Trivia / A Bridge Too Far

• Actor-Shared Background: Several of the actors served in World War II:
  • Dirk Bogarde was an British Army intelligence officer who actually served under General Browning, whom he plays in the film. He was one of the first Allied officers to reach the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945.
  • Hardy Krüger was conscripted into the SS during World War II. He deserted after being ordered to shoot American prisoners, which nearly got him executed if it weren't for the intervention of a superior officer.
  • Denholm Elliott was radio operator & tailgunner in the RAF, who spent much of the war in a German POW camp after being shot down during a bombing run.
  • Arthur Hill was a mechanic in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
  • Gene Hackman lied about his age at 16 to enlist in the Marine Corps and served as a field radio operator for four-and-a-half years.
  • Michael Caine and Edward Fox were conscripted into National Service. Caine was a British Army infantryman during the Korean War, and Fox was Lieutenant with the Loyal Regiment.
• All-Star Cast: Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier, Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullmann, and in lesser roles Ben Cross, Denholm Elliott, Garrick "Biggs" Hagon, Arthur Hill, and John Ratzenberger.
• Backed by the Dutch Army: The Dutch provided paratroopers and post-war tanks for the film.
• Blooper: On the morning of the operation, the calendar on Colonel Frost's nightstand is set to October 1944 rather than September.
• California Doubling: The scenes in Arnhem were actually filmed on an identical bridge further north in Deventer, as Arnhem had lost its historic city center.
• Cast the Expert:
  • Edward Fox had known General Horrocks before working on the film, and considered him a friend; thus, Fox took great care to portray him accurately. Years later, he would cite his portrayal of Horrocks as his favorite film role.
  • During WWII, Dirk Bogarde, who played Lt. Gen. Browning, served in intelligence with the British army. He and eight other intelligence officers were sent to Arnhem by Bernard L. Montgomery during the battle.
  • Denholm Elliott who has a brief cameo as an RAF Officer actually did serve in the RAF during World War II.
  • John Addison, the film's composer, served with Horrocks' XXX Corps during the war and took part in Market Garden.
• Completely Different Title: The German title is Die Brücke von Arnheim ("The Bridge of Arnhem").
• Creator-Driven Successor: To The Longest Day, another star-studded WWII film produced by Darryl F. Zanuck from a book by Cornelius Ryan and with Sean Connery.
• Creator's Favorite: Edward Fox named General Horrocks as his favourite film role.
• The Danza: Almost. Gerald Sim plays Colonel Sims.
• Fake American: Several of the American officers are played by Canadian actors.
• Fake Nationality
  • Gene Hackman plays a Polish officer; he said in interviews that the hardest thing was speaking English with precise diction, the polar opposite of his usual New York accent.
  • Laurence Olivier (British) and Liv Ullmann (Norwegian) play Dutch civilians.
  • Austrian-born Swiss actor Maximilian Schell plays Wilhelm Bittrich, who was Saxon.
• On-Set Injury: Stuntman Alf Joint was seriously injured while performing a stunt in which he jumped off a roof. He said of the experience that he felt he was being "pushed."
• One for the Money; One for the Art: Richard Attenborough agreed to direct the film and Magic so that Gandhi could get made.
• Real-Life Relative: Gerald Sim (Colonel Sims) was the brother-in-law of the director Richard Attenborough.
• Referenced by...: Sabaton's song "Screaming Eagles" (about the Battle of the Bulge) references the failed Operation Market Garden with the line "They're stretched out just one bridge too far".
• What Could Have Been:
  • The role of Major Julian Cook was originally offered to Steve McQueen (actor), who wasn't interested in an ensemble piece.
  • The role of Kate Ter Horst was originally meant for Audrey Hepburn, but she felt the role hit too close to home, as she resided in Velp, near Arnhem, during the battle.
  • Robert De Niro turned down the major cameo role of Staff Sergeant Eddie Dohun.
  • Charles Bronson was seriously considered for General Stanislaw Sosabowski.
  • Roger Moore was initially cast as Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks, but was unable to appear when problems surrounding the Bond franchise meant that The Spy Who Loved Me was made a year later than originally planned, therefore coinciding with the production dates. In addition, Horrocks had approval over the character and turned Moore down, and the role instead went to Edward Fox (who nailed it).

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