A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Directed by

Richard Attenborough

Genre

drama film, action film, war film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

2h 48m

Rated

PG

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 943 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Based on a true story, this film follows the large-scale Operation Market Garden, a risky Allied plan to end World War II by capturing key bridges in the Netherlands. It shows the mission from multiple perspectives, including commanders and soldiers, as things start to go wrong.

epicsomberintensedetailedslow-pacedhistoricalearnestsprawling

What happens

A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 epic war film directed by Richard Attenborough. It depicts Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied operation in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II; the film's screenplay, by William Goldman, is based on a book of the same title by historian Cornelius Ryan. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. Independently produced by Attenborough and Joseph E. Levine, it was the second film based on a book by Ryan to be adapted for the screen (after The Longest Day (1962)). It was the second film based on the events of Operation Market Garden, following Theirs Is the Glory (1946). A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was shot on location in the Netherlands, in many of the real locations where the historical events took place. Although released to a tepid critical response, A Bridge Too Far received several awards. At the 31st BAFTA Awards it won four out of eight nominated categories, including Best Supporting Actor for Edward Fox and Best Score for John Addison—who himself had served in the British XXX Corps during Market Garden. Attenborough was nominated for Best Direction, and the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture. It was a success at the box office, becoming the sixth-most popular movie of 1977. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Soldier of Orange (1977)
• Cross of Iron (1977)
• The Guns of Navarone (1961)
• Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
• Where Eagles Dare (1968)
• Julia (1977)
• The Standard (1977)
• The Conquest of the Citadel (1977)