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A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 epic war film based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan. It was adapted by William Goldman, produced by Joseph E. Levine and directed by Richard Attenborough.

The film follows the events of Operation Market-Garden and the subsequent Battle of Arnhem on the western front of the Second World War. In Market Garden Anglo-American forces made a bold attempt to seize several bridges in the Netherlands allowing a swift advance around the German defensive Seigfried Line and hopefully forcing an end to the war before the end of the year. The operation eventually failed when the Allies were unable to secure the final bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem in time.

Ryan's book was an international best-seller and brought the battle to a wide audience. Having already seen his previous work The Longest Day made into a movie, he had pressured Joseph Levine to do the same with A Bridge Too Far. Ryan however would never see the movie, as he died shortly after his book was published.

Levine spent vast sums of his own money recruiting Goldman to adapt the book, and Attenborough to direct it. He assembled an all star cast that included Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliot Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullman. The music for the film was scored by John Addison, who had been a soldier with the ground forces involved the original operation.

The film's name is taken directly from Ryan's book, which credits it to an unconfirmed comment made by British Lieutenant-General Frederick A.M. Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the operation's architect, before the operation, "I think we may be going a bridge too far."

Plot
The movie opens with a brief montage of archival film footage and a summary of the war so far, narrated by Liv Ullmann in character as Kate ter Horst. The rationale behind Market Garden is explained before the film moves into the opening credits.

In September 1944 Germans begin withdrawing through the Netherlands. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt (Wolfgang Preiss) arrives in the Netherlands to take charge of OB West, but is concerned to discover that the German army has few resources available with which to resist the Allied forces. At the same time, in England, Lieutenant-General Frederick A.M. Browning (Dirk Bogarde) meets with the commanding officers of several Allied airborne formations; Major General Maxwell Taylor (Paul Maxwell) of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division; Brigadier General James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal) of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division; Major-General Roy Urquhart (Sean Connery) of the British 1st Airborne Division and Major General Stanisław Sosabowski (Gene Hackman) of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade. He briefs them on Operation Market Garden, Field Marshall Montgomery's plan to cross the Lower Rhine in the Netherlands and sweep into the Rhur, hopefully ending the war by Christmas. The plan envisages dropping an airborne carpet to seize bridges along a single highway; the 101st need to capture bridges at Eindhoven, the 82nd's objective is Nijmegen, and the 1st Airborne and Polish Brigade will land at Arnhem.

At OB West Headquarters, Field Marshal von Rundstedt and Field Marshal Walter Model (Walter Kohut) expect that the American General George Patton will spearhead the next Allied advance. With this in mind they choose to pull back SS-Lieutenant General Wilhelm Bittrich's (Maximilian Schell) II SS Panzer Corps (which includes the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Divisions) so that they can rest and refit. They choose to send them to Arnhem, considering it to be a safe and quiet area.

At Arnhem, the Dutch reistance discover that Field Marshal Model has moved into the area, and that tanks are in the surrounding countryside. They pass this information back to England, where plans are already being made for the operation. Urquhart and Sosabowski are dismayed to learn that the Royal Air Force has selected dropping zones up to ten miles from Arnhem road bridge, and Sosabowski harbours grave concerns about the mission's chances of success. Another officer, Major Fuller (Frank Grimes) is concerned by the Dutch intelligence reports of German tanks in the Arnhem area. He voices his concerns to Browning, but despite photo reconnaissance that supports his claims, Browning remains unconcerned and has Fuller forcibly sent on leave.

Meanwhile in Belgium, Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox), commanding officer of XXX Corps, briefs his men. The Corps will need to charge up the single highway as soon as the operation begins, and relieve each division in turn. It is hoped that the 101st will be relieved in a matter of hours, and the 1st Airborne Division in a matter of days. Horrocks selects Lieutenant Colonel Joe Vandeleur (Michael Caine) to spearhead the advance.

The operation begins on 17 September when the vast airborne armada takes to the skies. On the ground the huge air formations are heard across England and observed by XXX Corps as they prepare to advance. Shortly afterwards the airborne forces commence their drop. The forces land unopposed and advance toward their objectives. At Eindhoven Colonel Stout (Elliot Gould) and his men are unable to prevent German forces from destroying a bridge, and when XXX Corps finally arrive (after themselves being delayed breaking through German lines), they are forced to construct a Bailey bridge and are delayed further. At Nijmegen Gavin and his men are unable to secure the main road bridge. When XXX Corps arrive a plan is made to use assualt boats to cross the Waal river and capture the bridge from both sides. Gavin chooses Major Julian Cook (Robert Redford) to lead the assault.

At Arnhem the British forces meet only light opposition and Lieutenant Colonel John Frost (Anthony Hopkins) leads his men to the bridge.

The assault on Nijmegen bridge is delayed while the men wait for boats. Upon their arrival the American troops instantly launch their attack, crossing the Waal under heavy fire and taking many casualties. Upon reaching the other side they are able to secure the northern side of the bridge just as British tanks begin to cross from the southern end. However after securing the bridge, XXX Corps waits several hours while their infantry finish clearing Nijmegen. At Arnhem Sosabowski's Polish troops finally enter the battle, but are severely mauled during their drop and in subsequent attempts to cross the Lower Rhine and aid the British. With little hope of relief the 1st Airborne is compelled to withdraw. Urquhart leads less than two thousand of his troops to safety, but the remainder are forced to stay behind and surrender.

Background
Launched in the latter stages of the Second World War, Operation Market Garden was an ambitious plan to outflank the main German line of defence, the Siegfreid Line, by advancing through the Netherlands. In order to facilitate a rapid ground advance, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the operation's architect, planned to lay an airborne carpet of troops in order to capture vital bridges across the rivers and canals that criss-crossed the country. Eisenhower approved the plan which was launched in September 1944. 35,000 men were flown into the Netherlands over the course of several days, while armoured infantry advanced from the Dutch-Belgium border. Surprisingly strong German resistance slowed their progress however, and the ground forces were unable to relieve the British airborne forces at Arnhem. After nine days of constant fighting the British were withdrawn and the operation was called off.

The Battle of Arnhem became a famous chapter in British military history. In 1946 Gaumont British produced a film about the events at Arnhem entitled Theirs is the Glory, which employed several hundred veterans as extras. Numerous veterans also published their memories of the battle, right from other ranks to the British 1st Airborne Divsion's commander, Major General Roy Urquhart. But the larger operation remained relatively unknown; the role of two US airborne divisions that had participated was little known in Britain, and even in the United States itself. It was not until 1974 that the operation as a whole was brought to worldwide attention.

Cornelius Ryan had already produced two best-selling books in his career – The Longest Day and The Last Battle – before he began A Bridge Too Far. The book took over seven years to write, hampered by two bouts of serious illness and made use of over 400 accounts of the battle from all nationalities. It was published in September 1974 and became a New York Times Bestseller the following month, although Ryan finally succumbed to cancer shortly afterwards. Nevertheless, his work is credited with bringing the battle to a much wider audience.

Development
Levine had secured the rights to adapt the book into a film before Ryan had even finished it and in 1975 he set about recruiting the staff to make it. Although at that stage Richard Attenborough had only directed two movies, neither of which had been particularly succesful, Levine was determined that he should direct the movie. He had seen Oh! What a Lovely War at a private screening and considered Attenborough perfect for the task. Attenborough himslef was initially reluctant, as he was determined to make the movie Gandhi, but he eventually agreed after Levine promised to fund Gandhi in the future. Attenborough was also swayed by Levine's determination to use an all star cast, as he believed it would make it easier for the viewer to follow the various story arcs.

On 12 June 1975, Levine announced the movie at a press conference in London. Shooting was to begin the following year and the movie would be a predominately British production, with 80% of the costs being invested in British companies.

Pre-production
Levine and Attenborough were at pains to make the movie authentic, especially as so many of the original participants were still alive. At the same time, Attenborough was concerned that some scenes would be unbelievable to an audience, even if historically accurate. Goldman's script was distributed amongst survivors for checking and two military advisors were hired. There was considerable excitement amongst veterans about who would be recruited as the chief British advisor for the film; in the end Westland Helicopters gave John Waddy six months leave so that he could fulfil the role. Colonel Frank Gregg was hired as the chief American advisor and several other veterans with high profile parts were hired as military consultants for input into key scenes. They included John Frost, James Gavin, Brian Horrocks, Roy Urquhart and J.O.E. Vandeleur

Casting
In a movie of such scale it was necessary to condense certain characters and events but this was often mourned by veterans of the battle. Both Graeme Warrack and Walter Harzer were unhappy that they were not individually identified, and that their meeting to discuss a truce was portrayed with three fictional characters. John Frost was disappointed that the roles of Digby Tatham-Warter and Warrack "were slurred so as to become of little account".

German
Source:

Production
Shooting began on the 26 Aril 1976 and lasted throughout the summer.

Filming of the Arnhem Bridge scenes began in May and continued into June. The main action piece - SS Hauptsturmführer Gräbner's vehicle attack on John Frost's positions took one whole week to film and had already been studiously rehearsed for eight days on a nearby airfield. Considered by some to be the high point of the film, it was succesfully used by Levine to help sell the film to distributors before the movie was even complete.

