Rating: 
Summary: Good movie but not great
Review: Since "Band of Brothers" came out I wanted to check out other movies involving WW II paratroopers. The movie itself seemed like an unofficial sequel of sorts to "The Longest Day", with similar source material and the many cameos and big stars of the time. The movie had great elements, but too often it was bogged. The best sequences involved Anthony Hopkins as Colonel Frost. Ryan Oneal was completely miscast as General Gavin. I wished they concentrated on a specific event or maybe followed one storyline in more detail than trying to show every aspect of Operation Market Garden. The DVD itself is bereft of extras and the sound quality is terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best WW2 Movies
Review: The movie did a great job in bringing the battles back into life. It is full of epic battle scenes that are historically accurately and well-shot, especially the cross-river assault by 82nd airborne soldiers, the battle encountered by 30th corps, the bridge assult by SS grenadiers. Important commanders of this battle are very well-cast. The story is also very well-balanced, the role of Polish brigrade and Dutch resistance were included. This movie has done a better job than movies like The Longest Day in showing you a WW2 battle!
Rating:
Summary: Not one of the best war films
Review: If you want to watch a great war movie, try Patton, Tora Tora Tora or The Longest Day because this film isnt that good. If you already own this film I would keep it, but if I didnt own it I wouldnt rush out to get a copy. Its just not that good, though it was released with a great amount of publicity in 1977.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good Movie
Review: This movie is a very good war movie featuring an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, and Sean Connery. It takes place a few months after the invasion at Normandy and is about Operation Market Garden, a plan the Allies devised to win the war much quicker. If you like good war movies, than this is probably worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: The "Glory Days" of war movies.
Review: In complete disagreement with Mr. Maltin,I remember the days when you could catch a "good" war movie on TV when it rained on Sunday afternoon. Whether it was, "Battle of the Bulge", or "The Guns of Navarone", or countless others, it was great! Those days are long gone now. To me, "A Bridge Too Far" brings back some of those great memories. This movie is simply a well acted and historically accurate depiction of the Aliies' Operation Market Garden campaign during WWII. It forgoes the realism of blood and gore shown in "modern" WWII's "Private Ryan" or "Enemy at the Gate", and gets into the operational efforts of war. The planning, the miscues, the massive loss and embarrassment behind losing a battle. This movie is not about the harsh realism of war and death, as it is about true conflict in the face of a combined effort of nations, backed by good acting and respect for the effort of the Allies. We know what went on over there and I've heard countless stories from Grandfathers, Uncles, and the like. The movie does not point fingers and make either side look better than the other. It just shows the outright stupidity of war. It helps us understand the overconfidence involved and what happens when something that is "a guaranteed success" or "the word of Monty is a sure win" fails. In the opening scene, the head-strong Britsh General speaks with his staff of three Allied Generals concerning the "great plan" conjured up by General Montgomery. The obvious shock, disbelief and lack of confidence in their faces about this massive operation forshadows the events that lie ahead. Packed with a plethora of big names, "ABTF" gives you these great scenes... Elliot Gould's run at the Son Bridge. Anthony Hopkins and the first meeting with the Germans at Arnhem. Sean Connery's life threatening return to HQ. Robert Redford's Hail Mary river crossing under fire. Gene Hackman and the Poles' airborne jump under fire. James Cann's pistol request to save his Lieutentant. Michael Caine's armor battles with the Germans along the road. There are countless and I means countless others. If you are anything of a true war movie fan, then this title deservers a place in your library! You won't be disappointed. Technically, the movie was very well remastered in letterbox format. Visually it is both clear and crisp while the audio remains at theater level quality. The letterbox format does great justice to the scenes as there is a lot of action happening in the background.
Rating:
Summary: Operation Market Garden at its best!
