A Bridge Too Far (1977)

A historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden.

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Cornelius Ryan (book), William Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Michael Caine

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Siem Vroom	...	Underground Leader
Marlies van Alcmaer	...	Underground Leader's Wife (as Marlies Van Alcmaer)
Erik van 't Wout	...	Underground Leader's Son (as Eric Van't Wout)
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Field Marshal Von Rundstedt
Hans von Borsody	...	General Blumentritt (as Hans Von Borsody)
Josephine Peeper	...	Cafe Waitress
Dirk Bogarde	...	Lieutenant General Browning
Paul Maxwell	...	Major General Maxwell Taylor
Sean Connery	...	Major General Urquhart
Ryan O'Neal	...	Brigadier General Gavin
Gene Hackman	...	Major General Sosabowski
Walter Kohut	...	Field Marshal Model
Peter Faber	...	Captain 'Harry' Bestebreurtje
Hartmut Becker	...	German Sentry
Frank Grimes	...	Major Fuller

Storyline

This WWII film follows the perspectives of American, Polish and British soldiers attempting to capture key bridges behind German lines in a complicated parachute and armoured assault.

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Plot Keywords:

bridge | operation market garden | british soldier | paratrooper | allies | 

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Taglines:

Out of the sky comes the screen's most incredible spectacle of men and war!

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German Dutch Polish Latin

Release Date:

15 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Brücke von Arnheim

Filming Locations:

Bemmel, Lingewaard, Gelderland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$50,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph E. Levine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sean Connery played one of the largest roles in the film as General Urquhart, but was angered to discover that Robert Redford, in a much smaller role, was getting considerably more money. He went on strike for a short time until his fee was adjusted to his satisfaction.

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Goofs

During shots of Nijmegen, the tower of the Sint Stevenschurch is standing tall. In fact the tower was destroyed by an American bombing off Nijmegen in February 1944. It was not put back on the church until the late sixties. The opening of the renewed tower was in 1969.

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Quotes

Col. Robert Stout: Could you get a message down to XXXth Corps on that dingus?
Radio Operator: Yes, sir. Uh, we just got word from the 82nd up ahead. They captured the Graves bridge completely intact!
Col. Robert Stout: Aw, that's terrrific. Except XXXth Corps ain't about to reach the godam intact Graves bridge until the godam Son bridge gets fixed. Tell our British cousins to hustle up some Bailey stuff.
Radio Operator: Yes, sir.
Col. Robert Stout: I'll meet 'em in Eindoven when they get there. Tell those schmucks to do this right and have their Bailey stuff at the front of their ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Deadly Bees (1998)

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Soundtracks

"3rd Movement"
(from Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV. 1051) (uncredited)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

my favorite WWII movie

"Private Ryan" may have served up more blood and guts, but it had a fanciful plot and it didn't really tell audiences anything about D-Day. By contrast, "A Bridge Too Far" is like something the History Channel would produce; it's full of maps and narration and endless tactical discussions that, amazingly enough, really held my attention - and really enlightened me about the battle of Market Garden.

It helps that the ensemble cast is great - perhaps the best ever assembled - and the characterization, though a bit thin (as in most war movies), is certainly good enough considering how heavily the plot dominates. The film's one major weakness is that it telegraphs the battle's result from too early on; all the smart characters think that the operation will be a disaster, and lo and behold, it's a disaster.

I love this movie anyway, maybe because of the production style, which is more realistic than the cornball war films of previous decades but not quite so over-the-top as "Private Ryan." The battles are both thrilling and terrifying, a nicely struck balance. When the end credits roll, I always feel tired - like the characters - which is a testament to how involving (and effective) the movie is.