A Bridge Too Far

Rating:
Summary: A war film which is over-kill
Review: Sean Connery leads a all star cast of actors in an over-welmingly, somewhat miss the mark film about a disasterious allied raid in German occupied Holland. Length of the movie is too long for a viewer to really enjoy this film, although the performances are quite good.

Rating:
Summary: The top <war> movie
Review: There are a lot of good war movies. There are so many movies around that it would be not possible to have good movie of any kind you choose. A drama exist out of two characters: in the Greek theater the protagonist and the antagonist there can be so many variations that they are uncountable. So it is necessary to point the reason I rate this movie as the top war movie. there can be - an there are - scripts taken out of little groups that are wrestling against the all universe: a poverful exemple is "The Guns of Navarone". Or about personalities, C. Plummer Wellington versus Steiger's Napoleon in Bondarchuk "Waterloo". What distinguish this production is the <chorality> of the work. The generals, the troops, and above all the fate.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Color War Film Ever Made
Review: Unlike Saving Private Ryan, A Brigde Too Far focus on warfare rather than focus a group of soldiers in WWII. An all-star team of actors and actresses gathered in this epic-making war film since The Longest Day. It was the most expansive, most cast member and most extras in a single film. No such movie will ever be made again. A Bridge Too Far is about Operation Markets Garden--an operation that could end WWII early before Christmas. Watch the inception of the operation, the planning, the opposing force, the air drops, the bombardment, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice change
Review: Having visited Belgium and Holland quite a bit I really appreciated the location shooting. It is something not done with very many (or maybe none that come to mind) WWII movies. I am moving to Antwerp this summer and can't wait to go to the Arnhem area with my 16 yr old son to see first hand what sacrafices were made over 50 years ago. I have read the Ryan book and to the best of my recollection this movie is very historically accurate. A very nice change from the studio made movies.

Rating:
Summary: market garden
Review: one hell of a war movie,detailing the story of one of ww2 great blunders.sean connery gives a great performance as well as anthony hopkins.great battle scenes non stop war action great movie

Rating:
Summary: Great Opportunity
Review: This film represents a great opportunity to see European actors not often seen in Hollywood-type films. It is worth having just to see the amazing charisma of Dirk Bogarde, Edward Fox, Maximilian Schell and, above all, the incredible face of Hardy Kruger. These are actors with which many of us are not familiar enough.

Rating:
Summary: If I have big name stars, I have a great picture...right?
Review: I watched this film as a kid and felt oh wow! I see it as an adult who studies WWII history on a regular basis and felt that the only reason this film made it was because Richard Attenborough packed so many big name stars into his picture. I'd rather read the book.

Rating:
Summary: A "must have" for your video collection
Review: For me, this is the quintessential WWII movie of all time. It consists of an all-star cast, an excellent plot line that is essentially based on fact (although not strictly adhered to) and enough action to keep even the most bloodthirsty fans glued to the screen. The film has all the elements needed to make it a typical WWII movie. There is the British "stiff upper lip, never say die" attitude tempered with enough aloofness and casualness to make it seem like they are planning a rather large picnic (Anthony Hopkins, "Lt. Col Frost", wanted to pack his golf clubs and dinner jacket prior to departure). The American forces with all the attendant bravado and hubris were in there like dirty shirts also. There was lots of cigar chewing and swearing along with some friendly put-downs against the allies that is so typical of the American's arrogant "we are here to save the world" attitude that we have come to expect in these films. That part was played to perfection by Elliot Gould. Edward Fox, as always, plays a brilliant part as Lt. Gen Horrocks. He played a similar part in "Force 10 from Navarone". Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman and Ryan O'Neal are just a few of the others cast in key roles. The film shows how the most effective and best laid plans can go awry when just one man feels his input would "rock the boat" and stays quiet. In the end, due to a lack of communication and faulty intelligence, the plan failed miserably. Subordinates were afraid to speak up. Commanders were unwilling to listen or pay attention to facts. The result was a bloodbath and lots of faces with egg on them. This time it wasn't a complete and absolute victory for the allies like it usually is. This time they didn't win hands down. Overall, it is an excellent film. 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: DVD version criticism
Review: An outstanding war movie and as some have mentioned, better than "Saving Private Ryan" for giving an overview of large-scale operations in Europe during WWII. My only criticism lies with Metro Goldwyn Meyer's DVD release of this film. During the early 1980s, this epic debuted on network television, and included both additional footage (particularly a scene of a group of soldiers caught in the street-to-street fighting in Nijmegen) and an hour-long documentary on the "making of." Why these were not included in the DVD version (which is practically standard procedure to sell re-releases now days) is beyond me. The "making of" was particularly interesting, with interviews with Attenborough, Levine, Redford, Connery and Dutch citizens of Deventer, (the town that stood in for Arnhem in the movie.) The ommission of this footage and documentary seems almost criminal, and the best explanation I can think of is that MGM just didn't try hard enough to track it down.

Rating:
Summary: A must see film about the fog of war.
Review: A Brige Too Far is an exceptional film about an event that was overshadowed, in this reviewers opinion, by the events of D-Day and the liberation of Paris. The casting was excellent although I'm not sure about Dirk Bogard's portrayal of General Browning. Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins lead a cavalcade of stars who gave riveting performances. Yet a movie like this can't live on the big names alone. The small supporting roles are what fill out the movie and make it believable. The observations of the Dutch as the German Army falls back in disorder from France and Belgium and then regroups itself. The intelligence officer trying to convince Browning of the danger of tanks in the drop zone area sets the tone. The communications officer wondering if radios that work well in desert conditions will also work in the boggy conditions of Holland. The finding of the battle orders in a wrecked glider and their subsequent misuse by the German commander. The RAF officer trying to explain, to a Polish general, that while it is clear in Holland, fog is preventing the Polish Brigade from flying from UK air strips. The German panzer division commander trying to get his superior officer to understand that a real attack is being made and then the superior jumping ot the conclusion that "he" is the target of the attack. Sean Connery being offered a mug of tea by his batman while he tries to reform his command is priceless. The observation by Anthony Hopkins' charecter that they have camoflague that is fine for woodland areas but not too practical for the center of a city. There are many other brief moments that taken together connect the film and give a much better understanding that once an action is started, it is anyone's guess as to how it will finally end up. What looks neat and tidy on an operation order is far from it when viewed by the soldiers at the battle line, a stone's throw from the enemy. Over all, except for one possible charecter miscasting, the whole film is a tribute to the men of the Allied Airborne forces that took part in Operation Market Garden. A must see film.