The Bridge at Remagen

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The Bridge at Remagen

DVD cover
Directed by John Guillermin
Produced by David L. Wolper
Written by Roger O. Hirson (story)
William Roberts
Richard Yates
Starring George Segal
Robert Vaughn
Ben Gazzara
Bradford Dillman
E.G. Marshall
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography Stanley Cortez
Editing by William Cartwright
Distributed by United Artists
Release date(s) 1969
Running time 115 min.
Country U.S.
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Bridge at Remagen is a war film released in 1969, directed by John Guillermin and starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara and Robert Vaughn. The film is based on the book by Ken Hechler, adapted for screen by Richard Yates and William Roberts, which describes the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on March 7, 1945 by the U.S. 9th Armored Division.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

In the last months of World War II, elements of the US 1st Army approach the last standing bridge over the Rhine River. The Rhine is the last natural barrier between Allied forces on the western front, and Germany's industrial heartland. While the battle weary Americans reluctantly follow orders to capture the bridge intact, a scratch force of less than 200 Nazi defenders do their best to defend the bridge without actually destroying it and cutting off the escape route of 75,000 of their German comrades on the far side of the Rhine.

[edit] Plot

The film is a fictionalized version of the real events. The real life officer who led US troops across the bridge, Lieutenant Karl Timmermann, and the first soldier across the bridge, Sergeant Alex Drabik, bore little resemblance to the fictional characters in the film.

George Segal plays Lieutenant Hartman, an experienced mechanized infantry platoon commander who is promoted to command a company ordered to capture the eponymous bridge.

Major Paul Kruger (Robert Vaughn) is a German officer charged with defending the bridge. Official orders have been given to destroy the span, but a gentleman's agreement with his commander has Kruger pledge to keep the bridge open as long as possible, facilitating the withdrawal of thousands of men of the 15th Army, who would otherwise be trapped on the far side of the river.

A company of armored infantry under Hartman capture the town of Stadt Meckenheim against no resistance, and are ordered to keep going until they make contact with the enemy. Their battalion commander, Major Barnes, is anxious to please his superiors (Hartman acidly remarks to his friend and company commander, Captain Colt, that "Barnes jumps at orders like a dog at a bone").

The company makes contact in the town of Remagen, and after clearing the town finds the bridge intact. General Shinner orders the bridge taken. "It's a crap shoot, Major," he tells Barnes. "We're risking 100 men, but you may save 10,000." He feels the risk of losing Hartman's company is worth the possible gains - a foothold across the Rhine preventing the need for a costly assault crossing elsewhere. One of Hartman's squad leaders, Sergeant Angelo, highlights the mood of the weary men by striking Major Barnes after being ordered onto the bridge.

Simultaneous to these actions, Major Kruger assumes command at the bridge, assisted by two captains, Hauptmann Baumann, an engineer ordered to blow up the bridge, and Hauptmann Schmidt of the Remagen Bridge Security Command. Kruger finds that the thousands of troops belonging to the local garrison have either deserted or exist only on paper, and the two battalions of tanks he has been promised as reinforcements have been sent "elsewhere."

Unable to counter-attack, Kruger is forced to blow up the bridge, but the explosives given - "cheap, industrial explosive", as Baumann complains - are unable to drop the span into the river. As Kruger leaves to get reinforcements, the remnants of the bridge force surrenders to the remnants of the US company sent across the bridge. Hartman and Angelo find themselves survivors, and Kruger is executed for desertion and failure to carry out his orders to blow up the bridge.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Filming in Czechoslovakia

Because of river traffic on the Rhine, German official would not allow the film to be shot in Germany. The film company opted to film in Czechoslovakia instead in the town of Davle south of Prague. As one of the first Hollywood films to be shot behind the Iron Curtain, it was controversial to the Communist authorities. Czechoslovakia was seen as being too "Western" leaning, and falling from the Soviet orbit at the time. During filming, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia to restore the government to being pro Soviet. The entire film crew was evacuated out in taxis to the West. Soviet propagandists spread rumors that the actors in the film were actual American soldiers to try and further justify the invasion by Soviet forces. [1]

[edit] Character analogies to real-life figures

As noted above, the real-life officers and NCOs involved in the battle for the Ludendorff Bridge bear little resemblance to the characters in the film; however, the duty positions and actions of the characters were clearly analogous to several of the real-life men.

Karl H. Timmermann
Karl H. Timmermann
  • Lt Hartman is analogous to Lt Karl H. Timmermann, commander of Company A 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, who was also promoted to company commander following the wounding of the previous commander the day before the battle for the bridge.
  • Sgt Angelo appears to be a composite of Sgt Alex Drabik, the first man across the bridge, and Sgt Joseph DeLisio, a platoon sergeant whom the troops had good-naturedly kidded about volunteering to lead several attacks just so he could have the first crack at any loot.
  • Major Barnes, the battalion commander, is analogous to Major Murray Deevers, Commander of the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion.
  • Lt Pattison, Hartmann's second-in-command, is analogous to Lt Emmett James Burrows, although Pattison is killed in the movie while Burrows survived and went on to become a Mechanized Infantry battalion commander in the New Jersey Army National Guard in the 1950s.
William M. Hoge
William M. Hoge
  • Brig Gen Shinner is analogous to Brig Gen William M. Hoge, commander of Combat Command A, 9th Armored Division
    • William Hoge said that film was awful

[2]

  • Major Kruger is analogous to Major Hans Scheller.
  • Hauptmann Schmidt is analogous to Hauptmann Willi Bratge, who commanded of the troops defending Remagen, and was a schoolteacher in civilian life.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Hyams, Lee. War Movies
  • Hechler, Ken. The Bridge at Remagen (Updated version by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, including chapter on the film.)