A Bridge Too Far movie review (1977) | Roger Ebert (2024)

Reviews

A Bridge Too Far movie review (1977) | Roger Ebert (1)

Now streaming on:

The recorded message for the show times at the theater seemed awfully impressed with “A Bridge Too Far”, going so far as to describe it as “one of the most expensive films ever made… Joseph E. Levine spent more than $26 million on it!” Well, Joseph E. Levine may have, but if he did, $26 million wasn't enough. Another $4, $5 million for a nice, intelligent little war picture -- and junk this one -- and the $30 million and change would have been well spent.

Because “A Bridge Too Far” is such an exercise in wretched excess, such a mindless series of routine scenes, such a boringly violent indulgence in all the blood and guts and moans they could find, that by the end we're prepared to speculate that maybe Levine went two or even three bridges too far. The movie's big and expensive and filled with stars, but it's not an epic. It's the longest B-grade war movie ever made.

Advertisem*nt

Epics give us a sense of vast events meaningfully in motion; B movies repeat formulas. “Patton," with its clear understanding of the relationship between its events and its main character, was an intelligent war epic and money well spent. “A Bridge Too Far” marches glumly from one cliché to the next. And when I say the movie's filled with clichés, I'm not just throwing the word in for general effect. No, I'm employing it all too seriously in its dictionary sense.

Because in William Goldman's screenplay, we find: aristocratic British generals (and their inevitable counterparts, good blokes in the ranks), boyish Americans, Germans who march about like wind-up dolls, happy-go-lucky Irish, and, yes, even the brave Dutch lady who takes the wounded into her house. And that's not even counting the Polish general whose first scene is a Polish joke.

We also find no end of explosions, taking up minute after minute of what in another film would be valuable screen time. We find special effects so cheerfully phony (watch those airplanes carefully) that Levine must at least have held the budget down in the effects department. We find stars hustled onto the screen for their (a) Introductory Scene, their (b) Big Scene, and their (c) What Finally Did Happen to Him? Scene. We find grizzled veterans and scared kids, cynical doctors with an undercurrent of heroism and stupid behind-the-lines generals, and, yes, even a scene in which the battle-scarred wounded spontaneously begin to sing “Abide With Me.”

This is such old stuff! And Levine and his director, Richard Attenborough, have brought absolutely nothing new to it. “A Bridge Too Far” could have been made at any time during the past 30 years and probably better, too, except that in the old days the studio heads would have vetoed it. It's a 170-minute downer about Operation Market Garden, an abortive attempt to land 35,000 paratroops behind the German lines, but why make a movie about total defeat and stupidity? (Or, as somebody once argued in a somewhat different context about “Funny Lady” – why make a movie about the second divorce?)

Advertisem*nt

I haven't yet mentioned the acting and I have space left, so I suppose I must. Well, it ought to be recorded first of all that Ryan O'Neal is so bad in this film that Levine, looking at the daily rushes, should have fired him and started over. O'Neal plays Gen. James M. Gavin as an adolescent. He lacks age, authority, wisdom and what's worse, his voice sounds as if he's about to cry.

He's the worst. That fine actor Gene Hackman, as the Polish general, turns in a performance that looks as if it's trying to hide underneath itself. The Germans (Maximilian Schell and Hardy Kruger) take up where previous generations of movie Germans left off - moving as if all their joints were in splints. The best that can be said for the British actors is that they carry this sort of thing off as well as can be expected: Sean Connery and Michael Caine are competent, and Edward Fox has the movie's… I was going to say “best,” but make that “only good” scene.

Now playing

The Last Stop in Yuma County
Matt Zoller Seitz

We Grown Now
Peyton Robinson

The Strangers: Chapter 1
Brian Tallerico

Power
Monica Castillo

Mother of the Bride
Marya E. Gates

Lazareth
Nell Minow

Film Credits

A Bridge Too Far movie review (1977) | Roger Ebert (9)

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Rated PG

175 minutes

Cast

Edward Foxas Horrocks

Dirk Bogardeas Browning

Maximilian Schellas Bittrich

Sean Conneryas Urquhart

Gene Hackmanas Sosabowski

Liv Ullmannas Kate ter Horst

Hardy Krugeras Ludwig

Laurence Olivieras Spaander

Robert Redfordas Maj. Julian Cook

Michael Caineas Vandeleur

Ryan O'Nealas Gavin

Directed by

  • Richard Attenbor

Produced by

  • Joseph E. Levine
  • Richard

Screenplay by

  • William Goldman

Photographed by

  • Geoffrey Unsworth

Music by

  • John Addison

Edited by

  • Anthony Gibbs

Based on the book by

  • Cornelius Ryan

Latest blog posts

They Are the Best of the Best: Glen Powell on The Blue Angels

about 3 hoursago

Cannes 2024 Video #5: The Apprentice, Rumours, The Shrouds, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

about 3 hoursago

Cannes 2024: Grand Tour, Motel Destino, Beating Hearts

about 20 hoursago

Life, the Videogame: Run Lola Run

about 20 hoursago

Advertisem*nt

Comments

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

A Bridge Too Far movie review (1977) | Roger Ebert (2024)

