PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

shelly-182 This movie had most of the makings for a decent war flick - but OH, for the film editing!!! Eeeegads!! The scene/shot sequence and tempo was horrific. God, what a mess! Really can't believe people think this is a good movie. The acting is really the only thing that keeps this movie from being a disaster!

HotToastyRag Richard Attenborough's extensive war epic A Bridge Too Far shows the numerous attempts the Allies made to capture German occupied bridges in the Netherlands in WWII. To go into detail about every plot line would be too extensive, but this is a very heavy, dramatic, tense film with lots of featured battles and missions.While other war movies were rewarded with Oscar nominations or wins, this film was completely ignored during the awards season. The direction and production values were impeccable, and with an all-star cast to draw audience appeal, I have no idea why the film wasn't nominated for anything. It's an unforgettable film, with Michael Caine, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde, Maximilian Schell, Gene Hackman, Ryan O'Neal, Liv Ullmann, Denholm Elliott, and Elliott Gould making up the all-star cast.In particular, Sean Connery's and Robert Redford's performances stand out in my memory. Yes, everyone gives their all in the movie, but the two mentioned actors put a great deal of emotion into scenes where the script didn't give them much to work with. Sean Connery is the man who hears the title line, "I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far," spoken, and his reaction is multi-layered and perfect. Robert Redford is given the line, "Half my men are killed, and you're just gonna stop and drink tea?" which could have sounded corny and awful, but he turns it into something worthy of an Oscar clip.In lots of war movies, there are a couple of lead characters who survive the entire film, and one person who "buys the farm" and doesn't make it home. A Bridge Too Far isn't the typical war film of earlier decades; it's more similar to Saving Private Ryan or Glory. There are dozens upon dozens of characters, and lots of people die. Be prepared. This is a very tense movie, and sometimes it's difficult to watch. Robert Redford is given a mission to take his men across the water, and the Germans start shooting at them from the bridge they're heading toward. They can't shoot back because they need to use all their strength to keep rowing to safety. Redford and his soldiers start repeating "Hail Mary, full of Grace" over and over, knowing at any second they could be killed mid-prayer. It's very upsetting to watch, but I wanted to describe it so you know what you're getting into. If you like those types of movies, you'll find a gem in A Bridge Too Far.

grantss The true story of Operation Market Garden, the Allies' attempt, in September 1944, to hasten the end of WW2 by driving through Belgium and Holland into Germany. The idea was for two US 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.A very well made film on one of WW2's more controversial operations. The movie captures well the scale of the endeavour and the heroism and resourcefulness involved. While most of the scenes are from the Allied side we also see the German command's perspective, and thus the strategic situation. Very realistic and historically accurate.Incredible cast, probably the greatest whose-who of actors ever assembled for one movie: Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins, Dirk Bogarde, Michael Caine, Ryan O'Neal, Edward Fox, James Caan, Maximilian Schell, Hardy Kruger, Liv Ullman, Elliott Gould, Denholm Elliott. Can't fault any of the performances though the salary bill must have been huge!A must-see for anyone interested in history and/or for lovers of realistic, accurate war movies.

