Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

A Bridge Too Far 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 12, 2025

Richard Attenborough's "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Elliot Gould; new program with camera operator Peter MacDonald; archival audio commentary by screenwriter William Goldman and various crew members; documentaries; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Although it was promoted and defended as one, Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far is not a historically accurate film, and one does not need to be an expert on WWII to quickly realize this. A Bridge Too Far, like so many other films about WWII that were made before it, is a visual spectacle first and then several more things, some of which are just as problematic as its interpretation of history. Nevertheless, A Bridge Too Far is not impossible to like because its gigantic cast unites many of the greatest stars of the 1960s and 1970s.

Attenborough worked with a highly controversial screenplay by William Goldman, who had adapted Cornelius Ryan’s popular novel about Operation Market Garden, an enormously ambitious, failed plan to capture several strategic bridges in the Netherlands. In the film, Operation Market Garden is described by General Browning (Dirk Bogarde) as “the largest airborne operation ever mounted” -- 35,000 men were to be flown 300 miles and dropped behind enemy lines, and shortly after used to capture the strategic bridges. With additional support coming in, the Allies intended to reach Ruhr, the industrial base of Germany, take control of it as quickly as possible, and win the war. According to military records, the real Operation Market Garden was even more ambitious as it involved several thousand additional men, but its crucial details were the same.

But despite being approved by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, not everyone was convinced that Operation Market Garden was worth the risk(s), and early in the film, before it is officially revealed, this historical development is rightfully highlighted. Sadly, excluding a few short exchanges between General Browning and General Sosabowski (Gene Hackman), who quickly spells out several obvious flaws of the strategy that was supposed to catch the Germans off-guard and win the war, an in-depth discussion of this development is avoided. After that, Operation Market Garden is launched and as expected by General Sosabowski a lot that could go wrong goes terribly wrong.

This is where the film begins prioritizing action and grand visuals over strategy and history, which is very, very early. To be clear, when appropriate, some key developments from the real Operation Garden Market are accurately recreated -- like the discovery of the complete plans for the advancement of the Allied forces by the Germans, as well as the failure to provide crucial support at Arnhem -- but for the next two hours, the film effectively evolves into a grandiose showoff piece.

To ensure that the many great stars have special moments before the camera, the film works unusually hard to create plenty of proper opportunities for them but, perhaps unsurprisingly, accomplishes the exact opposite. For example, James Caan becomes a hero in an utterly pointless sequence where he recovers the body of a fellow soldier and drives his jeep through a small German unit. Elsewhere, in another meaningless sequence, a tough-talking, cigar-chewing Elliott Gould does not hesitate to move through a hailstorm of bullets, too.

The complete film is not difficult to describe as impressive. It produces some genuinely striking, old-fashioned grand visuals that will never be seen again in a contemporary film tackling the same or similar material. It is also interesting to see so many great actors in one place. But the complete film is choppy, at times undeniably chaotic, and, most importantly, impossible to take seriously. Indeed, it is a deeply flawed reimagination of historic events and historic characters who participated in them, whose main objective is to produce as many memorable fireworks and grand visuals as possible. There will always be a big audience for such films, but this is not the same audience that will praise a historically accurate film.

Other members of the star-studded cast include Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Wolfgang Preiss, Anthony Hopkins, Maximilian Schell, Hardy Kruger, Liv Ullmann, Robert Redford, and Denholm Elliot.

Attenborough worked with Oscar-winner Geoffrey Unsworth, whose credits include such timeless classics as A Night to Remember, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Cabaret.

A Bridge Too Far 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Imprint Films' release of A Bridge Too Far is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc and the two Blu-ray discs are Region-Free.

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-30 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #34-38 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of the film. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. Later, I spent time with the 1080p presentation of the 4K makeover on the Blu-ray.

This film made its high-definition debut with this release way back in 2008. However, the master that was used to source the first Blu-ray release is even older, which is one of the main reasons the previous presentation of the film had so many different and obvious limitations. The combo pack gives the film a rather striking fresh appearance that produces many superior visuals with better delineation, clarity, and depth. They look healthier, too. Their density levels are very nice as well, so on a large screen, their consistency is easy to praise. Unfortunately, I do not think that the 4K makeover is graded as carefully and convincingly as it should have. Why exactly? I cannot pinpoint the exact reason, but I can describe what does not look right. In many areas, there is obvious tealing that overwhelms grays and blues. Sometimes it pops up on the surface of metal objects, sometimes it blooms in the sky. The effect is very similar to what you would get from some sort of improper conversion, like the one witnessed here, only on the 4K makeover it is pretty easy to tell that the origin of it has something to do with the color-grading job. You can see very obvious examples of it taken from the Blu-ray here and here. In native 4K, in select areas, some of these anomalies may appear somewhat subdued and are therefore easier to ignore, but they are still there. This is most unfortunate because elsewhere where they are gone, the overall quality of the visuals is excellent. There are no traces of age-related surface anomalies.

On the Blu-ray, delineation, clarity, and depth are still very good. Density levels are good too, though I would likely choose the native 4K presentation if you have a very large screen and want optimal consistency. My score is 3.75/5.00.

