Better Than Average WW2 Film- A Bridge Too Far

Rating: 6/10 (10 September 2019)

Like the battle itself in real life, the film A Bridge Too Far had mixed results. Most of the performances were either adequate or very good, but there were a few red herrings as well. Elliot Gould was terrible as an Airborne officer. He just doesnt have what it takes. I was in the Airborne in North Carolina and Gould played the role like a cartoon character. I hate actors who do that. Another completely unbelievable character in the film was Ryan O'Neal, who has about as much military bearing as Jack Benny. Some roles were well-acted, however, with James Caan in a standout performance, as well as the dependable Gene Hackman as a believable screaming eagle. Maxmillan Schell and Hardy Kruger were very good as Germans, and Liv Ullmann and Laurence Olivier were sound as well. Michael Caine and Anthony Hopkins, two of my favorite actors, seemed to get lost in the dialogue and storyline. Richard Attenborough, who is a consummate professional, was merely making this film to get funding for the highly successful Gandhi; a good parlay for him. The worst part of the film, however, was the music, by John Addison, who was the score writer for the happy-happy Tom Jones film. He is very good with light music, but this film is the antithesis of light music, and required a heavyweight musical score in the style of Elmer Bernstein or Maurice Jarre. Almost anyone in Hollywood could have done a better score. Still, for all its flaws, it is a highly watchable film, and better than the average fare for WW2.