The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

As the Allied armies close in, the Germans decide to blow up the last Rhine bridge, trapping their own men on the wrong side. But will it happen?

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Richard Yates (screenplay), William Roberts (screenplay)

Stars:

George Segal, Robert Vaughn, Ben Gazzara

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Lt. Phil Hartman
Robert Vaughn	...	Maj. Paul Krueger
Ben Gazzara	...	Sgt. Angelo
Bradford Dillman	...	Maj. Barnes
E.G. Marshall	...	Brig. Gen. Shinner
Peter van Eyck	...	Gen. Von Brock (as Peter Van Eyck)
Hans Christian Blech	...	Capt. Carl Schmidt
Heinz Reincke	...	Holzgang
Joachim Hansen	...	Capt. Otto Baumann
Sonja Ziemann	...	Greta Holzgang
Anna Gaël	...	French Girl (as Anna Gael)
Vít Olmer	...	Lt. Zimring (as Vit Olmer)
Bo Hopkins	...	Cpl. Grebs
Robert Logan	...	Pvt. Bissell
Matt Clark	...	Cpl. Jellicoe

Storyline

In the last days of World War II, the Allied Army desperately searched for a bridgehead across the impenetrable Rhine River, in order to launch a major assault into the center of Germany. "Bridge at Remagen" tells the true story of the battle for this last bridgehead, from both the German and American perspective.

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Plot Keywords:

river rhine | world war two | based on true story | year 1945 | u.s. military | 

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Taglines:

The Germans forgot one little bridge. Sixty-one days later they lost the war

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some war violence and brief nudity.

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tanks used by the Americans in the film were M24 Chaffee light tanks appropriate for the era.

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Goofs

When American tanks engage and destroy the anti-aircraft battery overlooking the bridge, explosions occur in and behind the battery at locations where a direct-fire tank round could never have reached due to the flat trajectory of the tank guns and the tanks being below the battery.

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Quotes

Major Barnes: Look, uh, Hartman, I know it's been a hard blow. It's always a shock to lose a buddy, a man you worked with and fought with. I mean, we're all human. I guess what I'm trying to say is... I realize Captain Colt was your friend. He was my friend, too.
Lt. Phil Hartman: Bullshit.
[Long pause]
Major Barnes: Would you, uh... care to rephrase that, Lieutenant?
Lt. Phil Hartman: You don't have any friends out here, Major. Neither do I. We can't afford them. Neither one of us.

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Connections

Referenced in 42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street (2015)

User Reviews

One of the best war movies from the '60s

This has to be one of the best war movies made in the 1960s, an era when all too often filmmakers went overboard in glorifying war while glossing over its horrors and populating their movies with larger-than-life hero characters who could have come straight out of a boys' comic. This movie doesn't fall into that trap. The characters - both German and American - are believable, and the movie sets and the equipment used (with the glaring exception of Korean War era American tanks) are authentic for the period. With so many WWII Sherman tanks and other vehicles still in museums, private collections and (at least back in the 60s) still in use in large numbers in the armies of several smaller countries, it has always been a puzzle to me as to why so many moviemakers took the simple option and used anachronistic military hardware in WWII movies, presumably assuming that the average moviegoer wouldn't even notice or wouldn't care. The most horrible example of this is the 1965 movie "Battle Of The Bulge". But I digress. Ignoring the tank factor, "The Bridge At Remagen" is a great movie. The best performance among many strong ones in this film has to be that of Ben Gazzara as Sergeant "Angel" Angelo, and the scene in which he kills the German sniper is extremely strong, moving stuff. Highly recommended.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

23 October 1969 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Bridge at Remagen

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolper Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1