The advisors were able to make some changes to the script, even if their contributions would be somewhat limited on such a large movie. John Frost was particularly uncomfortable with a scripted scene in which he rejected a German offer for the British to surrender, citing the fact that he had never had such a confrontation. Attenborough reworked the scene slightly, after checking with Frost if he objected to being present at such an encounter. Still, Frost was unhappy with the final scene (in which Major Carlyle ironically informs the Germans that they don't have the space or facilities to accept their surrender), believing it was particularly unrealistic – a view shared by Heinz Harmel.

Score
The score was written by the composer John Addison, who had himself served with the 23rd Hussars, (part of XXX Corps) during Operation Market Garden. After reading Ryan's book, Addison desperately wanted to score the film and contacted Attenborough to request the job. The final soundtrack featured sixteen tracks and totalled 38 minutes. Addison won the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the main march has become a celebrated piece of music, popular with marching bands and in concert halls.

Tracklisting

 * 1. Overture
 * 2. Dutch Rhapsody
 * 3. Before The Holocaust
 * 4. Underground Resistance
 * 5. Air Lift
 * 6. Hospital Tent
 * 7. Arnhem
 * 8. Nijmegen Bridge
 * 9. March Of The Paratroopers
 * 10. Bailey Bridge
 * 11. Human Roadblock
 * 12. Futile Mission
 * 13. Waal River
 * 14. Arnhem Destroyed
 * 15. Retreat
 * 16. Bridge Too Far March

Reception
Reviews of A Bridge too Far have been mixed, but it holds a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 2 out of 4 stars. Dennis Schwartz of Ozus World Movie Reviews graded the film C+ and wrote "Though overlong, muddled, ponderous and overbaked, it's not without some impressive moments." Steve Crum of Video-Review Master gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars, and wrote "Dozens of stars do not a classic WWII flick make. James Caan fares the best of them all in a memorable sequence." Emanuel Levy of Emanuel Levy.com gave a negative review of 2 out of 5 stars. However James Rocchi of Netflix gave the film a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. Peter Canavese of Groucho reviews gave the movie a positive review of 3.5 out of 4 stars.

British film critic Philip French applauded the movie however, believing it to be a brilliant piece of work that tackled a near impossible task.

NY Times

The title of the film has evolved as an idiomatic phrase in its own right, which means the act of overreaching.

And another...

Historical accuracy
The film was never intended to be a literal retelling of the book, and certain liberties were taken. Nevertheless, it tried for a high degree of accuracy, presenting one of the most realistic portrayals of a World War II battle within the confines of the movie format.