SimonJack "A Bridge Too Far" is one of the best war movies ever made. It's based on a 1974 historical novel by Cornelius Ryan who also wrote "The Longest Day" in 1959. Ryan was highly regarded for the detail of research for his books. He strove for accuracy and authenticity. Ryan was born in Dublin in 1920 and became a British war correspondent for The Daily Telegraph in 1941. He went on 14 bombing missions with the U.S. Army Air Forces. On D-Day (June 6, 1944), he flew over the Normandy beaches in a bomber. Then, after returning to England, he went to Normandy on a patrol boat the same day. He later covered Lt. Gen. George Patton's Third Army, and then reported on the war in the Pacific. Ryan's "The Longest Day" sold millions of copies and was the basis for the 1962 movie by the same name. He wrote the screenplay for that blockbuster film that won two Oscars. In an item in Time Magazine of Dec. 9, 1974, Ryan was quoted: "What I write about is not war but the courage of man." There can be no doubt about that in his two books that were made into two of the best historical war films of all time. Besides the logistics, planning, and background details and facts, Ryan incorporates the characters and personalities of individual men in his stories. He covers Allied and Axis forces alike, from generals to sergeants to privates."A Bridge Too Far" is about Operation Market Garden. It has gritty, tough, scenes of men in battle on both sides. Much time is devoted to the fighting of the British 1st Airborne Division in the Battle of Arnhem. The advance airborne battalion under Lt. Col. John D. Frost (played superbly by Anthony Hopkins) captures one end of the Arnhem bridge and then holds out for nine days. All this with ammunition running out and no resupply or reinforcements, while the Germans throw heavy artillery, tanks and mechanized infantry attacks at them. Elsewhere, the rest of the division commanded by Major General Roy Urquhart (played superbly by Sean Connery) is divided, cut off and surrounded by German forces. Operation Market Garden failed because the Allies did not capture the Rhine bridge at Arnhem and had to retreat. It was planned to spearhead a drive to capture the Ruhr Valley and shut down Germany's war production plants. The American 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions did secure river crossings at Eindhoven and Nijmegen, respectively. But the British XXX Corps met with strong German opposition and slowed to a crawl on the ground. It failed to reach the British paratroopers 64 miles away in just two days as planned. So, the whole operation bogged down, with only the ground gained to Nijmegen. "A Bridge Too Far," covers the entire Operation Market Garden. For the first time, the public got a look at the foibles and errors in planning this major wartime operation. The film shows the questions raised by various commands and officers at the time. The major foul- ups were many, and the outcome was disastrous for the British and Polish paratroopers. Just over 2,000 of the 10,000 plus British and Polish force were able to escape when ordered to retreat. The rest were killed, wounded or captured. Not a single radio worked for the British Airborne forces, so they couldn't communicate among their units or with headquarters. How could they go into combat without tested and working equipment? The film shows how. The planners put the landing zone for the Brits eight miles from their target bridge. So a surprise strike and quick capture of the bridge wasn't to be. But the Germans would have time to cut off units and surround them. There weren't enough aircraft for all the forces to strike together the first day. So, units were dropped over three days. Again, there was no surprise or catching the Germans off guard. Instead, they had time to surround the British landing zone. The top brass dismissed aerial photography that showed hidden German tanks. The operation leaders didn't believe or trust the underground reports they received. Yet the Dutch had been reliable for four years. And, when unit commanders expressed concerns, the top brass dismissed them. There were many signs of military incompetence at various levels in this film, but mostly at the top. "A Bridge Too Far" is an independent film made by Joseph Levine and Directed by acclaimed English actor and director, Richard Attenborough. The production team and crew read like a British telephone directory. The cast includes 20 big name American and British actors of the day. Numerous Allied commanders from Market Garden, now retired, served as consultants during the making of the film. Besides Urquhart and Frost, already mentioned, these included Maj. Gen. Brian Horrocks (played superbly by Edward Fox), Brig. Gen. James Gavin (37 years old at the time, and played very well by Ryan O'Neal), and Brigadier Joe Vandeleur (played superbly by Michael Caine). The movie was filmed at several locations in The Netherlands. There are some small equipment goofs, but the military equipment and armament are very impressive. The special effects are "dynamite." The filming of the C-47 "Dakota" transport planes and the towed gliders is wonderful. The parachute jump is one of the best and most impressive I've seen on film (I am a former paratrooper). And the musical score for the film is excellent. This movie didn't receive a single Academy Award nomination in 1974. And it was a year that had very few good films. So, Hollywood blew it by ignoring this great movie. The film did win three BAFTA awards with four more nominations. "A Bridge Too Far" will likely be held as one of the great historical war movies of all time.