MovieChat Forums > A Bridge Too Far (1977) Discussion > My thoughts (spoilers herein)

My thoughts (spoilers herein)


The film itself was sweeping in scope, spectacular in visuals of the logistics of war, but difficult to follow in this ensemble cast made up of a laundry list of who's who in Hollywood (in the '70s and beyond). The sheer scale of war preparation was awesome to behold, and the machinery itself became a star character. As it stood, however, the film was a bit difficult to follow. Where were the characters on the map? How could we tell whether the Germans were succeeding or not? War movies are difficult in some ways in that it may be difficult to show one side winning, and this film was no exception. Still, the sweeping character of the film was generally good, and its slow pace reflected the grind of war as experienced by those in it.

9/10

reply

A nice effort, all things considered. Ryan O'Neal gave the film's worst performance and Gene Hackman's attempt at a Polish accent was almost as bad as Keanu Reeves' British. I even read Cornelius Ryan's excellent book (which really does unveil the awesome scope of the operation) and I still had a difficult time following it. 7/10

reply

I thought the film was too slow in the last part. It just dragged on endlessly. But it had many good parts. And yes, it was quite confusing to determine which side was winning at times.

reply