A Bridge Too Far **** (1977, 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, Liv Ullmann) – Classic Movie Review 1.398

Director Richard Attenborough’s intelligent, well-meaning and honourable 1977 epic anti-war film A Bridge Too Far is rousingly staged on a huge canvas. It grasps the nettle of tackling the tricky subject of a military disaster, popularising itself with a great international all-star cast, but without glamourising the subject at all.

A Bridge Too Far tells the story of the failure of Operation Market Garden during World War Two, the Allied attempt to break through German lines and seize several bridges in the occupied Netherlands, including one at Arnhem, with the main objective of outflanking German defences. It details the Allied defeat at Arnhem in September 1944 when 35,000 troops are parachuted into the Netherlands to secure six key bridges behind Nazi lines. The weather and mistaken planning combine to produce one of the biggest Allied catastrophes of the war.

Adapting the 1974 bestselling book by Cornelius Ryan, screenwriter William Goldman slightly loses the threads of plot in the intricacies of the narrative, and, as so many sour wits observed, it is a film too long. But Attenborough is up to the big moments, delivering several thrilling set pieces, and there’s some impressive acting among the mammoth roster of guest stars.

Despite its hesitancies, it is an honest and thought-provoking movie from a director who has a warm heart and always wears it on his sleeve. Geoffrey Unsworth’s cinematography is an impressive achievement. Acting-wise, Edward Fox is outstanding as Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks, with James Caan and Anthony Hopkins also excellent as Staff Sergeant Eddie Dohun and Lt. Col. John Frost.

The amazing all-star cast also includes Sean Connery as Major-General Roy Urquhart, Dirk Bogarde as Lieutenant-General Frederick ‘Boy’ Browning, Ryan O’Neal as Brigadier General James Gavin, Michael Caine as Lieutenant-Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur, Elliott Gould as Colonel Robert Stout, Gene Hackman as Major General Stanisław Sosabowski, Hardy Krüger as Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Karl Ludwig, Laurence Olivier as Dr. Jan Spaander, Robert Redford as Major Julian Cook, Maximilian Schell as General der Waffen-SS Wilhelm Bittrich and Liv Ullmann as Kate ter Horst.

Arthur Hill, Wolfgang Preiss, Jeremy Kemp, Denholm Elliott, Nicholas Campbell, Christopher Good, Peter Faber, Ian Charleson and Keith Drinkel co-star, with John Ratzenberger as Lieutenant Wall, Garrick Hagon as Lieutenant Rafferty, Paul Maxwell as Major General Maxwell Taylor, Erik Chitty as Organist and Richard Attenborough in an uncredited cameo as lunatic wearing glasses.

Weak at the American box office and ignored at the Academy Awards, it was the winner of the London Evening Standard Award for Best Film and four Bafta awards: Best Cinematography, Best Soundtrack, Best Supporting Actor for Edward Fox) and the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for John Addison (who had served in the British XXX Corps during Market Garden).

Sidney Hayers helped with second unit direction.

Originally running 176 minutes, the cut version runs at 158 minutes.

The title comes from British Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who allegedly told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the operation’s architect, before the operation: ‘I think we may be going a bridge too far.’

Producer Joseph E. Levine financed the $22 million budget. He then showed footage from the film while it was shooting to distributors and by the time it was finished had raised $26 million, already $4 million in profit before it opened.

The star actors all agreed to receive the same weekly fee of $250,000 a week. Attenborough wanted to use Steve McQueen as Major Cook, but his manager demanded $6 million for three weeks’ work, so Robert Redford stepped in.

Bogarde knew General Browning from his wartime service on Field Marshal Montgomery’s staff and disagreed over the film’s largely negative portrayal of him. However, Bogarde must have been pleased with his alphabetical top billing. Edward Fox knew General Horrocks and took great care to portray him accurately, citing this as his favourite film role.

It is supposedly the first war film in which actors were put through boot camp before filming.

It is the second film based on a book by historian Cornelius Ryan following 1962’s The Longest Day and is the second film based on Operation Market Garden following 1946’s Theirs Is the Glory.

Hardy Kruger [Franz Eberhard August Krüger] (12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022).

Ryan O’Neal (April 20, 1941 – December 8, 2023) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for the 1970 romantic drama film Love Story. He also found acclaim in Peter Bogdanovich’s What’s Up, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975), Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Walter Hill’s The Driver (1978).

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1,398

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Joseph Levine and Cathy Ryan, widow of Cornelius Ryan, announcing the production.