 * During the conference between Model and von Rundstedt where they discuss moving II SS Panzer Corps to Arnhem, the marker designating that unit incorrectly reads, "II SS Panzer Div".
 * German military policemen properly wear the appropriate gorget while on duty.
 * The "such power at my disposal" dialogue attributed to General Bittrich as he watched the massive Allied air armada was actually only thought by German paratroop expert General Student.
 * On the German side, there was no "Maj. Gen. Ludwig". He is a composite of Generals Harzer and Harmel of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions. In the film's meeting between "Ludwig" and Bittrich right after the initial British landings, Bittrich says he'll handle Arnhem and that Ludwig should deal with the Allied troops in Nijmegen. In reality, the 9th SS (Harzer) was ordered to deal with the British in Arnhem and the 10th SS (Harmel) was ordered to Nijmegen.
 * British tanks are of the right color and, impressively, wear the appropriate divisional insignia of the Guards Armoured division. However, there are no short-barrelled 75 mm Shermans in evidence, which should still be the predominant type in service in late 1944.
 * The anti-tank guns used by the Germans defending against XXX Corps' advance look like 75 mm PAK 40s, which would be correct. However, their light grey color is wrong and the muzzle for some pieces are incorrect.
 * In a road clearing operation, a British Guards Armoured division tankdozer pushes a knocked out M24 Chaffee out of the road. But the Allies did not use M24s during that period. The tank only became available in small numbers to American units during the Battle of the Bulge.
 * Unusually for a film of this period, many actors representing Waffen SS soldiers wear the correct, distinctive uniforms of the Waffen SS. However, by 1944 the party insignia on Waffen SS helmets was usually not worn. However, the credits at the end list (full) General Bittrich and Lieutenant General ("Generalleutnant") Ludwig as one rank lower than their correct insignia indicated.
 * For the attack by the 9th SS Aufklärungs Abt, commanded by SS-Hauptsturmführer ("Hauptmann," or Captain, in the Waffen SS ) Graebner, it was understandably impossible to accurately recreate that unit's armoured cars and half-tracks, although a reasonable attempt was made. Vehicles that somewhat resemble Sdkfz 231s and Sdkfz 222s were built for the film. Also, authentic Sdkfz 7 prime movers (although Graebner's unit did not deploy those) and Kübelwagens were also used. The actor portraying Graebner rides in what looks like a Sdkfz 251/3 command/communications half-track which was correctly used by his HQ company. But in reality Graebner reportedly rode in a captured British Humber Armoured Car.
 * The vehicles of the 9th SS Aufklärungs Abt bear the correct insignia of the "Hohenstaufen" division, and the correct tactical sign for the unit.
 * In reality, the first few German armoured cars of Graebner's column made it across the bridge unscathed due to the fact that they took the defenders by surprise. The British had laid mines on the bridge's approaches and these were expertly avoided by the speeding German drivers.
 * Leopard 1 tanks of the Dutch Army portrayed German armour (presumably intended to be German Panzer IVs or Panthers). Their light grey color was incorrect for any German armour of WWII.
 * When the lone "Tiger" attacks the British at Arnhem, it attacks from the southern end of the bridge. In reality, after Graebner's failed attack, no more German armoured attacks came from that direction.
 * In the film, the British kill or disperse the resting crew of a German tank, thus allowing General Urquhart to return to his headquarters. In reality, while a number of German tanks (including King Tigers) were lost in the battle to British PIATs and 6-pounders, in this case, he just waited for the German tank to move on.
 * On the American side, there was no "Col. Robert Stout" of the 101st Airborne. The character is based on Colonel Robert Sink, commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment whose troops were about to seize the Son River bridge when it blew up in their faces, and who hastily built a temporary bridge in its place.
 * In a few scenes filmed in Nijmegen, the Sint Stevenskerk (Saint Stevenschurch) isn't partially destroyed, which it was, because of the bombardment of February 22, 1944 by the Americans.
 * The incident where a British paratrooper is killed bringing back a supply canister full of red berets is only partially accurate. In reality the paratrooper survived.
 * The Dutch physician 'Dr Jan Spaander' played by Laurence Olivier was a fictional character.
 * The Invasion Stripes on all the C-47 troopcarriers depicted are incorrect: only painted on bottom half of wings and fuselages instead of completely around as they actually were.
 * The British fighter bombers depicted in support of the advancing XXX Corps column were P-64s - never used by the British or in the European Theater even.
 * The dialoge between Frost and Model's adjutant requesting surrender never took place. Instead Obersturmbannführer Heinz Harmel, commander of the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, selected a British prisoner, Sergeant Stanley Halliwell (1st Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers), and sent him into the British perimeter to request that Frost surrender his forces. After arriving, Halliwell explained what Harmel wants; Frost gave Halliwell a message for Harmel to “Go to hell.” Halliwell then told Frost, “If it’s all the same to you, Colonel, I’ll stay. Jerry [the Germans] will get the message sooner or later.”

Production
Air filming was done in the first weeks of September 1976, culminating in a series of air drops of a total of 1,000 men, together with the dropping of supplies from a number of Dakota aircraft. The Dakotas were gathered by the film company Joseph E. Levine Presents Incorporated. All aircraft were required to be CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) or FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) registered and licensed to carry passengers. An original deal for the purchase of ten fell through when two airframes were rejected as passenger configured without the necessary jump doors. Eleven Dakotas were procured. Two Portuguese, ex-Portuguese Air Force, 6153, and 6171, (N9984Q and N9983Q), and two Air International Dakotas, operating from Djibouti in French Somaliland, F-OCKU and F-OCKX, (N9985Q and N9986Q) were purchased by Joseph E. Levine. Three Danish Air Force, K-685, K-687, and K-688, and four Finnish Air Force C-47s, DO-4, DO-7, DO-10 and DO-12, were loaned for the duration of the parachute filming.

Aircraft 6171 doubled as the camera ship on most formations, with a camouflaged Piper Aztec, G-AWDI. A camera was mounted in the astrodome, one on the port upper mainplane surface, with a third camera on the outside of the forward port cabin window and a fourth under the aircraft centre section. In addition, centre escape hatches were removed to make additional camera ports available, provided that no troops were aboard during filming. A second Aztec, G-ASND, was a back-up camera ship on some shots, but it was not camouflaged. An Alouette, G-BDWN, was also employed. After a mishap with G-AWDI, two locally-hired Cessna 172s, PH-GVP and PH-ADF, were also used. Ten Horsa glider replicas were built, but a wind storm damaged almost all of them. Seven or eight were hastily repaired for the shoot. The replica gliders were tail-heavy and required a support post under the rear fuselage, with camera angles carefully chosen to avoid revealing this. Dakota 6153 was fitted with tow gear and Horsa replicas were towed at high speed, though none went airborne. A two-seat Blaník sail-plane, provided by a member of the London Gliding Club, Dunstable, was towed aloft for the interior take-off shots.

