"A Bridge Too Far" is an excellent war film and the template for which all other Second World War epics should be compared. The history is excellent, the acting extraordinary, and the film tells in a clear and concise manner what was otherwise a very complicated combined ground and airborne military campaign.With that said, there are a few notable flaws in the film. First and foremost...the miscasting of Gene Hackman. In the film, Hackman portrays the Polish general Stanislaw Sosabowski. Hackman does his best, but the acting simply doesn't work. Aside from a poorly done Polish accent, Hackman does not portray well (although he tries) the sheer dejection that Sosabowski must have experienced being sidelined by Allied generals who thought Poles were of little use in military operations. Add to it, this film for Hackman was stuck right in between "The French Connection" and "Superman". It is a totally alien character for Hackman to be playing and it shows.Second, we have what is generally referred to as the "innocence of the SS". The late 1970s were a very interesting time for Germany and its memories of World War II. A lot of the Waffen-SS veterans were attempting to gain government recognition for military pensions and there was an overall movement building, on both sides of the Atlantic, that Waffen-SS soldiers were simply front line troops who did their duty, separate from the atrocities of the Holocaust. There were certainly Waffen-SS members who were not criminals, however "A Bridge Too Far" portrays the Waffen-SS as an honorable fighting force which is respected by the British. Nothing could be further from the truth, in particular case of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps (figured prominently in the movie) which was deeply entrenched in war crimes and had commanded some divisions, especially on the eastern front, which had committed numerous atrocities. The 10th SS division Frundsberg, to be fair, was one of the few SS divisions which was not involved in any significant war crimes; however, the division commander Heinz Harmel asked his name not be used in the film, most likely since memories of what the SS truly stood for still lingered, even thirty years after the war.Overall, "A Bridge Too Far" is an excellent film and highly recommended for any aspiring historian of the Second World War.

Extremely bad plot. Ryan O'Neil is a full general at maybe 30 years old? Impossible to believe. No overview of the ultimate objective. The movie focuses on many lesser scenes--like Sean Connery running from a tank in an alley--that have nothing to do with the plot. Scenes that could be a part of any movie and do not relate to the objective of the bridges. Too many big-name stars that dilute their roles to supporting and nothing more. No coherence between the scenes. The plot is completely lost in all the small scenes and scenarios. Well acted by the stars, but I'm sure they knew it was a horrible script. It's just a disaster of a movie. If you like war scenes, you'll like it, but as a historical story of Montgomery's failed plan to capture these bridges and shorten the war, it completely misses the point. Also, where is Montgomery...the British general who thought up the operation? We need a foil to blame not only the failure of the operation on, but also the failure of the film. The film is as disastrous and expensive as the actual operation.

Besides perhaps Cross Of Iron the greatest WW2 movie ever made. It is tragic while almost certain of victory,the allies should suffer such a defeat,but it was inevitable with hindsight. The over confidence of all but the Polish general is well filmed,despite evidence of panzer divisions nearby. There is no Wayne like propaganda,just the suffering on both sides fairly portrayed. It was a big underestimation of the SS units they would be facing,battle hardened as they were. Fine performances in an all star cast,and capturing the futility and sheer blood letting of war make this an unforgettable classic. I think Sean Connery and Dirk Bogarde stood out,Bogarde all too willing to sacrifice his men.

We begin with what looks like archival World War II footage. After D-Day, the Allies have turned the tide. Now, they expect to defeat the Germans. In September of 1944, with the war's end presumably in sight, American and British forces embark on a mission they hope will win the war by December 1944, so everyone can be home for Christmas. Being home for Christmas is a righteous goal. The mission involves Allied troops going into Dutch territory held by the Germans and gaining control of strategic bridges. History, the title, and tone of this production leaves little doubt about the mission's outcome...Knowing how it ends doesn't always mean a story can't engage. Some stories are so engaging, you can watch them over and over again. We know Superman and Batman will return, but seeing their lives put in danger can still excite. Good story-telling qualities always help. Joseph E. Levine and his director Richard Attenborough are trying to make "A Bridge Too Far" work, but the film is quite exhausting. There is simply not enough story for the length. Back in the 1970s, Mr. Attenborough could not say, "Save it for the director's cut." So, we have excess in effective acting and explosive production scenes...The basic story, of a failed mission, isn't even properly presented. One gets the feeling the Allies should only try to blow-up the bridges. Simply infiltrating German-held territory is a good way to get killed. With great gusto, Edward Fox outlines an impossible mission. Later, poor Dirk Bogarde nonchalantly explains it away. We're not sure if it was a suicide mission. The original "I'll be Home for Christmas" goal is forgotten. The subplots involve an all-star cast, but their characters have little substance. The better performances are given by lesser names, who blend into their undeveloped roles more successfully...Arguably, the leading man is Sean Connery (as Robert Urquhart). He seems to be around most often and appears in command. Like several of the big names in the cast, he is always the Actor in his Role. Even more obvious are Ryan O'Neal and Robert Redford, implicitly and explicitly giving "Hail Mary" passes. Elliott Gould finds his character swinging on a cigar. Gene Hackman ventures into a Polish accent. James Caan shows muscle. The non-Americans are better, with Laurence Olivier blending best into his civilian character. Olivier perfected his movie camera acting in the late 1930s and never looked back...As yet unmentioned are Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and Maximilian Schell. All are dependable performers and succeed by not sticking out like money-making box-office movie stars. Always good, Liv Ullmann appears later in the running time. There is a distinct line of Swedish acting excellence, running from Greta Garbo through Ingrid Bergman and Ms. Ullmann. They rarely, if ever, give bad performances. Geoffrey Unsworth photography is fine, as expected, but John Addison's music really needed a better story. The production costs are obviously high. But the causalities are even higher.***** A Bridge Too Far (6/15/77) Richard Attenborough ~ Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier