There are films that have achieved impossible things. Achieving unbeatable and unpredictable box office figures, becoming popular and a mainstream phenomenon from a rather independent starting point, or assembling a cast of actors that was practically impossible. The latter was achieved by A bridge too fara film released in 1977 starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, among other classic film stars.
Directed by Richard Attenboroughwho we know for playing John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993) y The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), A bridge too far travel until the month of September 1944, when, encouraged by the success of the invasion of Normandy, the Allies resolutely undertook Operation Market Garden, a risky plan to end the war as soon as possible by invading Germany and destroying Hitler’s war industry.
The key was to capture several bridges over which the troops would pass. However, battlefield strategies, combined with intelligence errors, bad luck and terrible weather conditions led the operation to an unexpected outcome.
The film takes place at the end of that same year, when the Allied forces, and in particular a group of American and British paratroopers, seemed to have the upper hand, until they were faced with an unforeseen event.
It is about an epic of war cinema which, despite having all the ingredients to be a success – such as being written by the screenwriter of Two men and a destiny-, ended up receiving mixed reviews from the specialized press. However, it was applauded by audiences when it was released in theaters.
A star-studded cast
Still from ‘A Bridge Too Far’
Among the protagonists of A bridge too far We find a unique and emblematic cast of actors made up of Sean Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Robert RedfordDirk Bogarde, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Hardy Krüger, Ryan O’Neal, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. A combination almost too good to be true.
The feature film was released at the height of the popularity of actors like Connery. y James Caan, who had just released The Godfather II y The player in 1974. In addition, this would also be one of the first screen works of Anthony Hopkins or Gene Hackman, and a production that came in the midst of such successful careers as that of Redford, who had just released All the President’s Men; o the legendary Michael Caine.
It is true that its footage is too long – it reaches three hours in length – and that perhaps it did not achieve the expected success, grossing just under $51 million at the box office worldwide against an initial budget of 27 million, but the truth is that A bridge too far It is still a war film that is worth seeing, at least for the simple fact of seeing a historic cast working together on screen.
Record
- Where to watch it: The movie
- Duration: 175 minutes
- Year of production: 1977
- Written by: William Goldman (Based on the novel by Cornelius Ryan)
- Directed by: Richard Attenborough
- Department: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Dirk Bogarde, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Liv Ullmann, Edward Fox, Maximilian Schell, Hardy Krüger, Jeremy Kemp, Michael Byrne, Wolfgang Preiss, Hartmut Becker, Alun Armstrong
