A Bridge Too Far

[Bobwirtz]

Well at least they didn't put in a fake love story in there... some British paratropper dropped into Arnhem in love with the girl back home, etc. and then another love story on the other side, some German in love with a Dutch girl.

Bob

[ramon]

As an aside....

Many years ago, in another life, I ran distribution and raw material warehouses in Southern California. One of these locations was in Culver City, the location of MGM. By the 1980's, this once noble studio was a shadow of its former self.

One of the productions made there was The A Team. In early 1985, my company was contacted by Cannell and Associates to provide portions of our manufacturing and warehouse areas as backdrop for the episode "Waste 'em."

This episode was directed by Sidney Hayers. He was then a silver haired gentleman who ran his set in an efficient manner. As I walked the perimeter of the set during filming, I had the opportunity to meet him and have a nice conversation. He was one of the second unit directors for A Bridge Too Far.

Sadly Mr. Hayers passed away in 2000 at his home in Spain of cancer.

Ramon

[Bobwirtz]

In the movie the Waffen-SS General's collar tabs sucked!

Here's another question: Did the Army Generalfeldmarschalls have distinctive car pennants or where they all the same? To my knowledge they were a standard, so how can the kid pick out the car standard of GFM Model? They would know there was a GFM present, but which one?

Bob

[Fallschirmjaeger]

I Liked It

i liked the bridge to far alot,wish there was more german action of course,another bridge movie to check out is the bridge at remagen,thats another good one.

[InfanterieSammler]

...

[Homer Hodge]

I thought Robert Redford was miscast as Major Julian Cook, commander, 3rd Bn, 504th PIR although they got the basic details of their crossing of the Waal River right. I also thought the portrayal of "Boy" Browning, played by Dirk Bogarde, was a little unfair...I don't believe he was the callous snob shown in the film. And, of course, the comments about the Germans in the film are right on the mark (including Maximillian Schell's Bittrich with his collar open!). I could nitpick more but I did think the film was a good overall portrayal of Market Garden and Cornelius Ryan's superb book.

[John Pic]

I like this movie and saw it when it first came out in a double feature with Cross of Iron.

Hardy Kruger does bare a physical resemblance to Harmel and I think if they had split the part into both officers the movie wouldve been longer.

I love two scenes in the movie, the one of Victor Graebners attempt to cross the bridge with the 9th SS Aufklarungs Battlion and the one where Anthony Hopkins notices the smoking SS Officer POW and realizes they are tackling an SS panzer division.

I would like to know more about the young British officer who tried to alert
Browning about the presence of Panzers in the area.I think the Brownings attitude in the movie was also a mixture of Browning and Montgomery since they couldnt portray the former without lengthening the film.

Another great book on the subject is "It never snows in September" by Robert J. Kershaw

[InfanterieSammler]

...

[John P. Moore]

I liked both the movie and the book. I too was impressed by the scene where Gräbner gets killed on the bridge. Interestingly, he is buried among the unknowns at the Ysselsteyn German military cemetery. Here is a photo of Gräbner on the day that he received his Ritterkreuz which I don`t believe has been previously published. A veteran friend who worked at the "Hohenstafen" Division CP from 43-45 gave me the photo.

Another good book is "the Tenth" . It's about the 10th Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment. I picked up a dopy suring a visit to the museum at Doorwerth many years ago.

John