Four Harvards portrayed American and German fighters. Their original identities were PH-KLU, PH-BKT, B-64 and B-118, the latter two aircraft loaned by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. These were flown by members of the Gilze Rijen Aero Club, which also provided an Auster III, PH-NGK, which depicted an Auster V, RT607, in wartime camouflage. Spitfire Mk. IX, MH434, depicting a photo reconnaissance variant, coded AC-S, was lent by the Hon. Patrick Lindsay, and was flown by aerobatic champion Neil Williams. The scenes around the 'Arnhem' bridge were actually shot in Deventer, where a similar bridge over the IJssel was still available. Although the original bridge in Arnhem still existed, it was by the mid-1970s sitting in a modern urban surroundings which could not be used to portray a 1940s city. A few scenes were shot in Zutphen, where the old municipality house (a white building which in the film featured the Nazi command centre) and the main church can be seen.

The movie's treatment of military history is somewhat misleading compared to the original book; in particular, the reasons for the delay in XXX Corps reaching the Arnhem bridge differ considerably from the book, which led to the failure of the attack.

An episode of the Dutch TV history programme Tijden (site in Dutch) (English: Different Times) about the making of this movie stated that producer Joseph E. Levine told the Deventer town government that their town should host the world premiere for A Bridge Too Far'', on June 14, 1977. This never came to be, though, and Deventer even missed out on the Dutch premiere, which was held in Amsterdam.

Facts and figures

 * Joseph E. Levine financed the $22 million budget himself. During the production, he would show footage from the film to distributors who would then pay him for distribution rights. By the time the film was finished, Levine had raised $26 million, putting the film $4 million in the black before it had even opened.
 * To tempt the distributors, Levine needed to assemble an all-star cast. The principal players were paid $250,000 a week, though Sean Connery held out for a total of $750,000. The part of Major Cook came down to a choice between the two biggest box office stars, Steve McQueen and Robert Redford. Attenborough pushed for McQueen, with whom he had worked as an actor on The Sand Pebbles and The Great Escape. But McQueen wanted $3 million, plus $50,000 for his entourage, $470,000 to buy a house he couldn't sell and to have his part scheduled so he could immediately begin production on another film for which he was being paid $3 million. Levine turned him down and Redford agreed to play the part for $2 million.
 * Shooting of the American-led assault on the Bridge at Nijmegen was dubbed the “Million-Dollar Hour”. Because of the heavy traffic, they had permission to film on the bridge between eight and nine o'clock on 3 October 1976, and if they couldn't shoot the scene, they would have to reschedule at a cost — including Redford's overtime — of at least a million dollars. For this reason, Attenborough insisted that all actors playing corpses keep their eyes closed.
 * Michael Caine's scripted line to order the column of tanks and armoured cars into battle, was "Forward, go, charge". Luckily for Caine, Lieutenant Colonel Joe Vandeleur was on the set, so he could ask him what the actual line was. Vandeleur told him, "I just said quietly into the microphone, 'Well, get a move on, then'", which is what Caine says in the film as released. Vandeleur was apparently enamoured of Caine playing him, telling him that he was taller and more handsome than in reality.
 * Edward Fox had known General Horrocks before working on the film, and considered him a friend; thus, Fox took great care to portray him accurately. Years later, he would cite his portrayal of Horrocks as his favorite film role.
 * Dirk Bogarde had known General Browning personally, from his time on Field Marshall Montgomery's staff during the war, and took issue with the film's largely negative portrayal of the General.
 * Sean Connery initially turned down his role, fearing that the film would glamorize a military disaster, but changed his mind after reading the finished screenplay.
 * Audrey Hepburn (who had lived in Holland during Market-Garden) was the first choice to play Kate Ter Horst, but declined due to low salary. Roger Moore was the first choice to play Horrocks but his contractual commitment to The Spy Who Loved Me prevented him from taking the part.
 * Steven Spielberg's idea for putting his Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers actors through boot camp was originally done by Attenborough for this film. Attenborough put many of the extras/soldiers through a mini-boot camp and even had them housed in a barracks of sorts during filming.