Film Review
One of the most authentic yet shamefully overlooked war films of the 1960s,
The Bridge at Remagen distinguishes
itself with its doggedly realistic portrayal of the physical
destruction and emotional trauma of war, achieved through a combination
of stunning effects work and nuanced performances from a first rate
cast. It is based on Ken Hechler's real-life account of the
week-long stand off between German and Allied troops at the Ludendorff
Bridge during WWII. The film is directed with flair and energy by
John Guillermin, the distinguished British film director who is best
remembered for crowd-pleasing blockbusters like
The Towering Inferno (1974) and
Death on the Nile (1978),
although he also directed two other notable war films:
I Was Monty's Double (1958) and
Guns at Batasi (1964).
One of the strengths of this film is that it takes time to establish
the characters before the cataclysmic action sequences begin, allowing
us to better comprehend their psychological ordeal when they
feel the scorching heat of battle. Unusually, we are introduced to
characters on both sides of the conflict, and parallels are drawn
between the American soldiers and their German counterparts. On
both sides, noble low-ranking soldiers are used as cannon fodder by
ambitious officers to further their careers, and some powerful anti-war
sentiment emerges when the human cost of warfare is exposed
in a few moving vignettes.
Although George Segal dominates the film with his humane portrayal of
an American lieutenant who has grown sick of the war but sticks with it
more through habit than through a sense of duty, Robert Vaughn gives
the best performance, a hugely sympathetic portrayal of a German
officer who is torn by conflicting loyalties. Unlike many war
films of its time,
The Bridge at
Remagen depicts combat not as a Boy's Own adventure, but as a
horrific game of chance that tests the courage and endurance of its
participators to the absolute limit. Without the customary
Hollywood gloss, over-dramatization and phony heroics, it shows us the
brutal reality of modern warfare and offers a poignant reminder of the debt that is owed to all
those who went through Hell to defeat Fascism during the Second World War.
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
March 1945. The war in Europe has entered its final phase, with
German troops retreating eastwards, driven back by a relentless Allied
assault. Determined to prevent the Allies from gaining a foothold
in Germany, Hitler issues orders for all bridges across the River Rhine
to be blown up. Major Paul Krüger is charged with the
destruction of the last bridge, at the small town of
Remagen. General von Brock, Krüger's immediate
superior, questions the wisdom of this strategy and persuades the Major
to keep the bridge open for as long as possible to provide an
escape route for the retreating German armies. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hartman of
the U.S. 9th Armored Division, is ordered by his superior, General
Shinner, to capture the bridge at Remagen, since it has great strategic
importance. Realising that the bridge is about to fall into the
hands of the enemy, Major Krüger has no choice but to order its
destruction...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.