History Film / ABridgeTooFar

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Col. Robert Stout is played by Elliot Gould, calls someone a "mensch," and says that he was born in Yugoslavia. However, he's based on Col. Robert Sink, who was a North Carolina-born gentile.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1009.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I've always thought that we tried to go [[{{TitleDrop}} a bridge\\

''A Bridge Too Far'' is a 1977 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, adapted by Creator/WilliamGoldman from the best-selling 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan (''Literature/TheLongestDay''). It boasts an AllStarCast that includes Creator/DirkBogarde
, Creator/JamesCaan, Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/SeanConnery, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/ElliottGould, Creator/GeneHackman, Creator/AnthonyHopkins, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/RobertRedford, Creator/MaximilianSchell, Creator/LivUllmann, and perhaps the biggest star of all, Creator/JohnRatzenberger.

It tells the story of Operation Market Garden (Sept. 17-25, 1944), an audacious, but flawed -- and ultimately unsuccessful -- plan to use British, American, and Polish paratroops and British armoured divisions to capture four bridges in the Netherlands. UsefulNotes/BernardLawMontgomery hoped that these could be used by the British quarter of the Western Allied force in France to invade northern Germany, forcing the Germans to reinforce that sector with forces pulled from less vital fronts such as Hungary or Italy and perhaps ultimately enabling Germany's defeat within the next six months.

, Creator/JamesCaan, Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/SeanConnery, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/ElliottGould, Creator/GeneHackman, Creator/AnthonyHopkins, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/RobertRedford, Creator/MaximilianSchell, Creator/LivUllmann, and the biggest star of all, Creator/JohnRatzenberger.

[[caption-width-right:300:''I've always thought that we tried to go [[{{TitleDrop}} a bridge too far.]]'']]

* ShaggyDogStory: The allied paratroopers are dropped into Holland only to discover that their radios are faulty and inoperable, and they spend literally the ''entire movie'' trying to fix them. The lack of radios is a major setback for the invasion force, as situation after situation comes up where they need to have a working radio. At the end of the movie, they finally, ''finally'' get a radio fixed. However, by this point, the situation has so deteriorated that the commanders, after asking ''each other'' for reinforcements, have literally nothing to say to each other except:

** The opening narration tells us, "In 1944, the Second World War was in its fifth year and still going Hitler's way. German troops controlled most of Europe. D-Day changed all that." 'Still going Hitler's way', 'most of Europe', and 'D-day changed all that' are all incorrect even given an exclusive focus on the Western Allies' efforts - let alone the course of the far larger Soviet-German War.[[note]]By the time D-Day occurred, the Germans had lost nearly all of their territorial gains in the Soviet Union and Anglo-American air raids had critically damaged German infrastructure. While they were in control of Western Europe, their troops were spread too thin to be able to hold it in the event of an Allied invasion.[[/note]] That being said, the film does at least correctly portray Market Garden as a ''failed'' operation instead of making it seem like the war-winning gamble it was envisioned to be by Monty.

** General Sosabowski does this with an RAF meteorology officer, dismissing his offer of a chair to sit by simply asking when the Polish drop has been cancelled.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The opening narration tells us, "In 1944, the Second World War was in its fifth year and still going Hitler's way. German troops controlled most of Europe. D-Day changed all that." 'Still going Hitler's way', 'most of Europe', and 'D-day changed all that' are all incorrect even given an exclusive focus on the Western Allies' efforts - let alone the course of the far larger Soviet-German War.[[note]]By the time D-Day occurred, the Germans had lost nearly all of their territorial gains in the Soviet Union and Anglo-American air raids had critically damaged German infrastructure. While they were in control of Western Europe, their troops were spread too thin to be able to hold it in the event of an Allied invasion.[[/note]] That being said, the film does at least correctly portray Market Garden as a ''failed'' operation instead of making it seem like the war-winning gamble it was envisioned to be by Monty.

* DispenseWithThePleasantries: When Rundstedt arrives at his headquarters, Blumentritt says that he speaks for everyone how honored they are that he's been reappointed Commander-in-Chief, West. Rundstedt tells him to save his speeches and give a status update.

