F-0151

Title:

A Bridge Too Far

Category:

S

Produced:

1977

Country:

USA / UK

Released:

Film: Jun 1977 (USA)
DVD: Oct 1998; May 2002 (2); Oct 2005 (2); May 2007 (4); Oct 2007 (4)
VHS: 1990; Jul 1992 (2); Jul 1994;
Soundtrack: May 1998 [CD]

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writer:

Cornelius Ryan (book); William Goldman (screenplay)

Actors:

Dirk Bogarde (Lt. Gen. Browning); James Caan (SSgt. Eddie Dohun); Michael Caine (Lt. Col. J.O.E. Vandeleur); Sean Connery (Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart); Edward Fox (Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks); Elliott Gould (Col. Robert Stout); Gene Hackman (Maj. Gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski); Anthony Hopkins (Lt. Col. John Frost); Hardy Krüger (Maj. Gen. Ludwig); Ryan O'Neal (Brig. Gen. James 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)

Description:

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. (by Keith Loh)

It is near the end of WWII. The Germans have lost most of France, and the Allied forces decide to give them the final hit. They plan to drop thousands of paratroopers in Holland and keep a few key positions there, until reenforcements arrive. The most important spot is the bridge of Arnhem; once it's captured, it can block everything west of Germany. (Chris Makrozahopoulos)

Tells 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. (Jon Butler)

This massive 1977 adaptation by director Richard Attenborough (Gandhi) of Cornelius Ryan's novel features an all-star cast in an epic rendering of a daring but ultimately disastrous raid behind enemy lines in Holland during the Second World War. A lengthy and exhaustive look at the mechanics of warfare and the price and futility of war, the film is almost too large for its aims but manages to be both picaresque and affecting, particularly in the performance of James Caan. The impressive cast includes Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, and Liv Ullmann among others. While not a classic war film, it nevertheless manages to be a consistently interesting and exciting adventure. (Robert Lane, Amazon.com)

An epic film that "re-creates in stunning detail one of the most disastrous battles of World War II" (The Hollywood Reporter), A Bridge Too Far is a spectacular war picture. Painstakingly recreated on actual battlefield locations and boasting a remarkable cast that includes Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Sir Laurence Olivier and Robert Redford, A Bridge Too Far accurately recaptures the monumental scope, excitement and danger behind one of the biggest military gambles in history. In September 1944, flush with success after the Normandy Invasion, the Allies confidently launched Operation Market Garden, a wild scheme intended to put an early end to the fighting by invading Germany and smashing the Reich's war plants. But a combination of battlefield politics, faulty intelligence, bad luck and even worse weather led to disaster beyond the Allies' darkest fears. (Amazon.com)

Language:

English, German, Dutch

TT:

175 min / 158 min (film, Finland) / 176 min (DVD, 2-DVD) / 573 (4-DVD) / 263 min (2-DVD) / 177 (2-VHS) / 188 (2-VHS)

Bach's Music:

Allegro (Mvt. 3) from Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051

Format:

Color (Technicolor) film
DVD: (2-DVD, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC) | (Collector's Edition, Color, Digital Sound, Dubbed, Widescreen, NTSC) | (4-DVD Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC) | (NSTC, Region 2) | (PAL, Region 2) | (2-DVD, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC) | (4-DVD Box set, Color, NTSC) | DVD (NTSC, Region 2)
VHS: (Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Original recording reissued, NTSC) | (NSTC) | (Color, Full length, Full Screen, Closed-captioned)
Soundtrack: CD; MP3 Download

Company:

Film: Joseph E. Levine Productions
DVD: MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS: MGM (Video & DVD)
Soundtrack: Rykodisc [CD] | Freedumb Records [MP3 Download]

Comments:

4-DVD Set includes: World War II Heroes Film Collection (Run Silent, Run Deep / The Great Escape / A Bridge Too Far / The Battle of Britain)
2-DVD Set includes: Paths of Glory/A Bridge Too Far
4-DVD Set includes: United Artists Cinema Greats Collection, Set 3 (12 Angry Men / A Bridge Too Far / Judgment At Nuremberg / Paths Of Glory)

Watch selections:

Buy movie at:

DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.com [2] | Amazon.com [4] | Amazon.com [Region 2] | Amazon.com [PAL, Region 2] | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com [4] | Amazon.com [Region 2]
VHS: Amazon.com [2] | Amazon.com [2] | Amazon.com [2] | Amazon.com [PAL] | Amazon.com [PAL] | Amazon.com [2]
Soundtrack: Amazon.com [CD] | Amazon.com [MP3 Download]

Source/Links: IMDB
Contributor: Aryeh Oron (November 2007)