Bridge At Remagen [1969] [Alien} .avi

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064110/


User Rating:

6.7/10

George Segal ... Lt. Phil Hartman

Robert Vaughn ... Maj. Paul Krüger

Ben Gazzara ... Sgt. Angelo

Bradford Dillman ... Maj. Barnes

E.G. Marshall ... Brig. Gen. Shinner



Trivia:

One of the first films to be shot behind the Iron Curtain. Czechoslovakia was seen by Russia as becoming too liberal in its values. In attempting to justify the forthcoming invasion by the USSR, Soviet agents spread the rumor that the American soldiers were real. Actually most of them were played by Czech students. Pictures of stored movie props were published as "proofs" of weapons shipments from the United States to arm local "reactionaries". It was even reported that American tanks were rolling through the streets and occupying the towns.



American director John Guillermin, known for several epic "clunkers", pulls together this rather tense look at one of the most important battles of World War II: American forces clash with the Germans at Remagen, where the last intact bridge over the Rhine stands between the two opposing forces.



The script divides attention evenly and fairly between the two forces. George Segal ("The Longest Day") is Lt. Hartman, a burned out and pretty tired junior officer who doesn't want to accept the responsibilities of command when his company commander is killed. The war is almost over, and Hartman is concerned with getting his men home. On the other side of the river, German Major Kreuger (Robert Vaughn) is equally concerned with saving lives – German lives. He becomes obsessed with keeping the bridge intact in order to allow retreating German soldiers to attack, despite orders from the High Command to blow up the bridge to prevent its' capture by the Allies.



The supporting cast is filled with fine performances. The standouts are Hans Christian Blech ("Battle of the Bulge") as Captain Schmidt, a weary Wehrmacht Officer who feels his duty is to protect the civilians whom Kreuger puts in harm's way by continuing a hopeless fight. Blech's acting ability ranges from quiet humility to occasional fits of rage, bringing a dimensionality to a role not commonly found in war epics. Joachim Hansen ("Breakthrough") disagrees with Schmidt; he is devoted to the High Command and wants a battle with the Americans more than anything. Both actors bring passion to their roles and make these very believable wartime officers, not simply normal caricatures and stereotypes.



640 x 480 pixels

bit rate 128

frame rate 23

data rate 981kbps

video 12 bit

compression xvid