A Bridge Too Far (1977)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Cornelius Ryan (book)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 June 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Out of the sky comes the screen's most incredible spectacle of men and war!

Plot:

An historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | WWII | Operation Market Garden | Paratrooper | Plan

Awards:

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Lt. Gen. Frederick A.M. Browning
James Caan	...	SSgt. Eddie Dohun
Michael Caine	...	Lt. Col. John O.E. Vandeleur
Sean Connery	...	Maj. Gen. Robert E. Urquhart
Edward Fox	...	Lt. Gen. Brian G. Horrocks
Elliott Gould	...	Col. Robert Stout
Gene Hackman	...	Maj. Gen. Stanislaw F. Sosabowski
Anthony Hopkins	...	Lt. Col. John D. Frost
Hardy Krüger	...	Maj. Gen. Ludwig (as Hardy Kruger)
Ryan O'Neal	...	Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin
Laurence Olivier	...	Dr. Jan Spaander
Robert Redford	...	Maj. Julian Cook
Maximilian Schell	...	Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Bittrich
Liv Ullmann	...	Kate Ter Horst
Denholm Elliott	...	RAF meteorologist officer
Peter Faber	...	Capt. Harry Bestebreurtje
Christopher Good	...	Maj. Carlyle
Frank Grimes	...	Maj. Fuller
Jeremy Kemp	...	RAF briefing officer
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Field Marshal Karl R.G. Von Rundstedt
Nicholas Campbell	...	Capt. Glass
Paul Copley	...	Pvt. Wicks
Donald Douglas	...	Brig. Gen. Gerald W. Lathbury
Keith Drinkel	...	Lt. Cornish
Colin Farrell	...	Cpl. Hancock
Richard Kane	...	Col. Weaver
Walter Kohut	...	Field Marshal Walter Model
Paul Maxwell	...	Maj. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor
Stephen Moore	...	Maj. Robert Steele
Donald Pickering	...	Lt. Col. Mackenzie
Gerald Sim	...	Col. Sims
Mary Smithuysen	...	Old Dutch lady
John Stride	...	Grenadier Guards major
Siem Vroom	...	Underground leader
Erik van 't Wout	...	Underground leader's son (as Erik Van't Wout)
Marlies van Alcmaer	...	Underground leader's wife (as Marlies Van Alcmaer)
Alun Armstrong	...	Cpl. Davies
David Auker	...	'Taffy' Brace
Michael Bangerter	...	British staff colonel
Hartmut Becker	...	German sentry
Hans von Borsody	...	Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt (as Hans Von Borsody)
Michael Byrne	...	Lt. Col. Giles A.M. Vandeleur
Michael Graham Cox	...	Capt. Cleminson
Hans Croiset	...	Old Dutch lady's son
Lex van Delden	...	Sgt. Matthias (as Lex Van Delden)
Garrick Hagon	...	Lt. Rafferty
Geoffrey Hinsliff	...	British wireless operator
John Judd	...	Sgt. Clegg
Stanley Lebor	...	Regimental Sergeant Major
Barry McCarthy	...	Pvt. Clark
Anthony Milner	...	Pvt. Dodds
Anthony Pullen Shaw	...	U.S. captain (as Anthony Pullen)
John Ratzenberger	...	U.S. lieutenant
John Salthouse	...	Pvt. 'Ginger' Marsh
Peter Settelen	...	Lt. Cole
Chris Williams	...	Cpl. Merrick (as Christopher Williams)
Fred Williams	...	Capt. Grabner
Josephine Peeper	...	Cafe waitress
Harry Ditson	...	U.S. private
Erik Chitty	...	Organist
David English	...	Pvt. Andrews
Brian Hawksley	...	Vicar
Norman Gregory	...	Pvt. Morgan
Michael Wolf	...	Field Marshal Model's aide
Sean Mathias	...	Irish Guards lieutenant
Tim Beekman	...	German private
Edward Seckerson	...	British Padre
Tom van Beek	...	Jan Ter Horst
Bertus Botterman	...	Dutch villager
Henny Alma	...	Dutch villager
