A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Operation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Cornelius Ryan (based on the book by), William Goldman (screenplay by)

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 Gerd Von Rundstedt
Hans von Borsody	...	Gen. Blumentritt (as Hans Von Borsody)
Josephine Peeper	...	Cafe Waitress
Dirk Bogarde	...	Lt .Gen. Browning
Paul Maxwell	...	Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor
Sean Connery	...	Maj. Gen. Urquhart
Ryan O'Neal	...	Brig. Gen. Gavin
Gene Hackman	...	Maj. Gen. Sosabowski
Walter Kohut	...	Field Marshal Model
Peter Faber	...	Capt. 'Harry' Bestebreurtje
Hartmut Becker	...	German Sentry
Frank Grimes	...	Maj. Fuller

Storyline

The true story of Operation Market Garden, the Allies attempt, in September 1944, to hasten the end of World War II by driving through Belgium and Holland into Germany. The idea was for U.S. airborne divisions to take the towns of Eindhoven and Nijmegen and a British airborne division, reinforced by a Polish airborne brigade, to take the town of Arnhem. They would be reinforced, in due course and in turn, by the British XXX Corps, land-based and driving up from the British lines in the south. The key to the operation was the bridges, as if the Germans held or blew them, the paratroopers could not be relieved. Faulty intelligence, Allied high command hubris, and stubborn German resistance would ensure that Arnhem was a bridge too far.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1944 | nazi officer | usa | united states of america | united states | 

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Taglines:

Mothers would lose their sons, wives, their husbands, girls their lovers, children their fathers and thousands of gallant young men would perish fighting against impossible odds, for a mission that would change the meaning of the word courage for all time...and for a bridge. A lousy bridge.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The costume department had to create over 2,000 outfits.

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Goofs

There is a German tank featured in several scenes. This tank is actually a German-made, post-war tank named "Leopard I" with a few modifications to look like a German Panzer V Panther tank of the World War II era. Given that the Leopard I is actually an offspring/based on the Panzer V this is a good choice.

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Quotes

Field Marshal Model: What can you see?
General Ludwig: Nothing. But they're going to try a river assault.
Field Marshal Model: It will fail.
General Ludwig: Of course. But what do we do if it doesn't?

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema release was cut by the BBFC in order to get an "A" rating by editing out the word "fucking" in the scene where James Caan holds the doctor at gunpoint, while Elliott Gould's line "Roll the fuckers" was dubbed over with "Roll it, fellas." In addition, a shot of a dead soldier with his intestines exposed was cut, and closeups of men's bloody faces during the assault on Arnhem were also removed. The cuts were restored in the 15-rated video and DVD versions.

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Connections

Referenced in Nacho Bear: A Bridge Too Dumb (2008)

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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.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German Dutch Polish Latin

Release Date:

15 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bridge Too Far

Filming Locations:

J.F. Gronoviusstraat, Deventer, Overijssel, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$50,750,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,750,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph E. Levine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 160 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1