Die Brücke (1959)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Bernhard Wicki

Writers:

Manfred Gregor (novel)
Michael Mansfeld (writer)

Release Date:

1 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

They look for love in a world of violence!

Plot:

In 1945, Germany is being overrun, and nobody is left to fight but teenagers.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | Germany | Nazi | Armor | Nazi Soldier

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins

Cast

Folker Bohnet	...	Hans Scholten
Fritz Wepper	...	Albert Mutz
Michael Hinz	...	Walter Forst
Frank Glaubrecht	...	Jurgen Borchert
Karl Michael Balzer	...	Karl Horber
Volker Lechtenbrink	...	Klaus Hager
Günther Hoffmann	...	Sigi Bernhard
Cordula Trantow	...	Franziska
Wolfgang Stumpf	...	Stern
Günter Pfitzmann	...	Heilmann
Heinz Spitzner	...	Fröhlich
Siegfried Schürenberg	...	Lt. Colonel
Ruth Hausmeister	...	Mrs. Mutz
Eva Vaitl	...	Mrs. Borchert
Edith Schultze-Westrum	...	Mother Bernhard

Also Known As:

The Bridge (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:105 min | USA:102 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Portugal:17 | West Germany:12 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Cham, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Fono Film

Trivia:

None of the tanks shown in the movie are real. Since the German army still did not have any tanks in 1959, Bernhard Wicki had to have wooden models constructed, they were then placed on top of a truck chassis. The wheels can clearly been seen under the "tank" body.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Die Brücke (2008) (TV)

That's the way it was

I lived through that time, I was seventeen, and I know fourteen year olds were fighting to the last " boy ". The realism of this film still takes me back to '45. It happened that way.