* HomeByChristmas: This is what the soldiers were told should Market-Garden succeed. You can guess it didn't work out.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The opening narration tells us, "In 1944, the Second World War was in its fifth year and still going Hitler's way. German troops controlled most of Europe. D-Day changed all that." 'Still going Hitler's way', 'most of Europe', and 'D-day changed all that' are all incorrect even given an exclusive focus on the Western Allies' efforts - let alone the course of the far larger Soviet-German War. That being said, the film does at least correctly portray Market Garden as a ''failed'' operation instead of making it seem like the war-winning gamble it was envisioned to be by Monty.

* FromBadToWorse: The problems for the British present themselves early and only get worse from there. First, Urquhart learns that the special jeeps haven't arrived, having been in the few gliders that crashed on landing or were destroyed in an ambush. Then he learns that their radios aren't working, leaving no one outside Arnhem aware that they've arrived. He journeys to the front, but ends up hiding in an attic for days. Once he gets back to his headquarters, he learns that absolutely everything has gone to hell.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: General Sosabowski is quiet during the initial briefing on Operation Market Garden, and also says that he'll be thrilled ''if'' the plan works, showing that he already doubts on its feasibility.

* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe: Urquhart's reaction when the RAF officer tells him that the closest drop zone they could find is ''eight miles'' away from Arnhem bridge. American generals Taylor and Gavin can barely hide their disbelief when Urquhart announces that they're still going ahead with a hastily prepared revision to take the bridge with jeeps.

* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe: Urquhart's reaction when the RAF officer tells him that the closest drop zone they could find is ''eight miles'' away from Arnhem bridge.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Field Marshal Mödel abandons his command post because he assumes the paratroopers have landed explicitly to capture ''him''. He even outright states that (as far as ''he's'' concerned) there's nothing important in the area except himself.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Several scenes critics called out for being unrealistic actually happened. The most notable example was the sequence where Sgt. Dohun finds his Captain with a bullet in the head, drives straight through enemy lines to get him to a medical tent, holds a field doctor at gunpoint to force him to give surgery, and the doctor being shocked to learn the Captain's still alive. [[https://www.facebook.com/notes/judy-wolfe/the-story-behind-the-stories-about-major-legs-johnson-sgt-charles-dohun/676850309073260/ This happened pretty much exactly as the film shows.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/TheLongestDay'', another star-studded WWII film produced by Darryl F. Zanuck from a book by Cornelius Ryan and with Creator/SeanConnery.

** After the attempt by the Germans to retake Arnhem bridge, Frost tells a subordinate that the Germans hold the south end of the bridge and likely most of the town, including the church tower (an ideal spot for lookouts and snipers). This means that his force is essentially surrounded. Then the subordinate points out a German prisoner and says that the enemy they're facing are elite SS Panzer troops, not the old men and children that their intel had claimed were in the area.

** The Dutch Resistance sends the allies good intel on a German Panzer division near Arnhem. The British dismiss the intel. Later, Aerial Photos confirm there are in fact tanks there. The British response? The tanks must be inoperable. Otherwise, the Operation would be in serious Jeopardy. Cue FacePalm. Of course, the film leaves out the fact that in real life the Dutch police force, resistance, and British-Dutch OSS branch were known to have been compromised by the SS ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) Intelligence organisation. The Allies could not tell what info was reliable.

'''General Browning:''' ...well as you know I always thought we tried to go ''a bridge too far''
.

* AmericaWonWorldWarII: The opening narration tells us, "In 1944, the Second World War was in its fifth year and still going Hitler's way. German troops controlled most of Europe. D-Day changed all that." 'Still going Hitler's way', 'most of Europe', and 'D-day changed all that' are all incorrect even given an exclusive focus on the Western Allies' efforts - let alone the course of the far larger Soviet-German War. In the film itself, this trope is zig-zagged. British and Polish troops have plenty of screen time, and the movie portrays one of the ''failed'' operations.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: See the opening narration shown above.

* TanksButNoTanks: The German Panther tanks in the film were actually vintage Leopard 1 tanks made up to look like Panthers.

** The token that Rundstedt places, which represents Bittrich's forces, is labeled "II. SS Panzer Division." Bittrich actually commanded the II. SS Panzer ''Corps'', which consisted of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions.

* SpotOfTea: A wonderful example:
-->'''Corporal Hancock:''' ''(holding a mug of tea)'' Sir.\\
'''[[Creator/SeanConnery General Urquhart]]:''' Hancock. I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods. My original plan has been scuppered now that the jeeps haven't arrived. My communications are completely broken down. Do you really believe any of that can be helped by a cup of tea?\\
'''Corporal Hancock:''' Couldn't hurt, sir.