A Bridge Too Far (1977)

No, the Americans didn't want a film that showed a huge failed operation involving American arms (they were still reeling from Vietnam), and 'A Bridge Too Far' found little favour in the States. Only in the UK did it recoup its considerable costs.This is the story of Arnhem, the moment in September 1944 when Montgomery was stung into a doomed attempt to capture the Rhine bridges because he was being made to look slow by George Patton, who was not, however, facing anything like the same opposition.Neither Patton, Monty or Eisenhower are represented in the story, and the officers being played by the all-star cast are not exactly household names, the relationships between them never clearly defined. In fact, the plot as a whole is quite hard to follow in the course of this overlong and over-repetitive screenplay.Best-known of the officers is Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde), commander of the Airborne Division, who is generally blamed for going into denial about enemy strength. He declares that the wehrmacht is down to schoolboys and pensioners, and when shown a picture of several tanks beside one of the bridges, he claims they're not operational. But neither Bogarde nor any of the others is able to carry conviction as a regular officer, who has spent his whole career deferring to higher authority. Sean Connery and Michael Caine in particular are unable to camouflage their rebel blood. More believable, at least, is Edward Fox as the sociable and popular Brian Horrocks ("Pack my dinner-jacket"), who gets a loud cheer as he delivers a briefing.Interestingly, the German officers are all shown speaking German, with no dubbing or sub-titles, clearly meant as a decisive step away from the German accented cod-English that filled-up all those cheap black-&-white war-films of the 50's. Yet the pre-title sequence is a needless history lesson, delivered in exactly that style, apparently by some female victim of war whose status is unexplained.

Besides perhaps Cross Of Iron the greatest WW2 movie ever made. It is tragic while almost certain of victory,the allies should suffer such a defeat,but it was inevitable with hindsight. The over confidence of all but the Polish general is well filmed,despite evidence of panzer divisions nearby. There is no Wayne like propaganda,just the suffering on both sides fairly portrayed. It was a big underestimation of the SS units they would be facing,battle hardened as they were. Fine performances in an all star cast,and capturing the futility and sheer blood letting of war make this an unforgettable classic. I think Sean Connery and Dirk Bogarde stood out,Bogarde all too willing to sacrifice his men.

"A Bridge Too Far" reminds me of one of those Irwin Allen mega-epics of the 1970s. Like "The Towering Inferno" or "Earthquake", "A Bridge Too Far" is jam-packed full of celebrities and celebrity cameos...something that usually does not work very well. Similar films, such as "Midway", seemed to spend ALL the budget on stars and there was little left for anything else...such as a decent script or the limited and appropriate use of stock footage. So is this another overblown epic or is it worth seeing? After all, 90% of the budget must have been to pay these stars! Fortunately, while I was not in love with the film, I didn't hate it...and that makes it a whole lot better than the movies I just mentioned (particularly "Midway"...what a terrible film).The film is a very long (too long if you ask me) recreation of Operation Market Garden, a failed attempt by Allied troops to dislodge the Germans and take bridges in Holland. Again and again, you see troops being tossed into various fronts...with mostly expected results since you know ultimately the Germans won this battle and pushed off the offensive. It's competently made and the director used some creativity to make the battles seem more realistic (such as the use of fake Sherman tanks...as discussed in the IMDb trivia). My only reservations are the film's length, the odd casting of Gene Hackman (what WAS his accent?!) and the way the film seems to go out of its way to portray General Browning as a complete horse's butt...and I am not sure if this is reasonable or not. According to at least some folks, the General wasn't actually incompetent.

We begin with what looks like archival World War II footage. After D-Day, the Allies have turned the tide. Now, they expect to defeat the Germans. In September of 1944, with the war's end presumably in sight, American and British forces embark on a mission they hope will win the war by December 1944, so everyone can be home for Christmas. Being home for Christmas is a righteous goal. The mission involves Allied troops going into Dutch territory held by the Germans and gaining control of strategic bridges. History, the title, and tone of this production leaves little doubt about the mission's outcome...Knowing how it ends doesn't always mean a story can't engage. Some stories are so engaging, you can watch them over and over again. We know Superman and Batman will return, but seeing their lives put in danger can still excite. Good story-telling qualities always help. Joseph E. Levine and his director Richard Attenborough are trying to make "A Bridge Too Far" work, but the film is quite exhausting. There is simply not enough story for the length. Back in the 1970s, Mr. Attenborough could not say, "Save it for the director's cut." So, we have excess in effective acting and explosive production scenes...The basic story, of a failed mission, isn't even properly presented. One gets the feeling the Allies should only try to blow-up the bridges. Simply infiltrating German-held territory is a good way to get killed. With great gusto, Edward Fox outlines an impossible mission. Later, poor Dirk Bogarde nonchalantly explains it away. We're not sure if it was a suicide mission. The original "I'll be Home for Christmas" goal is forgotten. The subplots involve an all-star cast, but their characters have little substance. The better performances are given by lesser names, who blend into their undeveloped roles more successfully...Arguably, the leading man is Sean Connery (as Robert Urquhart). He seems to be around most often and appears in command. Like several of the big names in the cast, he is always the Actor in his Role. Even more obvious are Ryan O'Neal and Robert Redford, implicitly and explicitly giving "Hail Mary" passes. Elliott Gould finds his character swinging on a cigar. Gene Hackman ventures into a Polish accent. James Caan shows muscle. The non-Americans are better, with Laurence Olivier blending best into his civilian character. Olivier perfected his movie camera acting in the late 1930s and never looked back...As yet unmentioned are Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and Maximilian Schell. All are dependable performers and succeed by not sticking out like money-making box-office movie stars. Always good, Liv Ullmann appears later in the running time. There is a distinct line of Swedish acting excellence, running from Greta Garbo through Ingrid Bergman and Ms. Ullmann. They rarely, if ever, give bad performances. Geoffrey Unsworth photography is fine, as expected, but John Addison's music really needed a better story. The production costs are obviously high. But the causalities are even higher.***** A Bridge Too Far (6/15/77) Richard Attenborough ~ Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier