@@manfredheck3529 But on the other hand the absolutely stunning amount of Sherman tanks (out of which only some were mock-ups and they look perfect) and other vehicles and most notably aircraft are all real :)
Brian Horrocks was probably the most inspirational commander in the British Army at the time. Due to injuries he isn't more famous. The line of Vandeleurs in the guards continues today, since Waterloo at least too.
@@panzerliebfamily I believe. A tour guide in a Waterloo battlefield tour mentioned the link. Vandaleurs are still serving. Obviously armoured units were the direct descendants of heavy cavalry, so very much the same job.😊
Joe Vandelur is one of those characters in this movie who wouldn't sound right saying "FORWARD GO CHARGE!" I'm so glad they had the real life officers and combatants from the real battle of Arnhem. I don't think any of them are still around now , unless they were very young at the time and very old now.
Sir Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. In 1951 at the age of 18, he was called up for National Service, serving as a rifleman in C Company, 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers, with British Army of the Rhine Headquarters in Iserlohn, West Germany. Caine then served in the Korean War, witnessing first-hand combat and Chinese human wave tactics. Caine stated that for years he hated the smell of garlic as he associated it with North Korean and Chinese troops would munch it as a snack. Caine’s medals comprise the (Queen's) Korea Medal, UN Korean War Medal, and National Service Medal. He was discharged in 1954 at the rank of Private.
Excellent research! I would have never known he is a Korean War combat veteran. I have more respect for Sir Michael Caine knowing he utilized his military experience to make characters in war movies more authentic and genuine.
@justinlabrosse8506 national service lads didn't tend to get promoted unless they were staying In. The British forces focused on a professional volunteer NCO cadre
I'm pretty sure there's a lot of vets around that can give decent suggestions even if the war depicted was way before their own service times. Much better than useless drama, excessive CGI and attention-seeking.
Sir Martin Middlebrook wrote a good book too, although not one of his best. _Market Garden_ is its name, I believe. The best books from this author by far are those about RAF Bomber Command.
this is a great movie. several veterans of the battle were on set to help consult. and it shows. military personnel are not as dramatic as hollywood script-writers .. back in the days when quality movies were made that cared about reality.
I recall reading something that the script had Colonel Frost doing the "we can not accept your surrender" bit. When informed of this, Frost responded, "I never said that." So they gave the line to the witty chap with the umbrella.
the scene where Frost (Anthony Hopkins) runs across the road while under fire when the Germans were attacking his position - the real Frost said of this ' I didn't run.. A British Officer is expected to display a disregard for danger so I walked'
Beautiful! Well done! It is one of the best films in the history of cinema, and probably will continue to be. It was produced better than most movies ever
My great uncle Vernon was a full bird colonel and commanded a take unit. He was one of the sweetest men I know and he definitely had seen things he wish he hadn’t. He met my great aunt in France and brought her home to America, then later my grandpa moved over as well. After growing up in ww2 France, gramps then was drafted into the Korean War and operated a howitzer that was on tracks. Luckily he did not have to see combat but because he could speak several languages, the CIA offered him a job but declined.
I could watch this movie time & time again & not grow tired of it …. This movie is so highly thought of because there’s a military miniature figurines company called KING & COUNTRY that have cast different soldiers(mostly British paras including Sir Richard Attenborough with his shot to bits umbrella) in their poses as they were seen in the film
A movie that could benefit by being filmed at a time when many important figures from WW2 were still alive. No Cgi effects either which greatly enhanced the combat and parachute drop sequences. Well done to Sir David Attenborough for making this movie
I think the more interesting part is how they cut in footage of real 25lb artillery guns firing during a training event in the opening bombardment scene. When you see those guns firing, they’re firing live ammunition. On a closed firing range of course and the sounds recorded from the firing range were used to compliment the other effects used during the shoot of the advance.
IIRC, Col. (then Gen., retired) Frost was also an advisor and he told Anthony Hopkins that it wouldn’t do to sprint full speed from cover to cover. Didn’t want the men to think you were nervous.