FAQs

Is A Bridge Too Far a good movie? ›

The website's consensus reads: "A Bridge Too Far is a war movie too long, although top-notch talent on both sides of the camera keeps the end result consistently watchable.", while it has a score of 63/100 on Metacritic based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Why was the movie A Bridge Too Far controversial? ›

Sir 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 Sir Richard Attenborough and screenwriter William Goldman for libel.

Did A Bridge Too Far win any Oscars? ›

There are 14 Oscar® winners associated with the movie, seven of them actors (though none earned their Academy® Awards for this picture).

What was the last movie review by Roger Ebert? ›

The last review by Ebert published during his lifetime was for the film The Host, which was published on March 27, 2013. The last review Ebert wrote was for To the Wonder, which he gave 3.5 out of 4 stars in a review for the Chicago Sun-Times. It was posthumously published on April 6, 2013.

How accurate is the film "A Bridge Too Far"? ›

Regarding the course of historical events during the operation, A Bridge Too Far is as accurate as one movie can be. Not only because it presented events the way they happened, but because it also depicted the bad relations between officers and other reasons that contributed to the operation ending up as a failure.

What is the significance of A Bridge Too Far? ›

The phrase, a bridge too far, refers to any step or action that is too ambitious, any act of overreaching.

How many soldiers died in A Bridge Too Far? ›

The total losses for the nine-day Operation Market-Garden were more than 17,000. British casualties, including 30th Corps men and glider pilots, totaled 13,226. The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division lost 1,432 men, and the 101st Airborne Division lost 2,118.

Did they use real paratroopers in A Bridge Too Far? ›

The para jumps that grieve Murray so were filmed in September 1976. 350 men from the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment recreated the drop with modern parachutes. Attenborough filmed the action from a helicopter, and also with cameras mounted on the vintage planes, even from a jumper's own perspective.

What is the plot of A Bridge Too Far? ›

What is the only movie to win every Oscar it was nominated for? ›

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” also made history with a clean sweep, becoming (and remaining) the only movie to win every category it was nominated in: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Makeup, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Mixing, and ...

Why did Goldie Hawn not attend Oscars? ›

' " Hawn did not attend the ceremony, as she explained to the outlet, because she was in London filming the movie There's a Girl in My Soup.

Where was the movie A Bridge Too Far filmed? ›

A Bridge Too Far - The real location - Review of Airborne Museum at Hartenstein, Oosterbeek, The Netherlands - Tripadvisor.

What did Roger Ebert say before he died? ›

But the day before he passed away, he wrote me a note: “This is all an elaborate hoax.” I asked him, “What's a hoax?” And he was talking about this world, this place. He said it was all an illusion. I thought he was just confused.

How many stars did Roger Ebert use? ›

Every film which Roger Ebert gave a four out of four star review in his career. Does NOT include films that were initially rated lower than 4 stars but were later included on the Great Movies List.

Why did Roger Ebert win a Pulitzer Prize? ›

He was the only one to win a Pulitzer Prize. Roger Ebert had three qualities that are necessary for a great critic: (1) he was deeply knowledgeable and passionate about his medium (film), (2) he was a gifted writer, and (3) he understood his audience.

Why did Operation Market Garden fail? ›

The plan failed largely because of 30 Corps' inability to reach the furthest bridge at Arnhem before German forces overwhelmed the British defenders. Allied intelligence had failed to detect the presence of German tanks, including elements of two SS Panzer divisions.

Why was Arnhem A Bridge Too Far? ›

The main obstacle was that the terrain between the Belgian border and Arnhem—the farthest objective, where a massive concrete-and-steel bridge over the Lower Rhine was to be captured by the British 1st Airborne “Red Devil” Division—was swampy and crisscrossed by numerous canals.

How did they film the parachute scene in A Bridge Too Far? ›

The para jumps that grieve Murray so were filmed in September 1976. 350 men from the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment recreated the drop with modern parachutes. Attenborough filmed the action from a helicopter, and also with cameras mounted on the vintage planes, even from a jumper's own perspective.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 6328

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.