A Bridge Too Far 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I chose to view the film with the 5.1 track. I thought that it was excellent. It is true that there is a lot of action material throughout the film that is practically guaranteed to impress, but this track forced my system to work pretty hard. Explosions, especially the ones where tanks are involved, and shootouts sound fantastic. Despite sporadic unevenness during mass outdoor footage, all dialog is clear, stable, and easy to follow.

A Bridge Too Far 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by screenwriter William Goldman and various crew members. Rather predictably, it is full of recollections about the conception and production of A Bridge Too Far, the massive star-studded cast that was gathered for the film, the funding of the film and the decision not to bring in Steve McQueen, some of the drama that materialized after the film's premiere, etc. This is an excellent, incredibly informative commentary, with plenty of information that you would get only from it.

• Alternate Track - this alternate subtitle track makes it possible to view the film with highlights of historical information.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered trailer for A Bridge Too Far. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by screenwriter William Goldman and various crew members. Rather predictably, it is full of recollections about the conception and production of A Bridge Too Far, the massive star-studded cast that was gathered for the film, the funding of the film and the decision not to bring in Steve McQueen, some of the drama that materialized after the film's premiere, etc. This is an excellent, incredibly informative commentary, with plenty of information that you would get only from it.

• Alternate Track - this alternate subtitle track makes it possible to view the film with highlights of historical information.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered trailer for A Bridge Too Far. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• "Attenborough at War" - in this new program, screenwriter and critic C. Courtney Joyner discusses the evolution of Richard Attenborough's career as an actor and director and his work on A Bridge Too Far. There are some particularly interesting comments about the manner in which the camera is used in it. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• "Joseph E. Levine: Becoming the Showman" - this new program takes a closer look at the life and legacy of producer Joseph E. Levine. It was produced by Daniel Griffith. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• "More Than Another War Movie" - in this new program, Elliot Gould recalls how he was cast to play his character in A Bridge Too Far and what it was like to be surrounded by so many stars while Richard Attenborough's camera was rolling. Gould also discusses his negotiations with Joseph E. Levine. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• "We Are the Calvary: Filming A Bridge Too Far" - in this new program, camera operator Peter MacDonald recalls what it was like to work with Richard Attenborough, whom he describes as "a very kind man, but obviously the wrong choice for the film". In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• "Behind the Lens: Remembering Geoffrey Unsworth" - in this new program, clapper loader Tony Jackson and camera operator Peter MacDonald discuss the challenging work they did during the filming of A Bridge Too Far. There are some particularly interesting comments about the use of real paratroopers in one of the key sequences in the film. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• "A Futile Mission: Scoring A Bridge Too Far" - in this new program, film music historian Jon Burlingame discusses John Addison's career, background, and contribution to A Bridge Too Far. Burlingame also confirms that Addison participated in the real Market Garden Operation, but did not see any action. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• "Making A Bridge Too Far" - this documentary was produced by author and filmmaker Simon Lewis. It takes a closer look at the production of A Bridge Too Far, its reception, and some of the controversy that later surrounded the film. Included in the documentary are clips from various archival interviews and footage from the shooting process. In English, not subtitled. (61 min).

• "The Arnhem Report" - this rare documentary on the making of A Bridge Too Far features clips from interviews with Joseph E. Levine, Richard Attenborough, and many of its stars. Plenty of footage from different shooting locations is included as well. The documentary was produced in 1977. In English, not subtitled. (61 min).

• "Theirs is the Glory" - this documentary examines the historic events in Arnhem. It was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst in 1946. In English, not subtitled. (79 min).

• "A Bridge Too Far: Heroes From the Sky" - this archival documentary examines the key reasons for the greatest Allied defeat, some of which are highlighted by men that participated in Operation Market Garden, as well as the production of A Bridge Too Far. In English, not subtitled. (44 min).

• "A Distant Battle: Memories of Operation Market Garden" - in this archival documentary, survivors of Operation Market Garden explain why they joined the paratroopers and how they managed to stay alive. Some of the men became American citizens just days before reaching the Netherlands. The documentary was produced in 2004. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• "Richard Attenborough: A Filmmaker Remembers" - in this archival program, Richard Attenborough reflects on his career and explains how he decided to make A Bridge Too Far with Joseph E. Levine. The program was produced in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• "Interview with Richard Attenborough" - in this archival program, Richard Attenborough discusses the shooting of A Bridge Too Far. The interview was conducted in 1977. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• "Interview with Anthony Hopkins" - in this archival program, Anthony Hopkins discusses his contribution to A Bridge Too Far. In the interview was conducted in 1977. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Photo Gallery - presented here is a large collection of stills from A Bridge Too Far. Silent. (10 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Simon Lewis, as well as an excerpt from Sebastian Abineri's book "The Boys From the Bridge: The Story of Attenborough's Private Army".

A Bridge Too Far 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even though I believe that some areas of the exclusive 4K makeover could have been handled better, this combo pack is very easy to recommend because it has an astonishing amount of new and archival bonus features covering a lot more than the conception and production of A Bridge Too Far. All three discs in it are Region-Free, too. RECOMMENDED.