I wonder if the Germans thought of charging a toll

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2009)

In the opening hour of Richard Attenborough's monumental Second World War epic, Major General Robert Urquhart, played by Sean Connery, is greeted upon parachuting into Holland by lunatics who have escaped from a nearby asylum. This image sums up perfectly the tragicomic circumstances of Operation Market Garden, an Allied offensive in 1944 that led to some 30,000 casualties between the two sides.
'A Bridge Too Far' is the last in cinema's tradition of grand battle epics, marked by such blockbusters as 'The Guns of Navarone,' 'The Longest Day,' and 'Patton.' All of these titles sported major casts, large-scale action, and outstanding production values. While Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' has paved new roads for the genre, 'A Bridge Too Far' marks the end of a special time in Hollywood when vast arrays of talent came together for a single project. It seems unlikely that another such film will appear in the near future with production costs skyrocketing, so it's quite appropriate that 'A Bridge Too Far' has something of a last word on the Second World War's bloodshed.
Adapted by screenwriter William Goldman from Cornelius Ryan's popular book, 'A Bridge Too Far' steers us through the hasty planning, poor execution, and horrific aftermath of Market Garden, a high-stakes offensive for ending the war in Europe by Christmas 1944. The plan, 'credited' to Bernard Montgomery, involved dropping 35,000 Allied soldiers into Holland to secure key bridges, funnel trailing armies into Germany, and capture Berlin. In other words, Market Garden - the largest aerial operation in world history - was a parachute version of D-Day.
Montgomery's plan was first revealed by Lieutenant General Frederick Browning, depicted as a snooty figure by Dirk Bogarde. Several generals received the plan with enthusiasm, such as Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox) of British 30 Corps and U. S. Major General Maxwell Taylor (Paul Maxwell). Others, however, looked upon it with reservations: Robert Urquhart, Brigadier General James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal), and Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski (Gene Hackman) were amongst those who found the risks too great. Yet Allied leadership, seeking an end to the war, cooperated. Warnings from Dutch intelligence on the presence of German tank divisions were ignored and the Allied generals quickly discovered their mistake.
Most of the film's running time is comprised of Allied efforts to secure the Dutch bridges, with leading Hollywood and European actors making appearances. Included are Michael Caine, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Liv Ullmann, and Hardy Krüger. Because of space limits, a great deal of talent must be left out here. Filmed at original battle sites, 'A Bridge Too Far' is packed with tanks, jeeps, airplanes, and heavy artillery. Hundreds of extras, including paratroopers, fill expansive action scenes made years before the digital magic of CGI.
While sympathetic to men in combat, 'A Bridge Too Far' portrays the Allies as bringing a great deal of failure upon themselves. Besides paratroopers fighting with rifles against German tanks, we hear of crystal radios that don't work, watch supply drops that always miss their target, and enjoy Allied vehicles standing on roadsides (in a plan of 'thunderclap surprise'). Caution should be exercised in watching history through the lens of a filmmaker, but it's hard not to think of Market Garden as a study in human ineptitude and ask how the Allied generals could've won any battles, let alone this one.
'Bridge' reaches its high point at the 130-minute mark when Allied soldiers become increasingly desperate to break through Nijmegen. In need of boats to move across the River Waal, a unit led by U. S. Major Julian Cook (Robert Redford) is forced to row through a smoke screen in rafts while S. S. Panzer divisions leisurely wait on the other side. Amidst these soldiers' incredible bravery, the operation takes on an air of farce, as if the Allied leadership planned these tactics while in a nightclub.
Richard Attenborough, whose directorial résumé includes 'Gandhi,' 'A Chorus Line,' and 'Chaplin,' has given more than enough justice to these broad events. Despite having to manage a huge cast of stars, Attenborough makes his actors work as a cohesive unit, with none of the roles taking on a cameo-like feel. His characters are interwoven through the storyline, returning to the fore at various times and maintaining their human interest. Though William Goldman's script feels clichéd and spits up encyclopedic facts to keep the viewer informed, the actors' enthusiasm overcomes most of its weaknesses.
The production was nicely filmed by Geoffrey Unsworth ('Cromwell,' 'Superman') and superbly edited by Antony Gibbs ('Rollerball,' 'Dune'). Composer John Addison has made a repetitive soundtrack, but gives appropriate color to the film's plot line. Interestingly, Addison was a soldier in British 30 Corps during the Market Garden operation.
While epic war films are nowadays compared to 'Saving Private Ryan,' much has to be said for 'A Bridge Too Far,' which offers a different perspective on how the Second World War was fought. Aside from moments of lame humor, Gene Hackman's bad Polish accent, and (for many viewers) an extreme running time, Attenborough's opus is a fitting tribute to the men who fought in an operation of good intentions but atrocious design.
In 2005, MGM appropriately released a collector's edition DVD set of 'A Bridge Too Far' with commentary and extras. Already in wide circulation is a 1998 disc with only United Artists' theatrical trailer supplied. Though this earlier release is lacking in sound balance, its visual transfer is well-done with minimal artifacts. The film is presented in widescreen with its original stereo track and a French 'dubbing' option; subtitles are provided in French and English. Monumental by today's standards, 'A Bridge Too Far' is an absolute must for war film collectors and those with historical interests in Europe.
*** out of 4
Roving Reviewer - http://rovingreviewer.blogspot.com