A montage of fragments that spell "war"

Rating: 6/10 (26 April 2008)

An excellent war story (a tragedy), engagingly told, that illustrates the meaning of SNAFU, while showing the heroic bravery of the fighting man, and the sober efforts of his field officers. I saw this on the big screen when it first came out. Now on DVD in a variety of options. As part of the World War II Heroes Film Collection (Run Silent, Run Deep / The Great Escape / The Battle of Britain / A Bridge Too Far) at a pretty good price coming to under seven bucks per movie. Or under five bucks per flick as part of the United Artists 30-Disc Deluxe Giftset. Support IMDb and click on the IMDb link to shop.
A British production, based on the bestselling 1974 book, A Bridge Too Far, by Cornelius Ryan (and faithful to the bestselller's tsunami of detail, a montage of fragments that spell "war" -- fragment: white robed inmates of a bombed mental institution drift through the woods like wraiths) beautifully directed by Richard Attenborough. Loaded with big name stars in every major role and minor roles, too. This is fun to watch, just for that alone, historic facticity aside.
D-Day had turned the war around. The German army was on the run. Enter Field Marshal Montgomery's folly. Operation Market-Garden: an army, 35,000 Allied airborne, with vehicles and artillery, dropped in the Dutch countryside still occupied by Germans. Goal: take five bridges and the road connecting them so Montgomery's Second Army would triumphantly reach the last bridge at Arnhem, thence into Germany. All the bridges but Arnhem Bridge were taken.
If only everything had gone strictly by schedule, it would have worked, but 75% of Montgomery's plan was left to chance. For example. Supply drops and reinforcements delayed by weather. Break-down in radio communication. German panzer divisions resting in Arnhem because it was "a peaceful sector where nothing was happening" -- a deadly coincidence, that. And so on. A week later, Operation Market-Garden became a withdrawal, after the Allies lost 17,000 troops.
A bit of trivia not mentioned (as of this moment) in the IMDb trivia page for this flick? This was a pivotal film for Sean Connery's agent. Other major movie stars signed on to be in the movie -- at respectable movie star salaries -- only after hearing that Connery had been signed for the film, and that they would be in a film with Sean Connery (so cool for them). Connery HAD been signed to the movie, the first star the producers got, but at 60% what the other stars ended up getting. Connery's agent underestimated Connery's worth.
So, Mr. Connery, what did you do when you found out what a bad deal your agent had secured for you? "I didn't pay my agent commission, and I sacked him." Heh. seanconneryonline.net/art_af0589.htm Jeopardy answer: "What typewriter was strapped to Cronkite's body when he parachuted into Europe during WWII?"