Ray Jewers	...	U.S. radio operator
John Peel	...	German lieutenant
Ben Cross	...	Trooper Binns
Hilary Minster	...	British medical officer
Ben Howard	...	Sgt. Towns
Johan te Slaa	...	Elderly Dutch man
Georgette Reyevski	...	Elderly Dutch woman
Pieter Groenier	...	Young Dutch man
Adrienne Kleiweg	...	Young Dutch woman
Peter Gordon	...	U.S. sergeant
Arthur Hill	...	U.S. medical colonel
Brian Gwaspari	...	U.S. engineer
Stephen Rayment	...	Grenadier Guards lieutenant
Timothy Morand	...	British corporal (as Tim Morand)
James Wardroper	...	Pvt. Gibbs
Neil Kennedy	...	Col. Barker
Jonathan Hackett	...	Glider pilot
Jack Galloway	...	Pvt. Vincent
Milton Cadman	...	Pvt. Long
Toby Salaman	...	Pvt. Stephenson
Philip Raymond	...	Grenadier Guards colonel
Myles Reithermann	...	Boat truck driver
John Morton	...	U.S. Padre
Patrick Ryecart	...	German lieutenant
Dick Rienstra	...	Capt. Krafft
Ian Liston	...	Sgt. Whitney
Paul Rattee	...	Pvt. Gordon
Mark Sheridan	...	Sgt. Tomblin
George Innes	...	Sgt. Macdonald
Niall Padden	...	British medical orderly
Michael Graves	...	British medical orderly
Simon Chandler	...	Pvt. Simmonds
Edward Kalinski	...	Pvt. Archer
Shaun Curry	...	Cpl. Robbins
Sebastian Abineri	...	Sgt. Treadwell
Andrew Branch	...	Flute player
Anthony Garner	...	British staff major
Feliks Arons	...	Dutch priest
Stuart Blake	...	Soldier
Ray Boyd	...	Soldier
Stephen Churchett	...	Soldier
Jon Croft	...	Soldier
Patrick Dickson	...	Soldier
Adrian Gibbs	...	Soldier
Jason Gregory	...	Soldier
Stewart Guidotti	...	Soldier
Patrick Hannaway	...	Soldier
Brian Haughton	...	Soldier
Anthony Howden	...	Soldier
Frank Jarvis	...	Soldier
David Killick	...	Soldier
Dan Long	...	Soldier
Gerald Martin	...	Soldier
Edward McDermott	...	Soldier
Tony McHale	...	Soldier
Jack McKenzie	...	Soldier
Francis Mughan	...	Soldier
Richard Ommanney	...	Soldier
Peter Quince	...	Soldier
Robin Scobey	...	Soldier
Farrell Sheridan	...	Soldier
James Snell	...	Soldier
Michael Stock	...	Soldier
David Stockton	...	Soldier
Paul Vaughan-Teague	...	Soldier
Jason White	...	Soldier
Mark York	...	Soldier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Attenborough	...	Lunatic Wearing Glasses (uncredited)
Omar N. Bradley	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Winston Churchill	...	Himself (with Monty) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Charles de Gaulle	...	Himself (in car with Churchill) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gerard Franken	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (salutes parade) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alfred Jodl	...	Himself (beside Hitler) (archive footage) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Trafford Leigh-Mallory	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bernard L. Montgomery	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
George S. Patton	...	Himself (handshakes with Ike, Monty) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bertram Ramsay	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Erwin Rommel	...	Himself (below Hitler) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself (with Churchill) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Walter Bedell Smith	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Arthur Tedder	...	Himself (plans for D-Day) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Attenborough

Writing credits
Cornelius Ryan		(book)
William Goldman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph E. Levine	....	producer
Richard P. Levine	....	producer
John Palmer	....	associate producer
Michael Stanley-Evans	....	co-producer

Original Music by
John Addison

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs

Casting by
Miriam Brickman

Production Design by
Terence Marsh

Art Direction by
Stuart Craig
Roy Stannard
Alan Tomkins

Costume Design by
Anthony Mendleson

Makeup Department
Ronnie Cogan	....	chief hair stylist
Tom Smith	....	makeup supervisor
Ernest Gasser	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Nick Maley	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Richard Bamber	....	production manager: second unit
Terence A. Clegg	....	production manager
Grania O'Shannon	....	unit manager
Eric Rattray	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director: second unit
Roy Button	....	assistant director
Sidney Hayers	....	second unit director
Steve Lanning	....	assistant director
Geoffrey Ryan	....	assistant director
David Tomblin	....	first assistant director
Peter Waller	....	assistant director

Art Department
Peter Dukelow	....	construction manager
Peter Howitt	....	set dresser
John Lanzer	....	production buyer
Jack Towns	....	property master
Michael White	....	sketch artist

Sound Department
Peter Horrocks	....	sound editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer
Simon Kaye	....	sound recordist
Robin O'Donoghue	....	dubbing mixer
David Stephenson	....	sound boom operator
Les Wiggins	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
John Richardson	....	special effects supervisor
John Evans	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
George Gibbs	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)
David Harris	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Ian Wingrove	....	supervisor: second unit (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Wally Veevers	....	optical effects

Stunts
Alf Joint	....	stunt arranger
Roy Alon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Amsler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt double: Peter Faber (uncredited)
Vic Armstrong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dickey Beer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Dowdall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stuart Fell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gregory Hodal	....	stunt double: Ryan O'Neal (uncredited)
Gregory Hodal	....	stunts (uncredited)
Billy Horrigan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alf Joint	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Leech	....	stunts (uncredited)
Doug Robinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rocky Taylor	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Turk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chris Webb	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Weissenman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunt double: Robert Redford (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunt double: Ryan O'Neal (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jason White	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Barron	....	clapper loader
Frank Batt	....	camera grip
Robin Browne	....	aerial photographer
Wally Byatt	....	camera operator: second unit
John J. Campbell	....	camera assistant (as John Campbell)
John Cardiff	....	second aerial camera operator
Nobby Clark	....	chief rigger (as Nobby Clarke)
Ken Coles	....	second camera operator
Jack Conroy	....	electrical supervisor
Louis H. Lavelly	....	camera operator: second unit (as Lou Lavelly)
Peter MacDonald	....	camera operator
John Partington-Smith	....	parachute camera operator
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Dave Waterman	....	parachute camera operator
Harry Waxman	....	lighting camera operator: second unit
Frank Connor	....	set photographer: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Hilling	....	wardrobe master
Margaret Lewin	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Brian Mann	....	assistant editor
Chris Blunden	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
John Addison	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Charles Mann	....	military vehicle coordinator

Other crew
Bill Aylmore	....	armorer
Joe Caroff	....	title designer
Sheila Collins	....	production assistant
John Frost	....	military consultant (as J.D. Frost)
James M. Gavin	....	military consultant
Frank A. Gregg	....	military advisor
Brian Horrocks	....	military consultant
Judy Humphreys	....	production assistant
Gabriel Katzka	....	production consultant
Norton Knatchbull	....	location manager
Joseph E. Levine	....	presenter
Loretta Ordewer	....	production assistant
Kathryn Morgan Ryan	....	chief technical advisor
Artur Tarry	....	production accountant (as Arthur Tarry)
R.E. Urquhart	....	military consultant
J.O.E. Vandeleur	....	military consultant
Cornelius Van Eijk	....	dutch liaison
Dena Vincent	....	production assistant
J.L. Waddy	....	military advisor
Constance Willis	....	continuity (as Connie Willis)
Matthew Binns	....	production runner (uncredited)
Brian L. Davis	....	military advisor (uncredited)
Michael Turk	....	marine coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Joseph E. Levine Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Europa Film (1977) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vidéo (1996) (France) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (France) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Airborne Forces Museum  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Finnish Air Force  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Imperial War Museum  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Location Caterers, The  catering
• Military Vehicle Museum  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Ministry of Defence  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Ministry of Defence  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Municipality and Citizens of Deventer  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Municipality of Nijmegan  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• National Archives Washington  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Royal Air Force (RAF)  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• Royal Danish Air Force  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by
• U.S. Department of Defense  the makers of the film acknowledge with gratitude the assistance given by

