Bridge Too Far [2 Disc Collector's Edition] DVD

A Bridge Too Far
It's late 1944, and the Allied armies are confident they'll win the World War II and be home in time for Christmas. What's needed, says British general Bernard Law Montgomery, is a knockout punch, a bold strike through Holland, where German troops are spread thin, that will put the Allies into Germany. Paratroops led by British major general Robert Urquhart (Sean Connery) and American brigadier general James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal) will seize a thin road and five bridges through Holland into Germany, with paratroops led by Lieutenant Col. John Frost (Sir Anthony Hopkins) holding the most critical bridge at a small town called Arnhem. Over this road shall pass combined forces led by British Lieutenant Gen. Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox) and British Lieutenant Col. Joe Vandeleur (Michael Caine). The plan requires precise timing, so much so that one planner tells Lieutenant Gen. Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde), "Sir, I think we may be going a bridge too far." The plan also has one critical flaw: Instead of a smattering of German soldiers, the area around Arnhem is loaded with crack SS troops. Disaster ensues. Based on a book by historian Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far is reminiscent of another movie based on a Ryan book, The Longest Day. Like that movie, it is loaded with more than 15 international stars, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Hardy Krueger, Gene Hackman, Maximilian Schell, and Liv Ullman. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide

Cast Dirk Bogarde as Lt. Gen. Frederick Browning James Caan as Sgt. Eddie Dohun Michael Caine as Lt. Col. Joe Vandeleur Sean Connery as Maj. Gen. Robert Urquhart Edward Fox as Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks Elliott Gould as Col. Bobby Stout Gene Hackman as Maj. Gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski Anthony Hopkins as Lt. Col. John Frost Hardy Kruger as Gen. Ludwig Laurence Olivier as Dr. Spaander Ryan O'Neal as Brig. Gen. James Gavin Robert Redford as Maj. Julian Cook Maximilian Schell as Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Bittrich Liv Ullmann as Kate Ter Horst Arthur Hill as Tough Colonel Wolfgang Preiss as Field Marshal von Rundstedt Siem Vroom as Underground Leader Mary Smithuysen as Old Dutch Woman Nicholas Campbell as Capt. Glass Christopher Good as Maj. Carlyle Keith Drinkel as Lt. Cornish Peter Faber as Capt. Harry Bestebreurtje

Crew Roy Stannard - Art Director Stuart Craig - Art Director Alan Tomkins - Art Director John Palmer - Associate Producer Miriam Brickman - Casting Michael Stanley-Evans - Co-producer Anthony Mendleson - Costume Designer Roy Button - First Assistant Director David Tomblin - First Assistant Director Steve Lanning - First Assistant Director Richard Attenborough - Director Antony Gibbs - Editor John Addison - Composer (Music Score) Tom Smith - Makeup Peter MacDonald - Camera Operator Terence Marsh - Production Designer Geoffrey Unsworth - Cinematographer Harry Waxman - Cinematographer Terence A. Clegg - Production Manager Joseph E. Levine - Producer Richard P. Levine - Producer Peter Howitt - Set Designer John Richardson - Special Effects Simon Kaye - Sound/Sound Designer Alf Joint - Stunts Coordinator William Goldman - Screenwriter Cornelius Ryan - Book Author

A Bridge Too Far
Screenwriter William Goldman called this movie his generation's answer to The Longest Day (1962), and it's a fairly apt analogy. A Bridge Too Far was, like Day, based on a book by historian Cornelius Ryan, and has a galaxy of stars, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krueger, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Maximilian Schell, James Caan, Elliott Gould, and Liv Ullman. It also reflects the 1970s in that it is a far darker, less patriotic film (it examines the disastrous battle of Arnhem, in which a division of British paratroopers was nearly wiped out) than the almost jingoistic Day, which trumpeted the Allies' successful D-Day landing. Yet, as directed by Sir Richard Attenborough and lensed by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, the film is far superior to The Longest Day. The film is gorgeous, and the Oscar-winning Goldman handles the plot's necessary exposition far more deftly than did Ryan, who wrote The Longest Day. That's the film's primary improvement on Day and it's significant. The film is also bloodier, which makes the battle scenes more realistic. A Bridge Too Far is a good movie that tells a terrible story of a military disaster. It's long, it's detailed, it won't cheer you up, but it may engross you. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
 

Edward Fox: British Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Geoffrey Unsworth: British Academy Awards, Best Cinematography (winner) Leslie Wiggins: British Academy Awards, Best Soundtrack (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DS: Dolby Surround (4.0) Additional Features: cc Audio commentary with screenwriter William Goldman and key crew members Feature length trivia track "A Bridge Too Far: Heroes from the Sky" documentary "A Distant Battle: Memories of Operation Market Garden" featurette "Richard Attenborough: A Filmmaker Remembers" featurette Behind the scenes photo gallery DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 176 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- A Bridge Too Far 1. Start [5:36] 2. The Sound of German Panic [5:19] 3. A Question of Bridges [6:52] 4. A Problematic Plan [10:07] 5. Speed Is Vital [8:55] 6. Off to Holland [6:29] 7. Goals and Gallows Humor [4:00] 8. The Initial Drop [6:59] 9. Shot on All Sides [9:03] 10. There, But No One Knows [4:07] 11. Series of Delays [5:01] 12. "Fool's Courage" [7:36] 13. Gerry on the Way [6:02] 14. Urquhart's Surrounded [6:38] 15. A Guarantee Seen Through [9:48] 16. New Bridge...36 Hours Late [:39] 17. No Good News [4:59] 18. Risking All for Supplies [4:21] 19. New Hospital, New Trouble [4:03] 20. Nightmare by Daylight [5:44] 21. "Hail Mary" [4:14] 22. Unstoppable? [8:57] 23. One Question Answered [3:51] 24. Hope for the Boys [9:25] 25. Aborted Assistance [4:32] 26. A Brief Ceasefire [3:53] 27. "The War Game" [2:56] 28. Operation Over [5:41]