Movies - A Bridge Too Far

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	Movies - A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far is a book by Cornelius Ryan, published in 1974, which tells the story of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to force a break in German lines at Arnhem in the occupied Netherlands during World War II. The name for the book comes from a comment made by British Lt. Gen. Frederick Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery before the operation, "I think we may be going a bridge too far."

The Film

The movie was filmed under the same title in 1977, directed by Richard Attenborough and featured an ensemble cast of many star actors, including Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Elliott Gould, Edward Fox, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Kemp, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Liv Ullmann, Maximilian Schell, Hardy Kruger and Ryan O'Neal.

The scenes around the 'Arnhem' bridge were actually shot in Deventer where a similar bridge over the IJssel was still available. The bridge at Arnhem, while still in original condition compared to 1944, was by the mid-1970s sitting in a surroundings that could not be used to portray a 1940s city due to modern urban construction in the area. A few scenes were shot in Zutphen, where the old municipality house (a white building which in the film featured the Nazi command center) and main church can be seen.

Taken from DVD packaging: "An epic retelling of World War II's most tragic blunder, A Bridge Too Far meticulously depicts the ambitious plan which resulted in more Allied casualties than the entire Normandy landing. Painstakingly recreated on actual battlefield locations and boasting a remarkable all-star cast, A Bridge Too Far accurately recaptures the monumental scope, excitement and danger behind one of the biggest military gambles in history."

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

Bloopers

In the scene when General Urquhart arrives at the Hartenstein hotel and learns that the supply drop zone has been overrun by the Germans, a plane with a damaged engine is seen crashing off in the distance. However, if the scene is examined closely, one can see the plane pull up through the trees, and the wingtip is visible just slightly to the left of the fireball.

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