Rating: 
Summary: Great movie about a very tragic event!
Review: If you can accept that the good-guys don't always finish first, this is an epic WW2 movie. Germans speak german, English speak english, Americans speak amer.... eh sort of english. Authenticity is the key for this movie, German tanks are not Shermans painted over. Video quality is good, sound is lacking when compared to more recent movies. For the history or ww2 buff this is one to definitely buy on DVD, Oh by the way, did I mention the fantastic cast?
Rating: 
Summary: Great cast!, Great Story!,but a defective storytelling
Review: "A Bridge too Far" may not be the best war movie ever filmed, but what it lacks in fluidity and continuity, it makes up by an incredible cast. Michael Cain, Robert Redford, and Sean Connery give great performances. And without a doubt there are certain scenes that are extremely powerful and give us the impression of viewing a real life battle. Besides, it is a good way to see a side of the British Empire's contribution the WWII by an American Movie Studio.
Rating:
Summary: Definetly one of the Best WW2 movies out there
Review: I've read the other comments, and I must say that they are a little too harsh. I've watched this movies several times, and each time I watch it, I get a whole new perspective on it. After watching it on DVD for the first time, I was really surprised in the improvement in sound and picture quality. It was truly amazing with surround sound! Its a long movie, but its a very, very good one.
Rating:
Summary: An exceelent film!
Review: In the midst of "Saving Private Ryan" many people are probably beginning to look at the wealth of films that have been produced about the Second World War. This one has it all: an amazing all star cast, historical accuracy and all of the elements of a truly epic war film. This film really gives people an idea of the history of an important aspect of the Second World War and serves as a good history lesson as well as an entertaining movie to watch. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: The best WWII movie ever made.
Review: The countless top name movie stars make this an exciting mosaic of talent. This movie is historically accurate and several of the actors in the parachute invasion scenes were the sons of the actual soldiers in those battles. There are so many details in the maps you can't see them on screen, but the directors didn't care - they knew the details were there. This gives you a feel for the level of quality of the film. I have watched the movie 16 times - and I don't watch movies more than twice in a year! Some of the actors: Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Elliot Gould, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Liv Ullman, Harvey Kruger, Edward Fox, ad infinitum...Not the most uplifting movie (the good guys lose the battle)it is an important film and one every American high school student should see. I also recommend reading Cornelius Ryan's book of the same title. A very powerful film.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical war movie
Review: The true story of operation "Market Garden" during WWII. A massive air drop into Holland to cut the German lines in half by the Allies. Great photography, story line, actors, and actual equipment. A tribute to what a great movie should be. If you like this one, check out "Waterloo"
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film -- Historically Accurate.
Review: In my opinion, the best war movie ever made -- a notch better than "Saving Private Ryan," which contains certain historical inaccuracies. "A Bridge Too Far" masterfully adapts Cornelius Ryan's meticulously-researched book of the same title. More importantly, with the exception of the German tanks and armored personnel carriers depicted in the failed attempt to capture the northern end of the Arnhem bridge, the uniforms, machine guns, rifles, tanks, landscape, etc. depicted in the film are accurate -- unlike the vast majority of war films that cut corners, film off location, fail to research key facts, etc. The "second Omaha Beach" crossing of the Waal River by the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division -- filmed on loaction -- is the most riveting scene in the movie. Also spectacular is the reenactment of the dropping of hundreds of paratroopers over Holland from C-47 Dakotas. The only negative is that the movie can be quite confusing to one who is not familiar with the intricacies of Operation Market Garden. I urge anyone considering viewing the film to first read "Arnhem 1944" by Martin Middlebrook or Cornelius Ryan's above-mentioned book. Some research will help put this complicated military operation into perspective. After you've seen the movie, and if you have the time, money and inclination, take a battlefield tour of Nijmegen and Arnhem (both just an hour-or-so drive from Amsterdam) so you can truly appreciate the sacrifices made by the British, American, and Polish paratroopers depicted in the film nearly 55 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Great Battles, Dialogue, Characters Make A Great Movie.
