Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent war film, with amazing acting and battle scenes, 9 Aug 2001
By A Customer
The star studded cast in this film speaks for the film's excellence alone. Actors such as Dirk Bogarde, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman and Anthony Hopkins come together to combine their acting skills. Primarily, the fighting scenes are well structured, with none of the desperado "one man kills fifty men alone" sort of scenes, but instead concentrates on the viewers adrenaline, and the drama of battle. Even if you know the outcome of Arnhem before you watch the film, you cannot stop yourself wishing 30 Corps will rush to the paratroopers' rescue. For me the most poingant part of the film, was the bit where the wounded paratroops were sat on the lawns of a Dutch mansion , singing a hymn to pass the time waiting for the Germans to capture them, while their able bodied comrades retreated to safety. Get this film! It is an amazing war movie, which has Americans in cast, but does not neglect the British role in the affair. Quite simply excellent.
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48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a sprawling, beautifully filmed epic, 1 Nov 2004
This is an impressive adaptation of Cornelius Ryan's bestseller about the disastrous events that took place in September 1944, where the mission to take and hold the bridges that bordered Holland and Germany was unsuccessful, and human toll tragic, with approximately 8,000 casualties in the allied forces, and an equal number of Germans falling in battle. The script by William Goldman and direction by Richard Attenborough holds the many threads of this piece of complex history together, and makes it understandable to the viewer; so much went wrong, from the incorrect, misinterpreted or ignored intelligence, to the basic flaws in the plan.
The introduction before the titles is fascinating, with marvelous archive footage to illustrate a narration of aspects of the war, and the planning of "Operation Market-Garden". The megastar cast is too numerous to mention, but standouts are Sean Connery as Major General Roy Urquart, James Caan, Michael Caine, and Edward Fox, who won 2 international awards for Supporting Actor. Maximilian Schell is excellent as a German general, and when the Nazi side of the story is told, the actors speak German, with English subtitles, adding to the realism of the film.
The cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth is spectacular, some of it very innovative, and with intense beauty; a rousing score by John Addison also adds a lot to the film.
"A Bridge Too Far" was Cornelius Ryan's last big best-seller, and no cost was spared in this ambitious production, costing $ 26 million, a huge amount in 1977.
A must see for anyone who appreciates history on film. Total running time is 176 minutes.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Operation Market Garden, 18 Mar 2003
By A Customer
This film is a very much underrated classic. Unlike the gung-ho exploits of most modern American films, this portrays the stark reality of an army in disarray and at the mercy of the fates.Operation Market Garden was an audacious attempt to penetrate into the heart of Nazi occupied territory, to sever their supply routes and bring the Second World War to a swift conclusion. It failed and was extremely costly in terms of resources used and lives lost. This film brings home the stupidity, arrogance and ineptitude of some senior allied staff, the sheer luck (both good and bad) that changed the fortunes of the entire operation, and the quiet heroism of some individuals. If you want to find out (yet again!) how the Americans won the war, then this film is not for you. It is sensitive to the fact that many nations took place and many gave their best whether they were victors or victims. The film is packed with 1960s/70s mega-stars (too many to mention), is brilliantly acted, and has virtually no noticable special effects. A computer generated spectacle this isn't. However, there is close attention to detail, a real feel for the horrors of war and their effect on individuals. It isn't a short film, but is well worth the investment in time to watch. And did I mention the superb musical score? One of the only pieces of classical music I can recall just by thinking about it. Simply superb!
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