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A Bridge Too Far (1977)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
15 June 1977 (USA)
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Tagline:
Out of the sky comes the screen's most incredible spectacle of men and war!
Plot:
An historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Bridge
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WWII
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Operation Market Garden
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Paratrooper
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Plan
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Awards:
Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards.
Another 4 wins
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4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
"10 Rillington Place" Now At Film Forum, New York
(From CinemaRetro. 27 June 2009, 11:04 AM, PDT)
John Ratzenberger Recieves Career Achievement Award From Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
(From iCelebz. 18 October 2008, 1:26 PM, PDT)
(From CinemaRetro. 27 June 2009, 11:04 AM, PDT)
John Ratzenberger Recieves Career Achievement Award From Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
(From iCelebz. 18 October 2008, 1:26 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Under-rated war epic.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Dirk Bogarde | ... | Lt. Gen. Frederick A.M. Browning |
 | James Caan | ... | SSgt. Eddie Dohun |
 | Michael Caine | ... | Lt. Col. John O.E. Vandeleur |
 | Sean Connery | ... | Maj. Gen. Robert E. Urquhart |
 | Edward Fox | ... | Lt. Gen. Brian G. Horrocks |
 | Elliott Gould | ... | Col. Robert Stout |
 | Gene Hackman | ... | Maj. Gen. Stanislaw F. Sosabowski |
 | Anthony Hopkins | ... | Lt. Col. John D. Frost |
| Hardy Krüger | ... | Maj. Gen. Ludwig (as Hardy Kruger) |
 | Ryan O'Neal | ... | Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin |
 | Laurence Olivier | ... | Dr. Jan Spaander |
 | Robert Redford | ... | Maj. Julian Cook |
| Maximilian Schell | ... | Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Bittrich |
 | Liv Ullmann | ... | Kate Ter Horst |
| Denholm Elliott | ... | RAF meteorologist officer |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
175 min | Finland:158 min
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (35 mm prints) |
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
South Korea:12 |
New Zealand:PG |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-16 |
Netherlands:12 |
Norway:16 (1977) |
Sweden:15 |
UK:15 |
USA:PG |
West Germany:16 |
Singapore:PG |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
Canada:AA (Ontario) |
Canada:G (Québec) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to the DVD Production Notes, 'James Caan' agreed to do the film because of the scene in which he forces a reticent army surgeon to operate on one of his buddies at gunpoint (Scene 18). He said, "When [Richard Attenborough] came to see me in Los Angeles, he offered me the choice of several roles. I chose the sergeant chiefly for that one scene."
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Goofs:
Factual errors: Col. Robert Stout responds at some point to Col. J.O.E Vandeleur regarding a comment on American ingenuity, Stout says something to the effect of being born in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia didn't exist under that name until 6 January, 1929, which would have made him a rather young colonel at 15. Prior to 1929, Yugoslavia was known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, a name adopted in 1918. Even so, someone born prior to 1929 in those territories would most likely have identified an individual republic as a place of birth.
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Quotes:
Lt. General Horrocks:
Do you think you'll be able to pull it off, Joe?
Lt. Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur: I have nothing else planned for this afternoon.
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Lt. Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur: I have nothing else planned for this afternoon.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Richard Attenborough: A Director Remembers (2004) (V)
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Soundtrack:
3RD MOVEMENT
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FAQ
Was the charactor of Major Fuller (worried Intelligence officer)real or fictitious?Does that dreadful road still exist?
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more (169 total)
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Quite a few bad things have been written about A Bridge Too Far. Richard Attenborough's elephantine recreation of the battle for several strategically valuable Dutch bridges in the winter of 1944 is a star-studded, lengthy and exhausting film (and many critics at the time seemed to be of the opinion that it collapsed beneath its own weight). Almost thirty years on, the film is now viewed somewhat more favourably. It may feel 30 minutes too long, and the need for so many stars in so many tiny parts is questionable, but A Bridge Too Far successfully shows a fierce episode of the Second World War in all its chaotic glory. Incredibly, there's no use of the computer generated effects during the big battle scenes that it is relied upon in modern films like Gladiator and Troy. The scenes in this film were shot pretty much as you see them - so the 35,000 parachutists storming Holland, the river crossing led by Robert Redford under intense enemy fire, and other such staggering combat sequences were filmed with thousands of extras and a good deal of meticulous planning and preparation.
The film is based upon Operation Market Garden, an Allied plot hatched towards the end of 1944 with the intention of ending the war in Europe. The concept behind the plan was to drop 35,000 soldiers into Holland approximately 60 miles beyond the German lines, to seize six vital bridges, and to reinforce the paratroopers by sending in thousands of ground troops. However, various mishaps jeopardised the mission and eventually the Allies were cut off and had to withdraw, suffering severe losses.
As stellar casts go, A Bridge Too Far still takes some rivalling. Among the many famous actors involved, these are just a few: Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Ryan O'Neal, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and Elliott Gould. It seems pointless for some of the actors to be cast in these roles - true enough, Connery, Bogarde and Hopkins get decent roles and a fair bit of screen time, but was it really worth paying Redford $2,000,000 for his ten minute heroics? Could a decent actor have not handled the role for a fraction of that amount? Is Gene Hackman really the correct choice for Polish officer Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski? Should a light comic actor like Elliott Gould be doing his cigar-chomping "fun" turn in a movie as serious as this?
Luckily, the film is a big success on other levels. The cinematography is extraordinary; the music is suitably stirring; the potentially confusing story is handled with clarity and true-to-the-facts sensitivity; and amid the chaos a number of very memorable scenes emerge. A Bridge Too Far is a very good war film - maybe the biggest war film ever conceived (The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan included) - and I feel that, although it has a few casting flaws, it is in almost every other department a great, great achievement.