A Bridge Too Far (1977)
9.18.2005
First viewing
DVD (Netflix)
Movie: A-
Audio: B-
Video: C-
War movies are a dime a dozen, and most of them don't stand out. Occasionally, one does stand out, and it usually makes a lasting impression in those who watch it. A Bridge Too Far does just that, at least in this viewer's case.
The first thing I noticed was the scale of the movie. A Bridge Too Far is epic in nearly every sense of the word. At nearly three hours, it's long. It's huge in scale, with scores of tanks, planes, soldiers, jeeps... It has a cast of thousands, quite literally. Even the lineup of stars is huge; just look at this cast! It had men that were established actors, already famous in 1977, and it had lesser names, actors just getting started but on their way to illustrious careers. The cast of characters is huge, ranging from generals and field marshals, to sergeants and privates.
The battles were filmed in the areas that they were originally fought, with most of the on-location footage shot in the Netherlands. What I found interesting was how closely the Arnhem scenes resembled the Arnhem levels in video game like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. They both must be near exact copies of the town itself, unless the game was modeled after this movie.
The acting was good, as to be expected from a cast like that of A Bridge Too Far. A few of the characters felt a bit thin and underdeveloped, but that's part of a movie with so many speaking parts. Often times, when characters are based on real people, they seem a bit boring or thin because they don't measure up to the over-the-top characters the viewer is used to seeing on screen.
My only real complaint, if you can call it that, is about the ending. It was a bit of a downer. If you know your history, you'll realize that Operation Market-Garden didn't capture all of the bridges it intended, and was only a partial success. Ultimately, it was a brave maneuver, but it didn't end the war before Christmas of 1944. As such, seeing the Allied forces retreating is somewhat sad, especially after all they'd been through. But that is the way it was. History rarely finishes with a fairy-tale ending.
The DVD sounded surprisingly good, and now I'm really looking forward to the special edition coming out in October. I might just have to add A Bridge Too Far to my collection. Considering the film's age, the audio mix was quite impressive. The Dolby Surround featured rumbling bass and effective surround use. The LFE was a bit sloppy, not as tight and composed as an enthusiast would like, but at least it was there. The surround use was vague and the effects weren't the least bit discrete, but hearing the tanks rumble around you and the planes zipping by overhead was nice. Honestly, I've heard worse 6-channel mixes. The video was less consistent. The detail levels were great in some scenes, but lacking in others. There was a lot of shimmering and some fairly bad pixelation in a few scenes. The colors were bright and vibrant, but tended to bleed in a few cases. These are all problems that could, and should, be fixed in the upcoming re-release. I think A Bridge Too Far has a lot of potential to be a stand-out DVD. With a new sound mix and a cleaned up picture, this film could make an enticing DVD.
First viewing
DVD (Netflix)
Movie: A-
Audio: B-
Video: C-
War movies are a dime a dozen, and most of them don't stand out. Occasionally, one does stand out, and it usually makes a lasting impression in those who watch it. A Bridge Too Far does just that, at least in this viewer's case.
The first thing I noticed was the scale of the movie. A Bridge Too Far is epic in nearly every sense of the word. At nearly three hours, it's long. It's huge in scale, with scores of tanks, planes, soldiers, jeeps... It has a cast of thousands, quite literally. Even the lineup of stars is huge; just look at this cast! It had men that were established actors, already famous in 1977, and it had lesser names, actors just getting started but on their way to illustrious careers. The cast of characters is huge, ranging from generals and field marshals, to sergeants and privates.
The battles were filmed in the areas that they were originally fought, with most of the on-location footage shot in the Netherlands. What I found interesting was how closely the Arnhem scenes resembled the Arnhem levels in video game like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. They both must be near exact copies of the town itself, unless the game was modeled after this movie.
The acting was good, as to be expected from a cast like that of A Bridge Too Far. A few of the characters felt a bit thin and underdeveloped, but that's part of a movie with so many speaking parts. Often times, when characters are based on real people, they seem a bit boring or thin because they don't measure up to the over-the-top characters the viewer is used to seeing on screen.
My only real complaint, if you can call it that, is about the ending. It was a bit of a downer. If you know your history, you'll realize that Operation Market-Garden didn't capture all of the bridges it intended, and was only a partial success. Ultimately, it was a brave maneuver, but it didn't end the war before Christmas of 1944. As such, seeing the Allied forces retreating is somewhat sad, especially after all they'd been through. But that is the way it was. History rarely finishes with a fairy-tale ending.
The DVD sounded surprisingly good, and now I'm really looking forward to the special edition coming out in October. I might just have to add A Bridge Too Far to my collection. Considering the film's age, the audio mix was quite impressive. The Dolby Surround featured rumbling bass and effective surround use. The LFE was a bit sloppy, not as tight and composed as an enthusiast would like, but at least it was there. The surround use was vague and the effects weren't the least bit discrete, but hearing the tanks rumble around you and the planes zipping by overhead was nice. Honestly, I've heard worse 6-channel mixes. The video was less consistent. The detail levels were great in some scenes, but lacking in others. There was a lot of shimmering and some fairly bad pixelation in a few scenes. The colors were bright and vibrant, but tended to bleed in a few cases. These are all problems that could, and should, be fixed in the upcoming re-release. I think A Bridge Too Far has a lot of potential to be a stand-out DVD. With a new sound mix and a cleaned up picture, this film could make an enticing DVD.
posted by Ethan at
9/21/2005 07:37:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home