Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 23. September 12 1977

Film — A Bridge Too Far Embassy Theatre

Film

A Bridge Too Far Embassy Theatre

Film header

When all is said and done—there is nothing like a war movie. Practically everyone enjoys a war movie. Those who don't, just say that; if sat in front of a movie like " A Bridge Too Far", they would become as engrossed as the next person. And why is this (says he getting into heavy psychological territory)? Is it because people have an innate love for war? Is it because they can take all their weeks worth of pent up frustrations out on some unfortunate company of German soldiers?

A toy tank for guessing the names.

A toy tank for guessing the names.

Well perhaps. I am more persuaded by the view that people realise that war actually means something, apart from its innate violent nature etc People like seeing the Germans driven back to Germany in this film because it meant an end to the dream of a great Fascist empire to which Britain, and hence New Zealand, would have been subjugated.

War after all is merely an extension of peace time policy. Governments don't fight wars because they like doing it (they cost money and manpower), but because their internal policies require it. Germany had to start the war and hence Britain had to fight back.

Ah yes the film.

First of all; it is extremely popular—not a good point in itself but one worth noting. One of the biggest drawcards for the crowds must be the cast. Their are so many familiar faces in this film that it tends towards the painful. In it are Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, James Caan, Liv Ullman, Lawrence Olivier etc., etc. Is it any wonder that they spent $25 M making the damn thing.

Personally, I feel that the effort of getting all these heavies of the acting world together was largely wasted. There is some extremely bad casting and little would have been lost (and a lot saved $$$) if the parts had been filled by newcomers.

Photo of Lawrence Olivier

The plot is based around Operation Market garden—an effort by Montgomery to bring the war to an early ending, After the Allied forces had landed m Normandy on D-day, they ran into all sorts of problems. These on the whole were not military problems but rather, due to supply lines falling down badly. Although the Allies were driving the Germans back at a great rate, their own logistical problems meant that the entire advance ground to a halt. For no small time it was "all quiet on the western front".

Operation Market Garden involved paratroops cutting off three vital bridges to block the German retreat and encircle the fascist armies. A blitzkreig style attack would be launched on the ground to connect with the special SAS paratroopers.

The film commences with the initial planning stages of the operation. Even from the start there is forboding in the way that the op is arranged—too little time to plan it properly, dissent within operation command, blunders by the Generals, and subbornness and shortsightedness on the part of the Commander in Chief (Dirk Bogarde).

The operation begins and a thrill goes through the theatre audience. Military music accompanies large squadrons of Dakotas in formation flying their loads of SAS paratroopers to their ultimate rum. The paratroops jump to their targets and the sky is darkened by thousands of parachutes. At the same time the ground support (the Tank Division) gets under way.

Photo of a soldier reacting to being shot

By now the audience are at fever pitch. Things start to go wrong. None of the radio sets work, the first lot of Irish tanks are wiped out by German anti-tank installments.

It's now half time and the question is .... how (despite a brief respite of chilled drinks and overpriced chocolate dips) will the audience be kept going at this high level of emotional excitement.

The light darken once more. Things start going wrong—this time for the film. The camera technique of flicking quickly to different parts of the operation becomes tiring and distracting. The plot and geography of the battle becomes confused Kitsch enters for the first time—lone soldiers playing flutes, Redford 'bad taste' heroism and overdone English soldier characterisation. The bloodshed becomes routine now, and one of my companions falls asleep.

Photo of, potentially, Gene Hackman

The end is an anti-climax. Or is it because the battle is lost? If you want to know what happens—read your history, or look at the title of the film.

Perhaps I paint too bad a picture. This is a good down to earth film about an important WW II battle which in the final analysis had a large affect on the final outcome.

It may be too presumptuous to say, but I think that, for a genuine war movie, they picked the wrong battle.

—David Murray.