The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

A good war movie but there is one hidden treasure..

This is one of my favorite war movies. It was a bomb when it came out and it appears infreguently on tv. I won't waste time telling you the plot because that is not what makes this movie special for me. It is music. This is one of Elmer Bernstien's best soundtracks. It is very hard to find this one and you can only find the opening in one place only. It is part of a group of war music themes called WAR. It very sad that this soundtrack isn't mention when people talk about Bernstien. This is the equal of his Magnificent Seven and once you hear it, it stays with you. The drums as the tanks roll to the bridge in opening is wonderful. So I am reccomending this movie for its music. Enjoy. June 22, 2008

Excellent acting and action

The true story about the Bridge at Remagen is a fascinating part of WWII history, and what a critical role it played in the Allies advance into Germany. This movie captures the stratetgy and heroism of both the Americans and Germans. It also reflects the all too common battle between officers and enlisted men. George Segal and Ben Gazzara give memorable performances (particularly at the hotel when they go after the sniper), as does Bradford Dillman. The actor who played the German officer who is in charge of the bridge tugs at the heart. But the performance that stands out for me is Robert Vaughn, as the perhaps too-dedicated Nazi officer. His final scene is perfectly underplayed and heartbreaking.

Good film. If you like war movies or just enjoy good performances and story lines, you should try this one. January 10, 2008

Powerful Second World War drama

The bridge over the river Rhine at Remagen is a key strategic objective for both US and German troops .It is the last bridge standing and US forces are ordered to seize the bridge to ensure smooth passage of men and materials into Nazi Germany itself .The job of leading the assault falls to the hard bitten and experienced Lieutenant Phil Hartman (George Segal) under the command of Brigadier General Shinner (E G Marshall).The German High Command ,in particular General Van Brock(Peter Van Eyck)instruct Major Krueger(Robert Vaughn)to destroy the bridge but he hesitates ,fearing that thousands of German troops will be trapped on the wrong side of the river and unable to return home. As Hartman and his men close in the battle is joined in earnest ,
The script -by Richard Yates and William Roberts -gives equal time to both sets of adversaries and points out the problems of communication which render both commanders on the ground uncertain at times of just what it is their superiors want of them .it is "talky"kind of war movie with the script being a great deal more cynical and barbed than most pictures of its type -in between the explosions there is a lot of disillusion being expressed by the soldiery on both sides and the Krueger character is a particular mouthpiece for this .However there is a lot of rousing action as well with the stunt work by future director Hal Needham being outstanding as is the Elmer Bernstein score.Veteran cinematographer Stanley Cortez handles the battle scenes brilliantly with shots that convey the awesome power of the weaponry deployed especially tanks .John Guillermin was a good director of action (for proof see the Towering Inferno and The Blue Max)

Performances are excellent especially from Segal and Ben Gazzara as ae sleazy GI .

Above average war movie this and one devotees of the genre should not miss November 28, 2007

Based on actual event

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. July 18, 2007

OK, but not particularly realistic

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. March 21, 2007

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