Review: I liked this film very much. It's not overly patriotic like Saving Private Ryan. It doesn't go for the happy, crowd pleasing ending. It doesn't pick out heros & bad guys for easy watching and it doesn't oversimplify. This is well-paced, collage-style film about human fallibility and what happens when large wartime operations break down. The dialogue is superb. There are 10+ characters interlocked in various relationships at all levels inside the army. These were the top actors in the world at the time, each with a role to play and an independent fate in the battle. All these guys are in their 60's now and seeing them so young is a surprise. Look for John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven of Cheers) in Robert Redford's paratrooper platoon. The production values were also excellent, on par with the best of WWII movies. There were many very realistic battle scenes and all the scenery and soldiers, equipment, etc. one could imagine. To the untrained eye it was 100% authentic. This is not a happy movie or much fun. It's more real than that. Unfortunately it's also not especially harrowing - you know that things are not going to work out. It's just thoughtful and well-paced and very watcheable. If you like WWII movies this one is certainly worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Laid Plans.........
Review: This review refers to the MGM DVD edition of "A Bridge Too Far".... In September of 1944, shortly after the success of the Normandy Invasion, allied troops were eager to put an end to WWII. A huge operation was planned called "Operation Market Garden". 35,000 men were sent by land and air to take the vital bridges and stop the Germans cold. They were led by some of the finest officers the American and British forces could offer.It seemed like a plan that couldn't fail. But it did. Due to many unforeseen circumstances, the German's gained the upper hand, and the operation turned disastrous. Many lives were lost in what was probably one of the worst defeats of the war. The film is an excellent retelling of the actual events that occured(based on a book by Cornelius Ryan).It is a riveting story, directed by Richard Attenborough, with a screenplay by William Goldman.The film is overflowing with big names. It stars Sean Connerey, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Elliot Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Maximillan Schell and Liv Ullman! So all these great stars and an excellent war story, why only four stars from me? I had just a couple of little problems with it.
First, is that there are so many big stars, that their screen time was very limited.It was difficult to really get to know the important charceters they played. Laurence Olivier and Liv Ullmann didn't even make it into the story until about the 2 hour mark(the film runs about 3 hours), and Robert Redford about the 2:10 mark. The other thing is that, the story is a very complicated one, and at times(on first viewing) I wasn't sure who was supposed to be where, doing what, and when.But those things aside, it IS a great story and an important event of WWII, that is well worth viewing that 2nd or 3rd time.I would reccommend it to anyone who loves war movies, especially those based on true stories. If this is a film you already know you want and are wondering about the DVD, it is generally a good transfer of this 1977 film by MGM. For the most part it presented a clear and sharp picture in the widescreen format. There were times it seemed a bit grainy but it was nothing to distract from the viewing pleasure. The sound also was good in the Stereo surround but with all the action probably could be great remastered in 5.1 surround.It may be viewed in French(Mono) or with subtitles in English or French. The only extra on the disc itself is the Orginal Theatrical Trailer, but it does come with a very informative booklet that talks about the operation itself, and also the making of the film(probably a good idea to read this first if you've never seen the film). Oh and don't forget to look for John Ratzenberger(Cliff, from "Cheers") in a soldier's uniform this time. You'll see him shortly after Redford makes his first appearance! Thanks and enjoy....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: War on an epic scope
Review: "A Bridge Too Far" reminds me of an Irwin Allen film. Allen, if you're not familiar with his work, made a bunch of epic disaster films in the 1970s packed to the rafters with big name stars. His "The Swarm" is a schlock classic that every lover of bad cinema should add to their must see list. In the case of "A Bridge Too Far," we're still seeing an all star cast disaster film, but this disaster took place during World War II when the Allies decided to stage a daring paratroop drop behind enemy lines. The idea was to knock Germany out of the war quickly by seizing several key bridges in Holland in quick succession and then send Allied forces directly into the Ruhr Valley, the heart of Germany's industrial base. If everything went according to plan, the Allies felt confident that the war would end by Christmas 1944. It was an audacious plan that ultimately failed due to a number of reasons--including bad weather and a failure to take into account the quality of German troops--and cost thousands of British and American lives. Richard Attenborough decided to make a film about the failed operation in the 1970s; the result is this nearly three hour film. Some people refer to this film as "A Movie Too Long," which I must admit is painfully true in some respects. A recent viewing exposed a number of flaws I missed when I watched this twenty years ago.
