WWII Movie Review: "A Bridge Too Far"

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It was the largest operation on the Western Front since the D-Day landings. It was the largest airborne assault in history up to that time. It was also the big disappointment for the Allies who thought that they could end the war before Christmas 1944. This was Operation Market Garden, and it was immortalized by the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far based on the 1974 book by Cornelius Ryan.

The film is famous as a movie because of its large number of all-star actors, including James Caan, Robert Redford, Michael Caine, John Ratzenberger, Laurence Olivier,  and Sean Connery. This was not the first World War II film to feature some of these names in one place (see The Longest Day).

However, as a historical film it outdoes itself. Based on the book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, this movie is incredibly accurate in its portrayal of the ultimate failure of Market Garden and the people associated with it on both sides, with few obvious artistic liberties.  Filming for the most part took place on the sites where the actual events happened, most notably the Arnhem bridge.

This is not the shortest film at almost 3 hours, but for the time you commit to watching this it gives you a good taste of one of the most notorious campaigns in World War II and overall it's a great war movie. Until next time take care, and thanks for reading.