ABTF: Attenborough's Feeble Shot

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2020)

I have just seen "A Bridge Too Far, (1977). It was directed by Richard Attenborough. It has so many big, well-known stars that you might think that it was hoped that because of them, the film couldn't possibly fail. I'm thinking that they left Elvis out merely out of a semblance of modesty. However, having modern-day movie heroes as main characters did not actually translate to the vast scope of the heroic effort of the mission. The chief officer of the operation tried to liken, for our edification, the situation as the Germans are the bad guys; the paratroopers as the homesteaders; and the Thirty Corps as the cavalry. Such was the mentality of the screenwriter.
In the AHC episode of "Those Damned Engineers," the arc of their story had elements of danger, the unknown, surprise, moment-to-moment taut chess-like precision moves which evinced the superior caliber of U.S. forces. ABTF is stilted and wooden. The contrast is so evident. This story should be retold in the way AHC-TDE keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats and leaves them awestruck. And so grateful for Divine intervention.
After writing this, I went to IMDB and looked up Roger Ebert's review of this film, and we were in total agreement. Check out his review. This story deserves to be told for obvious reasons. I know who should star in it. And a few directors who could do it justice. So, I'm waiting....