A Bridge Too Far
A Bridge Too Far
PG | 15 June 1977 (USA)
A Bridge Too Far Trailers

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.

Reviews
AutCuddly

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

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ThedevilChoose

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

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KnotStronger

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

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Jenni Devyn

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

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phil allen

The annoying 'triumphal' American-sounding music theme throughout the film is the worst sort of corn. Worse still are the numbing vignettes of endless delay, relieved by fire exchanges both big and brief. This is supposed to be a depiction of war as it is, with the jolly putdowns, and days on empty, but it doesn't entertain. And Ryan O'Neal a general? It lumps along like a tank with a missing track.I will say that the shots of men getting hit and the instant appearance of blood and flesh was very believable and well done.

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cinemajesty

Movie Review: " A Bridge Too Far" (1977)This film releases just weeks after the blazing "Star Wars" (1977) and presenting the other side of film-making at the Hollywood-changing period of the 1970s. Completely filled with acting stars from Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and many more to deliver solid performances for marketable WW2-movie directed Richard Attenborough (1923-2014), feasting on pure realism, especially in the airborne parachutes scenes, to show war what it actually is; a mobilization of thousands of people, the suffering of millions, under the command of the few, who in the end asks themselves what was it all been made for. If you need a calming piece of cinema with some well-researched historic materials on war campaigning, this is the movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

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HotToastyRag

Richard Attenborough's extensive war epic A Bridge Too Far shows the numerous attempts the Allies made to capture German occupied bridges in the Netherlands in WWII. To go into detail about every plot line would be too extensive, but this is a very heavy, dramatic, tense film with lots of featured battles and missions.While other war movies were rewarded with Oscar nominations or wins, this film was completely ignored during the awards season. The direction and production values were impeccable, and with an all-star cast to draw audience appeal, I have no idea why the film wasn't nominated for anything. It's an unforgettable film, with Michael Caine, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde, Maximilian Schell, Gene Hackman, Ryan O'Neal, Liv Ullmann, Denholm Elliott, and Elliott Gould making up the all-star cast.In particular, Sean Connery's and Robert Redford's performances stand out in my memory. Yes, everyone gives their all in the movie, but the two mentioned actors put a great deal of emotion into scenes where the script didn't give them much to work with. Sean Connery is the man who hears the title line, "I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far," spoken, and his reaction is multi-layered and perfect. Robert Redford is given the line, "Half my men are killed, and you're just gonna stop and drink tea?" which could have sounded corny and awful, but he turns it into something worthy of an Oscar clip.In lots of war movies, there are a couple of lead characters who survive the entire film, and one person who "buys the farm" and doesn't make it home. A Bridge Too Far isn't the typical war film of earlier decades; it's more similar to Saving Private Ryan or Glory. There are dozens upon dozens of characters, and lots of people die. Be prepared. This is a very tense movie, and sometimes it's difficult to watch. Robert Redford is given a mission to take his men across the water, and the Germans start shooting at them from the bridge they're heading toward. They can't shoot back because they need to use all their strength to keep rowing to safety. Redford and his soldiers start repeating "Hail Mary, full of Grace" over and over, knowing at any second they could be killed mid-prayer. It's very upsetting to watch, but I wanted to describe it so you know what you're getting into. If you like those types of movies, you'll find a gem in A Bridge Too Far.