Review: This star-studded film is a must see film for those interested in World War II. This is one of the '70s big budget war films which covers Operation market garden. Field-Marshall Montgomery's plan which took place September 1944. The Allies attempt to break out of the deadlock in France, and thereby dramatically shorten the winning of the Second World War. Operation Market-Garden was the largest daylight airborne raid of all time . They tried to capture several bridges in the Netherlands and by capturing and holding them, provide the Allies with a direct road into the German heartland. Of course this film shows how the term "Military Intelligence" is an Oxymoron. Recon showed that their was armor in the area and the strength of German forces in the area were in actuality much larger than expected. The British General's with their own agenda's (beating Patton to Berlin) ignored all warnings.It stars Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, and Anthony Hopkins.
Rating:
Summary: The Summer of 76
Review: I can easily recall the Summer of 1976. This Summer marked the making of A Bridge To Far in my hometown Deventer. A city situated 20 miles North from the location the film actually takes place. During this Summer I was in town every day as the crew was shooting evrywhere. I was there all the time with my parents and brother especially the nite they set the actual IJSSEL BRIDGE over the river Ijssel (doubling for the Arnhem Bridge) on fire on June 17 was a night to remember. It was breathtaking. The cast of the film is unbelievable. these days a film with a similar cast would be unpayable. Hopkins, Connery, Caan to name a few were there and I looked at them and years later I actually realise I saw all these stars in my hometown. Eating in the restaurants where we ate, walking in the streets I still walk these days. It is a great piece in my memory. Maybe that's why I really love this film as I remember seeing it being filmed. The DVD lacks a making of but The Making Off is in my head and when I look in my scrapbooks of newspaper reels and to the original film reels and stills I have, that were simply thrown away on the spot, it all comes back. It is a very underrated masterpiece that should be in the collection of any serious DVD collector! At least rent it, you'll have a very enjoyable evening watching this classic!
Rating:
Summary: A different role for Sean Connery
Review: This was a different role for Sean Connery. Sean Connery was General Roy Urquhart, the commander of the British 1st Paratroop Division in the most disastrous blunder of World War II____namely the Allied invasion of The Netherlands on September 17, 1944. What went wrong? In a word, everything! The Dutch Resistance wasn't contacted. Given the fact that it had been compromised early in the war, I can see why. The Germans were in retreat and the puppet government of Seyss-Inquart was tottering on the brink of collapse. So what happened to OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN? It failed. It was bold in concept but it failed. It failed because the Germans knew we were coming. There were also twice as many casualties as D-Day. How could this have happened? The Netherlands had been invaded along with France, Belgium, and Luxembourg in 1940. Plus the Allies didn't practice for it. They'd just sent troops over piecemeal and ordered them to hold three bridges. One at Nijmegen, one on the Maas, and one at Arnhem. The Germans had been able to temporarily turn back the Allies. It didn't last. The September Miracle was a one-time deal.
Rating:
Summary: A Bridge Too Far.
Review: I first saw this movie a year ago, I found it entertaining and emotional. The bits of humor added in put light on the situation that the soldiers are in. I recommend people who think war is fun and glorious to watch this film.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping account of Operation Market Garden
Review: A Bridge Too Far is one of my favorite war movies, and books of all time. The book is a classic, which you should read if you have not done so before watching the film. The film is long (almost 3 hours), but well worth it. I have seen it more than a few times, and always enjoy watching it. I particularly like the Airborne drop and combat scenes. All which leave me wondering how they actually filmed some of them. The cast is full of all-stars with the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, James Caan. The list of great actors just goes on and on. The film does a good job of telling the tragic tale of Operation Market Garden, the largest Airborne operation ever. The plan is bold, which is a surprise in itself since General Montgomery was considered to be one of the more conservative well known commanders from WWII. As you watch the movie, you start to wonder how could they have been so wrong. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and you have to realize that this operation was to be the final punch to put Germany out of the war. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. And, in the end, the goal of reaching the Arnhem bridge is never achieved, and the British Airborne Division pays the ultimate price for the plan's failure. The book does a better job telling the stories of individual soldiers involved in the battle. But, the movie does an excellnet job of keeping the viewer in the action, and aware of what happened when, during the fight. Especially considering, the action took place at three different areas all at the same time. I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in WWII, war movies, combat leadership, or airborne operations. I also recommend watching the movie on a large screen TV if you can.
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