while I am an untrained critic, I did not see the numerous super stars in their semi-cameo roles (James Caan, Robert Redford for example) attempting to out act the movies main characters. All in all it is as good a modern rendering of the World War II story as I have seen. 'Saving Private Ryan' exceeds it in intensity to be sure but not in scope or story.
on November 1, 2013
A classic WWII movie with an all star cast. A great war movie for its time. Try not to compare war movies from the '70's and '80's to Saving Private Ryan, etc. A Bridge too Far (ABTF) tells the story of Operation Market Garden above and beyond other Hollywood war films from the '70's. Very good attention to detail from every point of view (US, English, German, etc). A must have film for every war/history/WWII library. And, in HB, it is like a whole new movie!
on September 9, 2015
One of the first war movies to try remain to historical accuracy with uniforms, weapons, and equipment. Many of the participants of the battle were alive in 1977. Anthony Hopkins had John Frost at his elbow during the filming of the fighting at the bridge. Hopkins told the story that in the scenes where he moved between positions, Frost said "you're walking to fast". When Hopkins asked how Frost went from house to house, Frost showed him! Although Hopkins said later, that though Frost was running, he appeared not to; rather sauntering from house to house.
on March 11, 2017
A must see World War 2 movie with so many great actors. Based on a true story. A must have movie.
on June 4, 2017
watched it with my father-in-law , a great man who was there