Operation Market Garden, the military name for this daring plan formulated by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, sent in the American 82nd and 101st airborne divisions along with the British XXX and 1st airborne to accomplish this complicated task. Unfortunately, military forces were unable to reach the bridge at Arnhem, the bridge too far, that would have led them into Germany. They bogged down instead thanks to a mass of German panzers that prevented British resupply and reinforcements. After nine days the remnants of the British forces pulled out and the operation ended. American troops took heavy casualties as well in their attempts to take a couple of other bridges. This is a short meatball summary of what occurred in Operation Market Garden that I pulled off the Internet in about five minutes. In reality, it's complicated stuff for the layperson to understand, and the movie doesn't make it very easy to follow along once the bullets start flying and the shells start exploding. Yet the film has its compelling points. Just the idea of attempting to recreate such a massive operation is so ambitious as to exhaust anyone even thinking about putting it on film. But Attenborough gives it the old college try. We should admire him for his efforts.
Think about all of the egos Sir Richard had to massage on the various sets. You've got Dirk Bogarde in the role of Lt. General Frederick Browning, the man in charge of setting up the massive operation. Sean Connery pops up as Maj. General Roy Urquhart, and we all know Connery isn't the easiest chap to work with. Edward Fox delivers a "win one for the Gipper" type speech to the troops as Lt. General Brian Horrocks, Elliot Gould overacts as Major Julian Cook, and Jimmy Caan orders a doctor to look at his wounded buddy in a way that would make Alan Alda weep with sympathy. Anthony Hopkins turns in a solid performance as Lt. Colonel John Frost, Laurence Olivier plays Dutch physician Jan Spaander, Robert Redford paddles up a river while taking heavy fire as Major Julian Cook, Michael Caine is Lt. Colonel Joe Vandeleur, and Ryan O'Neal is American Brigadier General James Gavin. My favorite performance comes from Gene Hackman in the role of Polish General Stanislaw Sosabowski. I groaned when I learned about his role beforehand, but Hackman does a great job playing a Pole. He's one of the few guys involved in the operation actually questioning the wisdom of what's going on. And his men eventually take casualties too when they attempt a night crossing over a river. Irwin Allen, eat your heart out!
"A Bridge Too Far" has some excellent battle reenactments. I have several favorites. The exchange between German tank and artillery placements with the Allies on the road to Arnhem is fantastic. They even send in a few planes to drop some bombs! When you listen to this on DVD with a great sound system, prepare to stuff some cotton in your ears. The British attempts to repulse the German tanks rolling in over that bridge look pretty darn good as well. I sure as heck wouldn't want to be that chap strolling across the bridge armed with an umbrella. That scene where the British soldier runs out to retrieve a supply pod dropped by a plane only to fall when struck by a sniper's bullet is one of many scenes that helps keep the film from losing emotional perspective. Aside from the combat sequences, I also appreciated the film's portrayal of the German side of the campaign. Instead of falling back on the old cinematic standby of showing any German in World War II as a raging megalomaniac, the movie tries to present a fair picture of how they countered the Allied attack.
Hmmm. Looking back at what I've written, I guess I have to say I enjoyed the film more than I thought. I'm still going to deduct a star for what I feel was a failure on the part of Attenborough to tighten the film through rigorous editing. I suspect he worried endlessly about what to leave in and what to leave on the cutting room floor since the omission of even one or two scenes could have thrown the whole film into confusion. But some stuff should have gone out the window. Too bad we only get a trailer as an extra...
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