02 Jul A Bridge Too Far
A Bridge Too Far, WWII Movie about Operation Market Garden
(1977) This film is based on the 1974 book by Cornelius Ryan and is about Operation Market Garden, an Allied military operation which turned out to be a disaster. It was Field Marshall Montgomery’s ill-fated brainstorm to end the war by Christmas, and everything that could go wrong did.
What came through loud and clear was the bravery of the men who soon figured out they were in an impossible fight. Here is the most memorable scene with a great performance by James Caan.
I thought Ryan O’Neal was awfully young to be playing a General, but then I read in Wikipedia that James Gavin was the youngest U.S. Major General commanding a division in World War II. One of the men under O’Neal’s command was Robert Redford. He led a group of men across a river under heavy German assault and recited “Hail Mary, full of grace, Hail Mary, full of grace” all the way across.
I never did figure out who was doing what at which bridge. For that I would have needed a chart, a map, and a timeline. Thankfully there were enough well known actors that I could keep track of their story lines.
It’s an agonizing movie to watch, as is “Saving Private Ryan” but just as important historically if not for the exact details but for the heart of what happened.
When one man says to another, “I know what let’s do today. Let’s play the war game” … everybody dies.
I think I’ll watch “A Bridge Too Far” again, this time with the chart.
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