Book Review: MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR

 

A few years ago I wrote a glowing review of a book titled WATERLOO--MAKING AN EPIC, a massive tome that dealt with the production of WATERLOO, a large-scale historical epic film released in 1970. The author, Simon Lewis, has now written another "making of" volume dealing with another big-budget high-end war movie--MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR, released in 1977. 

A BRIDGE TOO FAR was one of the very last expensive all-star blockbusters set during World War II. Producer Joseph E. Levine was determined to make a film based on historian Cornelius Ryan's expansive book detailing Operation Market Garden, the flawed 1944 plan to make a quick thrust into Germany by seizing a number of bridges behind enemy lines in Holland. Levine secured the services of esteemed actor-filmmaker Richard Attenborough to direct the project, and he also signed up 14 different international stars. The movie was filmed in the Netherlands during a very hot summer in 1976. 

Simon Lewis gives a complete look at the entire production of the film, detailing all of the integral aspects of it in a concise and effective manner. The author has plenty to cover, but he does it very well--even someone who is not a major film buff will understand and appreciate all the various steps taken to make a story that had numerous complicated and challenging elements to it. A BRIDGE TOO FAR was not an easy shoot by any means, and this book is at its best when it delves into the "grunt work" that happens behind the scenes. For all the famous actors and department heads, there are hundreds of regular folks doing their best to make a recreation of a controversial military event seem real, dramatic, and engaging. Lewis shines a spotlight on many of these folks. 

Lewis also provides plenty of detail about a group of young British actors who became known as the "A.P.A."--Attenborough's Private Army. This group was given some basic military training, and they filled out the roles of various background soldiers and even German troops during most of the scenes. 

The author does give insight into the major stars of the film, such as Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, and Michael Caine, and there are a few gossipy anecdotes, but MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR isn't a celebrity-centered tell-all. The book's main themes are the collaborative (and often frustrating) aspects of big-budget film making, and the fine line between showing historical accuracy and making an entertaining and dramatic story. What made A BRIDGE TOO FAR different than most WWII films is that many of the top officers that were involved in Operation Market Garden were advisers on the set, and at times they disagreed with how events were staged. 

Another thing that makes A BRIDGE TOO FAR stick out from other WWII movies is that it details an operation that did not succeed. This may have affected how the movie was viewed by audiences and critics when it was released in 1977. The film made a decent amount of money, but it wasn't a box-office sensation, and for a while it wasn't looked upon as one of the better WWII epics. 

Lewis also examines the movie's reception during its original release, and he maintains that the film has managed to stand the test of time as a riveting and monumental production. I must admit that my appreciation for A BRIDGE TOO FAR has grown over the years. Some of the individual sequences are quite stunning, especially the recreation of the massive Allied paratroop drop. In an age of over-reliance on cartoonish CGI and over the top editing effects, Richard Attenboough's understated direction and the movie's top-notch practical effects and battle sequences go a long way. Simon Lewis makes the case with MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR that Joseph Lewis and Attenborough created a great WWII spectacular, and, in probably the best compliment I can give to the book, made me want to see the movie all over again.