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Matthew Kresal

Launched in September 1944, Operation Market Garden was meant to be the battle that would be the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. An ambitious plan to drop 35,000 paratroopers behind German lines in Holland before being linked up with by British ground forces, to say that things didn't go to plan would be an understatement. Based on Cornelius Ryan's 1974 bestseller, this 1977 film present a epic portrait of the incredible highs and lows of the operation.Ryan's previous book The Longest Day had been turned into a film in 1962 and it is difficult as a viewer not to make comparisons between the two. Both are large scale films with large all-star casts (with the two films even sharing at least two cast members in different roles Sean Connery and Wolfgang Preiss), action sequences, large budgets and an emphasis on telling a dramatic story while sticking pretty closely to actual events. As with The Longest Day, all of these elements serve the film well. Given the sheer number of characters that the film presents, the all-star cast is something of a bonus to the film. While having recognizable actors playing roles can be distracting at times, this film is a case of where that casting actually helps rather than hinders. Having actors like Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Gene Hackman, Anothony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier and Robert Redford allows the viewer to have someone to latch onto and remember who that character is and where they are during the film's nearly three hour running time. Even better, all of them turn in solid performances that add to the film's mosaic like portrait of events though each gets a moment to shine from Fox's briefing scene as British Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks, Connery as British First Airborne leader Major General Roy Urquhart, Hopkins as paratrooper Lt. Colonel John Frost who leads British troops clinging onto a vital bridge and Hackman as Polish paratrooper leader Sosabowski who serves as something of a voice of oft-ignored reason. Even in smaller roles are well cast including Frank Grimes's Major Fuller, Jeremy Kemp and Denholm Elliott as excruciatingly bureaucratic RAF officers and Arthur Hill as an American Army surgeon. It's a solid cast to say the least.The film's production values are strong and come across at their best in the film's many battle sequences. The recreation of the largest paratrooper operation of the Second World War is no easy feat today, let alone in the pre-CGI era. Yet the film pulls it off magnificently thanks to a combination of effects, costumes and making what was likely a handful of surviving pieces of equipment (including transport planes and armored vehicles) which brings it to life splendidly. There's also some strong camera work as well from legendary cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth as well as some incredible point of view shots of paratroopers jumping during the film's two biggest sequences. The use of location filming which often returns to the actual places helps with the film's verisimilitude as well. The editing is strong as well, especially in the battle sequences which create the air of chaos and confusion to give the viewer an idea of the "fog of war" first hand. Combined together with the direction of Richard Attenborough, the film is a triumph to watch from a technical point of view as much as it is acting wise.Screenwriter William Goldman deserves significant praise for being able to take the 670 book and create a workable screenplay that, like the book, tells the story of Market Garden from all sides. Having recently read Ryan's book, it was surprising to see how much of the events and dialogue in the film came from the book and were well presented in the film. Indeed, many of the sequences that might seem corny and unbelievable such as the sequence where Caan's Sergeant Eddie Dohun rescuing his captain and forcing an Army doctor to look at him, Connery's Major General Urquhart becoming trapped behind German lines and many of the frustrations experienced on both sides can be directly traced to the original source material. Like The Longest Day before it (which Ryan adapted), this film allows the viewer a chance to get the feeling of history unfolding throughout.Yet it does more than just play as a highlight reel of Ryan's book. Perhaps even more impressive, Goldman's script (and the film itself) captures the tone and message of the book. That brave and good men acted courageously and against great odds but for what purpose many were left to wonder. The film's final minutes portrays this beautifully with little dialogue and a haunting final scene. It's something that further sets the film apart from many others in the war film genre. Which isn't to say the film isn't without flaws. Goldman's screenplay is rather unfair to British Market Garden commander Browning (play by Dirk Bogarde) who becomes something of a stand-in for British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery who always stays off screen which might explain the odd quality to both the writing of Browning and Bogarde's performance. There is also the score from composer John Addison which is sporadic but full of a heroic tone that oddly seems out of place with the tone and events depicted by the film. Both are fairly minor quibbles though given the film as a whole.A Bridge Too Far is far from your typical war film. That is in large part due to its combination of all-star cast, strong production values and attention to historic events. It's a faithful adaptation of a book that captures its sweeping vision and rich details. Despite some flaws, it's a film that nonetheless stands as an example of both its genre and good filmmaking in general. It also shows the power of film to bring history to life without being patronizing, overly dramatic or dull. That's something rare in its own right.

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