The epic 3-hour war film that brought together Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier and other classic stars

The epic 3-hour war film from 1977 A bridge too far has a remarkable star cast. Directed by Richard Attenborough, who is probably best known for his role as John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993) and Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), A bridge too far tells the true story of Operation Market Garden in World War IIa failed Allied operation in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. The film is set in late 1944, when Allied forces, particularly a group of American and British paratroopers, appear to have the upper hand but encounter unexpected resistance. The film was released on June 15, 1977.

The war epic received mixed reviews despite its stellar cast, which has never been matched since, earning only a 55% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was very well received by casual viewers, earning an overwhelmingly positive audience score of 85%. A bridge too far was written by acclaimed screenwriter William Goldmanwho won the Oscar Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The incorruptible (1976). With such an impressive screenwriter at the helm, it is surprising that A bridge too far failed to impress the majority of critics.

The cast of “The Bridge at Arnhem” consisted of several big stars

His ensemble is timeless

The ensemble of A bridge too far is almost too good to be true. The film stars Sean Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Robert RedfordDirk Bogarde, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Hardy Krüger, Ryan O’Neal, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. An ensemble of this caliber is remarkable and should theoretically have earned the film more critical acclaim overall. War films typically feature some of the best ensemble casts of any film genre, especially classics like Train, A few good menAnd The soldier James Ryan. Nevertheless, the cast of A bridge too far is in a league of its own.

A bridge too far shows Connery at the peak of his film career, which began in 2003 with “The The League of Extraordinary GentlemenIt also has James Caan just three years after his legendary performances in The Godfather – Part II And The playerwhich were both released in 1974. In addition, both Anthony Hopkins and Gene Hackman appear in this film, which is one of their earliest screen appearances. Redford also rode the success of his Oscar-winning The incorruptible and the legendary Michael Caine, today best known as Alfred in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is also represented.

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What it is about: The Arnhem Bridge

It is based on an astonishingly true story from World War II

A bridge too far is based on an actual failed operation involving an Allied invasion of the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, Operation Market Garden. More than 40,000 Allied soldiers were parachuted in with the mission of capturing the bridge over the Lower Rhine to create a salient around the Nazi forces. The invasion took place in September 1944 and was expected to be a routine operation involving American and British troops after Garman had already lost control of most of France.

Had the invasion by Allied forces been successful, it would probably have ended World War II immediately. but as the film shows, the operation failed. The film shows a crucial point in the war, highlighting the specific factors that went wrong with the massive invasion, which involved a combination of poor Allied intelligence and fierce resistance from German forces. Unfortunately, upon watching The Bridge at Arnhem, it becomes clear that the operation was doomed from the start, causing the war to continue for another year.

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Was “A Bridge Too Far” a success?

The film had a decent box office success, but poor reviews

A bridge too far was a success, depending on how you look at it. It grossed just under $51 million at the box office worldwide, against a production budget of $27 million, making it a modest financial success. The cast is also a triumph of cinema and is by far the film’s greatest quality. However, reviews were not particularly good for a film with a cast of this caliber. Roger Ebert wrote in his 2 star review of the film: “The film is big and expensive and full of stars, but it is not an epic. It is the longest second-rate war film ever made..” A bridge too far can be streamed on PlutoTV and Tubi.

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The Bridge at Arnhem (1977)

The Bridge at Arnhem, directed by Richard Attenborough, depicts the failed World War II Operation Market Garden, an Allied attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands. Starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Robert Redford, the film offers a detailed account of the complex military operation and the battle that followed, and sheds light on both the strategic ambitions and human cost of the war.

director

Richard Attenborough

Release date

June 15, 1977

Authors

Cornelius Ryan, William Goldman

Pour

Sean Connery, Ryan O’Neal, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Siem Vroom, Marlies van Alcmaer, Wolfgang Preiss, Hans von Borsody

Duration

175 minutes

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