A Bridge Too Far

Well, I've just re-watched it and I've come to the conclusion that it's the best war film I've ever seen: it's got an impressive cast, nice and relatively artistic photography, no silly sense of humour, an ethical anti-war statement (no 'glory' bollocks), good music, as accurate as a film can get... I really enjoyed it!

 

I always liked the movie as well but, will have to go with Jeff in saying that this one isn't the best war movie out there--at least that I have seen. I'll take The Longest Day over this one anytime.

As for best war movie ever made, IMO Decision Before Dawn. A close second could be one like: Cross of Iron or something in that catagory. But it really depends on what catagory we are talking about as Best of. For instance-though POW movies are technically war movies, i'd rather save a Best Of, for that catagory--if you know what I mean?

For instance:

Best movie for battle action: The Longest Day. Hell is For Heroes etc.
Best PoW Escape Movie (tough choice for me but any of the following are my faves) Colditz, The Password Is Courage, The Great Escape and Dunkirk.
Best WWII espionage movie: Decision Before Dawn etc.
Best Naval War movie etc etc etc see what I mean?

 

I do like The Longest Day, but the battle scenes are far of being my favourites. Paul Anka's music and the kind of humour of the film (though I like it), I find them a deterrent of seriousness. Also, the cinematography is utterly conventional, except perhaps in the aerial scene the Free French take (forgot the name right now).

 

crap movie, no offence against any US forum members but it was a typical Hollywood production.

Items made up, like to guy running for the container with Red Berets, Major John Waddy (B.Company Commander 156 Para during the Battle)was one of the advisors of it, as was John Frost, but they were hardly listen at, most of the Arnhem vets, disliked it too.

Have seen dutch documents/records about the production and cost, with the money then to spent they good have done much better, even for that period, without any of the Special Effects they have now.

No the only good one is Theirs is the Glory

 

I even forgot I saw that film until today. It was a great film!

 

For what it was, I think it was a great film and I still enjoy it. A great cast and it did bring a WWII battle to the public's eye. I will keep watching it.

 

I agree. I like 'A Bridge Too Far' for what it is ( which Urquhart described as 'a reasonably accurate spectacular'..). Agreed it struggles to tell the overall story and things were made up/altered/oversimplified to 'fit' the script but some of the individual scenes and characterizations were very good.

And as PzJgr quite rightly says, it raised the profile of the Battle which resulted in many books of research and memoirs finding publishers and adding to our knowledge of the event.

And let's face it, raising the huge budget in Hollywood for a film which shows the bad guys winning cannot have been an easy task......

 

One of the things that bothered me was the "doctor scene." James Cann[sp?] was written off the script after it. When he drove up to the MP asking where his injured pal was, he went right for him. The MP gave a general direction of where he was and he went straight for him.

 

That's it! The-almost-360º take is one of the finest camera sequences ever done!

 

Unfortunately, they don't seem to know how to do anything without that CGI crap thesedays. That is what ruined it for me when watching 300. The actors and fighting and such was really good but, I hated those CG images--such as that supposed ""wolf"" that that teenaged Spartan ""killed.""

Thank God, for the many dozens of thousands of pre-computerized movied that were made. I might never watch a new movie again.

 

That's why I like epoch-films... fancy Baroque costumes can't be made with computers! (though I hope that did, have you ever worn one? Chinese torture-like!)