The Bridge at Remagen

Amazon.com

Fine casting, rugged characters, and authentic military detail make The Bridge at Remagen one of the best World War II action films of the 1960s. Based on actual incidents during the final Allied advance on Germany in March 1945, the story focuses on the U.S. Army's exhausted 27th Armored Infantry, assigned to seize the bridge at Remagen, on the Rhine River, to prevent 50,000 German troops from retreating to safety. Lieutenant Hartman (George Segal) leads the mission, while a Nazi major (Robert Vaughan) defies orders by attempting to hold the bridge instead of blowing it up. With strong emphasis on war's harsher realities, the film features compelling characters who illustrate the camaraderie of survivors and the heroism of mavericks in the thick of battle. Segal and Ben Gazzara effectively convey a hard-won friendship, and the film's dynamic action (filmed in Czechoslovakia and Italy) never overwhelms the story's emotional impact. Highly recommended. --Jeff Shannon

Description

An all-star castincluding George Segal, Robert Vaughn, Ben Gazzara and E.G. Marshallbrings all the glory and agony of war to stunning life in this intense and exhilarating, but uniquely human, look at a struggle widely regarded as the most strategic coup of World War II. "Excellent special effects, spectacular photography and fine action sequences" (Motion Picture Exhibitor) put you on the front lines of the battle and with the courageous soldiers who fought it. 1945: The Allies are making their final advance into German territory, and only one strategic bridge on the Rhine River remains in Nazi hands. Both sides have much to gain: the Germans, the lives of 50,000 soldiers stationed on the wrong side of the bridge; and the Allies, a quicker end to the war with fewer lives lost. Though both armies would fight valiantly, only one could win the heart-rending battle for The Bridge at Remagen.

Customer Reviews:

Based on actual event.......2007-07-18

Although an actioneer, the movie sticks pretty close to the historical facts concerning the taking of the Remagen Bridge. Action fans will love all the tanks, jeeps and machine guns; but what sets the movie apart from being routine is the character development of both the American and German soldiers.

OK, but not particularly realistic.......2007-03-21

Back in the sixties and early 70s Hollywood made a lot of war movies. Not all of them were good, though some were very good. Bridge at Remagen is one of those that's not perfect, but has its moments. Ben Gazzara and George Segal as a pair of American soldiers (Segal's the officer) who are pushed by their superiors (Dillman and Marshall) to capture the last bridge standing that crosses the Rhine river and therefore leads into Germany in the last months of the war. The senior German officer in charge of defending the bridge is played by Robert Vaughn. Vaughn is probably the best of the cast, though all of the actors do reasonable jobs.

If there's a difficulty with the movie, it's in the scenes of combat. The director seems to have decided that blowing things up and showing the rubble after would convey the horror of war, so that's basically all the battle scenes are, for the most part. There's one scene in particular that makes no sense, where the Germans' anti-tank guns are attacked by a bunch of American tanks. The tanks are lined up across the river in a fashion that's completely unrealistic, and they simply outshoot 88s at a range where there should have been burning tanks everywhere. It's also not clear how the tanks got onto the field they're shooting from, and lined up in a neat line, before the Germans started shooting.

As another reviewer noted, the tactics utilized by Segal and Gazzara seem more suited to drive-by shootings than serious combat, though they do approach the Germans from multiple angles. One good point of the movie was the use of smoke while crossing the bridge, which is very realistic, and not often shown in a Hollywood movie. Another is that at various times the Germans use panzerfausts or panzerschrecks, and they blow up whatever they hit. Most Americans back then didn't know that the Germans copied our bazooka, or that they had a disposable single-shot version of it, which was more effective.

So you get a lot of hokey 60s war movie dialog, a rousing (but not that good) soundtrack, and some very uneven combat scenes. This isn't the best war movie of the era, but it's fun, and I would recommend it if you're into this sort of thing.

good "old" memories.......2007-02-03

The Bridge of Remagen brings me lots of beautiful memories of my youth. This movie, Bridge of Remagen, was actually shot in former Czechoslovakia and very close to my little village of Trnova where I went to school. In fact, my dad was working on that bridge when it was built, I believe it was early 1930 and bridge crosses river Vltava. Great movie, great actors, great panorama, great memories on good old times. Strongly recommend this movie for us, 80+ years youngsters.

Poor acting and unbelievable battles.......2006-09-30

I disagree with most of the other reviewers on this one. To start with the Germans all speak English with hoaky German accents! One reviewer said that Robert Vaughn's portrayal of a German officer was the best acting in the movie. I would probably agree and say that just shows how awful the rest of them were. For another thing most of the battle scenes are very unrealistic. The American armored infantry tactics seem to have been borrowed from 1920's era Chicago gangster flicks. They pile into a half track and then race by the Germans at top speed shooting from the car! They also never bother to call for artilery, air strikes, or armor. There are many better (both from an acting and acuracy stand point) WWII movies I would recomend over this one: A Bridge Too Far, Midway, The Battle of Britian, and of course Patton.

Hard To Top.......2006-07-28

This film has a grand scale to go with realistic characters.It probably was less popular than it should have been due to the contempt the lesser ranked soldiers show towards the officers. Such disrespect was not tolerated in those days. The battle sequences are terrific. It easily is one of the top five war movies ever made.

Average customer rating:

Based on actual event
OK, but not particularly realistic
good "old" memories
Poor acting and unbelievable battles
Hard To Top

The Bridge at Remagen [Region 2]
Starring: George Segal , Robert Vaughn , Ben Gazzara , Bradford Dillman , and E.G. Marshall
Director: John Guillermin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00008V6XY

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Based on actual event.......2007-07-18

OK, but not particularly realistic.......2007-03-21

good "old" memories.......2007-02-03

Poor acting and unbelievable battles.......2006-09-30

Hard To Top.......2006-07-28

Great Battles of World War II: Tried By Fire/Bridge at Remagen/Battle of Manila

Average customer rating:

Great Battles of World War II: Tried By Fire/Bridge at Remagen/Battle of Manila

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000V0K4IC

DVD:

DVD

DVD