A Bridge Too Far (1977) Greatest WWII Movie of All Time?

All of these actors contribute much more than mere cameo performances, but this film is more than just a magnificent, sweeping overview of a botched campaign and the little things that can and often do change the course of history. Perhaps more than any other war film, it bristles with energy and momentum, without recourse to the quick edit tricks and special effects that would characterize many later films. The campaign was supposed to over in just a few days. It lasted perhaps three times as long, still a relatively brief period as far as most campaigns were concerned. The viewer never tires despite its length and indeed most would probably desire it to be even longer. The editing and the cinematography are great, especially in an early ambush on the one-lane highway at the start of the dash towards the first bridge. There is action aplenty throughout the film.

The film will not add to General Montgomery’s historic glory, nor General Browning’s, but it certainly depicts an indelible image of the madness and vagaries of war as well as the often stunning heroism of individuals.

Almost two decades later, “Saving Private Ryan” (see The City Review article) would set a new standard for films about World War II, with fantastic cinematography, great acting and very memorable emotional content, but it was much more of a story about individuals than armies. As such it was in the noble tradition of such films as “The Story of G. I. Joe,” “The Thin Red Line” with Keir Dullea, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “The Bridges at Toko-ri,” “Platoon,” “Paths of Glory” (see The City Review article), “The Naked and the Dead,” “A Walk in the Sun,” “Sands of Iwo Jima” and “Attack.”

The wider approach, of course, has been typefied by such impressive films as “Midway,” “Tora, Tora, Tora,” “The Battle of Britain” and “The Longest Day,” all of which pale beside “A Bridge Too Far.”

The rousing score for “A Bridge Too Far” is by John Addison, who also did “Tom Jones,” “A Taste of Honey” and “The Entertainer” and it is one of best ever, certainly the finest ever done for a war movie.