The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

Written by Wuchak on September 5, 2020

Sorta obscure WW2 flick from the late 60s with George Segal and Robert Vaughn

As the Allies are about to invade Germany in March, 1945, the Germans decide to blow up the last bridge on the Rhine in the area of Oberkassel, but a dissenting general (Peter van Eyck) convinces a major (Robert Vaughn) to keep it up as long as possible so troops can escape Germany. On the American side George Segal plays a lieutenant, Ben Gazzara a sergeant and Bradford Dillman their commander.

"The Bridge at Remagen" (1969) is a WW2 film loosely based on real-life events similar to the later “A Bridge Too Far” (1977), but with a lesser cast, albeit more streamlined and colorful, like the contemporaneous “Castle Keep,” but less artsy and more straightforward. It may not be great like “Where Eagles Dare” (1968) or near-great like “Kelly’s Heroes” (1970), but it’s solid and fills the bill if you’re in the mood for WW2 movie from the European theater.

The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot in Davle & Most, Czech Republic (the river is the Vltava). Filming was interrupted by the Soviet invasion of August, 1968, wherein Cast & crew were taken to safety via a convoy of 28 taxis. The film was completed in Hamburg, Germany, and various Italian locations. The film unit was amusingly accused by the Soviets & East German press of smuggling weapons into the country, supposedly being a cover-up for the CIA.

GRADE: B