The Bridge At Remagen
March 1945: a bridge across the Rhine River at Remagen ordered destroyed by Hitler. Wanting to prevent U.S. troops from using it, he's willing to leave tens of thousands of German soldiers on the western side, backs to the river, facing American tanks. Hitler by this point is in the habit of giving the order, "Fight to the last man, to the last bullet!"
German Major Paul Krueger (Robert Vaughan) is the German officer tasked with overseeing the bridge's destruction in The Bridge At Remagen (1969), one of many big World War Two-themed films of the 1960s. Main setting is the Rhine River, spanned by what turns out to be a very sturdy and well-made railroad bridge that can be driven across with vehicles, foot traffic lanes on either side. German sappers on swing set-like seats plant massive amounts of explosives, fist-sized reddish-pink packages clustering most of the bridge's understructure. It's a race against the U.S. Ninth Armored Division.
Major Krueger wants to save as many soldiers caught west of the river as possible before blowing up the bridge. American Lieutenant Phil Hartman (George Segal) commands the advance company reaching the bridge first. Tired, fed up, a bit shellshocked, Hartman and his men are ordered to take the bridge so that U.S. troops can use it to flood into Germany. Advancing along the bridge's length, machine gunfire taking many soldiers down, Hartman and a few others make it underneath the bridge where they toss explosives into the water below and pull out wires.
Bradford Dillman plays a U.S. Major, toady to a glib, soldier-wasting Brigadier General played by E.G. Marshall. The Major assures Hartman, twice, that he'll recommend his company for a Unit Citation. By the end, Hartman's company numbers seven, including himself. Citations mean shit.
Bradford Dillman plays a U.S. Major, toady to a glib, soldier-wasting Brigadier General played by E.G. Marshall. The Major assures Hartman, twice, that he'll recommend his company for a Unit Citation. By the end, Hartman's company numbers seven, including himself. Citations mean shit.
The movie's unrelenting grim depictions of mid-twentieth century warfare almost wore out this viewer. The explosions, collapses of buildings, the high and sharp rhythmic cries of machine gunfire, civilians wiped out in an American B-25 bomber raid, all make for a potent and realistic show of the overall shittiness of life in war.
The real bridge at Remagen survived for ten days before collapsing into the river, having resisted massive explosions along much of its length, an impressive piece of engineering abused by weapons of war, resisting humans, so intent on its destruction before it finally let go.
The real bridge at Remagen survived for ten days before collapsing into the river, having resisted massive explosions along much of its length, an impressive piece of engineering abused by weapons of war, resisting humans, so intent on its destruction before it finally let go.
All of World War Two seems to focus on a point in spacetime, the bridge connecting the Fatherland with the encroaching outer world. The Rhine, beautiful amidst battle in the sunlight, with one scene's intense action played out with pink clouds in a sunset sky, and darkening green hills and cliffs surrounding the site making an enchanting location into a place where Hell is bubbling over.
I don't know if I'll ever watch the film again but I'm glad I saw it. Impressive large scale filmmaking by the director John Guillermin, who made Tarzan's Greatest Adventure--the best Tarzan movie--and the World War One fighter combat masterpiece, The Blue Max.
Vic Neptune
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