A Bridge Too Far, 1977.
Directed by Richard Attenborough.
Starring Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, and Liv Ullmann.
SYNOPSIS:
Richard Attenborough’s minor classic (your mileage may vary, of course) A Bridge Too Far has been reissued on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD by Kino Lorber, who commissioned a new 4K scan and clean-up of the original camera negative as well as a new commentary track. There’s only one other extra found here — a legacy commentary track with screenwriter William Goldman and members of the crew — but this one is still worth picking up if you’re a fan of this film, as I am.
Most World War II films (key word: “most”) are of some kind of a hopeful nature, even if many of the protagonists are dead by the end credits. However, 1977’s A Bridge Too Far, directed by Richard Attenborough from a William Goldman script based on the book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, focuses on Operation Market Garden, an invasion of Holland that began with but ended in defeat.
A Bridge Too Far is also unique, especially when compared to World War II films of the past 35-40 years, in its ensemble nature. It was one of the last, if not the last, of big-budget films packed with stars of the era. However, Hollywood studios had grown wary of that kind of movie, and producer Joseph E. Levine ended up fronting most of the budget, with the cast agreeing to all work for the same flat fee.
Because of that, the film feels disjointed at times. It’s not hard to imagine many cast members’ agents lobbying to ensure their clients had at least one key scene, even if their roles were limited. Thus, Elliott Gould gets to chomp a cigar and bark orders, and James Caan has the opportunity for a tense scene in which he pulls a gun on a doctor and insists that he work on his buddy, who has been shot in the head.
Other roles are meatier, of course, with Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Anthony Hopkins getting plenty of screen time as members of the UK side of the invasion trying to desperately capture and hold the city of Arnhem. On the American side, Ryan O’Neal and Robert Redford get their turns in the spotlight, and John Ratzenberger and Denhom Elliott are among the recognizable character actors playing minor roles among both groups of soldiers.
Gene Hackman also has a decent-sized role as a Polish major general leading his own troops, although his attempt at an accent is a bit dodgy. Maximilian Schell is the leading actor among those playing the German side, and Laurence Olivier and Liv Ullmann have parts as Dutch civilians.
With a running time of nearly three hours, A Bridge Too Far is an epic worthy of its name, with plenty of plot development to keep the viewer’s interest, despite the film’s drawbacks. Some folks have no use at all for it, but I’m not in that camp.
This new edition from Kino Lorber sports a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. I received a Blu-ray for my review, and it looked solid on my setup, aside from some blemishes in the image here and there; you can also pick it up on 4K Ultra HD.
Unfortunately, the bonus features found here are scant, with just the trailer and a pair of commentary tracks. If you’re a fan of the film, you might want to track down the 4K Ultra HD edition issued in the UK — it has a bunch of featurettes and other materials.
For this disc, Kino Lorber did commission a new commentary track by critics Jay Rubin and Steve Mitchell; the former wrote a book called Combat Films: American Realism. It’s a great discussion that’s typical of the “film class on a disc” commentaries that I always enjoy.
The other extra is a legacy commentary featuring Goldman and assorted crew members. They were recorded individually, so you don’t have to worry about lapses into silence or people taking each other off on tangents. This one is more “nuts and bolts” about the making of the film, and if you’re wondering about any juicy gossip given the star-studded cast, you’ll find some of that here too.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