Runtime:

175 min | Finland:158 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | German | Dutch | Polish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1977) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Bemmel, Lingewaard, Gelderland, Netherlands

Company:

Joseph E. Levine Productions

Trivia:

Dirk Bogarde's portrayal of General Browning was highly controversial, and several friends of the late general suggested that, had Browning still been alive in 1977, he would have sued director Richard Attenborough and screenwriter William Goldman. Although Attenborough publicly took responsibility for the controversy, his relationship with Bogarde was never the same again.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the boats finally arrive to cross the river at Nijmegen bridge, there is water in them, even though they've been transported for days in trucks in rain-free weather. (Probably a result of previous takes.)

Quotes:

Field Marshal Model: No reinforcements to Arnhem. Von Runstedt says we will need them for our counter attack.
Lt. General Bittrich: Counterattack! With what?
Field Marshal Model: Paratroopers are lightly armed and equipped. They cannot hold out for long. If we can hold up their infantry on the road to Arnhem, they will be forced to surrender

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Fairly OddParents: A Wish Too Far!/Tiny Timmy! (#1.3)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

3RD MOVEMENT

"It's All A Question Of Bridges"

"Quite frankly," observes 'Boy' Browning, "this kind of thing's never been attempted before." But it has. In 1962, "The Longest Day" gave the epic star-studded treatment to the D-Day landings, and here we are, 15 years on, doing the same for the Arnhem debacle. It has to be said, the film looks great. From the gently-tinkling light fittings in the Dutch resistors' home to the beauty of the tank tracks in perspective, this is a gorgeously-photographed movie.

In 1944, the German armies were being pushed back across the Low Countries. The Allies' great strategic problem was the Rhine, the wide river which formed Germany's western border. A daring plan was conceived which would overcome the Rhine obstacle and open the road to Berlin. 'Market Garden', as the plan was codenamed, involved parachuting spearhead units onto the great bridges over the Rhine and securing them for the critical few hours it would take for an armoured column to drive up and relieve them.

It is easy now to point to the flaws in 'Market Garden', but at the time it looked like a daring and viable alternative to slogging it out against the Siegfried Line. No-one had anticipated that the Dutch people would pour out onto the streets in throngs, thinking that they had been liberated, and thus bog down the armour. The intelligence indications of heavily-equipped German units in the zone were ignored because they were inconvenient. Critically, the plan allowed for only one solitary road to be available to the Irish Guards for the all-important northward thrust. The film illustrates very effectively the way in which a plan can develop its own momentum, regardless of the shortcomings which riddle it.

The sequence of the boarding and dropping of the paratroops is a thrilling spectacle, shot on a colossal scale. The German ambush which delays the rolling of the armoured column is another terrific action sequence. Attenborough keeps tight control of a big, complex story, and interlards the large-scale stuff with 'human scale' passages, like James Caan's rescue of his buddy (incidentally, the tracking shot which follows his jeep through the forest is quite remarkable).

The fighting at Nijmegen is brilliantly-filmed. Note how the street on the British side grows increasingly littered with war debris as the battle rages. Robert Redford's assault across the river is a symphony in olive drab, leading to a wonderful moment of exhilaration.

Whether the viewer finds the singing of "Abide With Me" moving or grossly sentimental will depend on personal taste, but the subdued ending is very satisfying. 'Market Garden' may have helped shorten the war and may have achieved most of its immediate objectives, but it has to be seen as a tragic mistake.

The film is slick, professional and very pleasing on the eye. One can't help wondering, however, if this kind of 'tank opera' was worth the effort, given that "The Longest Day" had done it all so splendidly a generation earlier.