This is why you need someone who's been in an actual war as an advisor. Christopher Lee told Peter Jackson what happens when someone is stabbed in the back with a knife for that scene on top of Orthanc, where Saruman gets stabbed by Wormtongue. He'd seen it happen in war, so he knew how his character would be affected by it.
Few actors seem to have produced such a wide repertoire of stinkers to greatest films of their genre as Michael Caine, fortunately this was one of his greats
My moment of truth, 1991 Gulf War: 4am, as the spearhead of the western attack into Iraq. Over the roar of our engine, a single clear, calm command echoed through our VAB: “en avant, en avant, en avant”
Prior to “Private Ryan” there were only a few movies about WWII that could be considered great films about the war (in my opinion)”Battleground”,A Bridge too Far”,” The Longest Day”*. *inspite of its rather bloodless and some historical errors it’s still a good view of the German command structure and the fact that the characters spoke their own language !
@@RealKull if you’re referring to the 1976 version,yeah I agree,the first thing was the rather useless romance,the unnecessary addition of two fictional characters as in Charlton Heston and Edward Albert as his son (a throwback to the movie “in Harm’s Way “with John Wayne as the father and Brandon DeWilde as his son)the Japanese portrayed more as caricatures than actual historical figures,the rather calm and relaxed demeanor of the pilots during the battle and as you said the jingoistic tone of the movie (it was post Vietnam so there was a sort of need to restore confidence and patriotism in the general public )by the way,there’s another connection to “In Harm’s Way “Henry Fonda largely playing the same Role in both films as Adm.Chester Nimitz..
A Bridge Too Far is a great film. It simpified events, so many people have seen it, it has given an inaccurate view of the campaign to so many people. Pros and cons.
Booming Through, instead of Strenght Four was used by the Americans to call in artillery, and taken over by the British in Holland or back in France because of their cooperation
Another funny thing is that there's a scene when a guy runs across a street under heavy gunfire while in reality he walked across the street, but they changed it because they thought movie audiences would think that it wasn't authentic.
But when you realize that the 1st Airborne needed to not only hold the drop zones for three subsequent DAYS of drops, plus capture and hold Arnhem Bridge, and maintain control of the 8 miles of routes in between, you know that it was doomed to fail. Western forces learned the limits of Airborne forces and have never tried using them the same way since.
Well Hodges US 1st Army would still have failed to get beyond Aachen to the Rhine to move towards the Ruhr in tandem with the British 2nd Army and would still have got bogged down in the Hurtgen Forest, while Patton would still have struggled at Metz and the rest of the Lorraine.
Caine also said "It wouldn't do, to arrive early. In the nick of time would do nicely". I wonder if that was what Vandeleur actually said, because it seems like an incredibly aloof or naive thing to say in an operation where Edward Fox, playing Gen. Horrocks says "Speed is the vital factor".
This movie was probably the first one l have seen that documented a series of tragic losses for the allies. I remember hating that endlessly long shot of the German motorcycle approaching on the bridge. Was the title of the bridge in question the Remagen bridge?
My cousin Pte Joseph N O Donnell 3 Para was one of the lucky ones to survive, on returning home on leave, my uncle asked how did he escape? To which Josie replied " I was a good runner!" 😁
Operation market garden was worst allied disaster during ww2 the movie a bridge too far had great battle scenes and all star cast though it's kind of a depressing antiwar movie
All that authentic milsurp is crazy. You literally couldn't make this film today without a ridiculously huge budget (and A Bridge Too Far was already pretty expensive for 1977!)
Also, watch closely as the tank column begins to move down the road (I THINK it's this movie), at least one of the M4s is riding on wheels underneath, not its tracks, not sure why
I think you are thinking of when one of the knocked out Sherman's is pushed off the road by a dozer tank. The tank's tracks were knocked off when it got hit, so it is rolling on just the road wheels.
