The Bridge at Remagen
Encyclopedia
The Bridge at Remagen is a 1969 war film
starring George Segal
, Ben Gazzara
and Robert Vaughn
. It was directed by John Guillermin and was shot on location in Czechoslovakia
.
The film is based on the book The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 by writer
and U. S. Representative
, Ken Hechler
. It was adapted into a screenplay
by Richard Yates
and William Roberts
.
The film is a highly-fictionalized version of actual events during the last months of World War II
when the U.S. 9th Armored Division
approached Remagen
and found the Ludendorff Bridge
still intact. The movie re-enacts the week-long battle, and several artillery duels, that the Americans fought before gaining a bridgehead across the Rhine for the final push into Germany.
) is an experienced combat team leader who is becoming weary of the war in Europe. After he is promoted to company commander following the reckless death of the previous officer, he is given orders to advance to the Rhine River at Remagen where he is promised a rest for his men. At the same time, Major Paul Krüger (Robert Vaughn
), an honorable Wehrmacht
officer, is given the job of destroying the bridge there by his friend and superior, Colonel General von Brock (Peter van Eyck
) who has been given a written order to do it immediately. But the staff officer appeals to Krüger's sense of honour, giving him a verbal command to defend the bridge for as long as possible to allow the 15th Army trapped on the west bank of the river to escape.
After capturing the undefended town of Meckenheim
four miles from Remagen, Hartman is ordered by his battalion commander, Major Barnes (Bradford Dillman
), to continue the advance until encountering resistance. Hartman is disgusted because Barnes is using the men's lives to further his own military career. Krüger, meanwhile, has been touring the defences above the town of Remagen. He assures the handful of troops, which are just old veterans and boys, that he has a personal guarantee from the general that tank reserves are on the way. But when Hartman's troops attack the town, Krüger is shown the reality when he calls for the promised tanks and is told they have been sent "elsewhere".
On finding the bridge intact, General Shinner (E.G. Marshall) orders Major Barnes to secure its capture, saying: "It's a crap shoot, Major . . . We're risking one hundred men, but you may save ten thousand". With only momentary hesitation, Barnes agrees to send in Hartman's company. He then orders the troops to gain a foothold across the Rhine River, thus avoiding a costly assault-crossing elsewhere. Sergeant Angelo (Ben Gazzara
), one of Hartman's squad leaders and friend, highlights the mood of the war-weary men by striking Barnes after being ordered onto the bridge.
On the other side, as the American soldiers rush the bridge, Krüger along with explosives engineer, Captain Baumann (Joachim Hansen
), and Captain Schmidt (Hans Christian Blech
) from Remagen Bridge Security Command, try to blow up the bridge, but the explosives they have been provided with prove to be not the high-yield military grade charges needed for the job but weaker industrial explosives, which fail to destroy the superstructure. Hartman's troops then dig in to consolidate their hold on the intact bridge.
Krüger, who still believes in victory, shoots two soldiers as they try to desert. He then realises that the futility of the situation has turned him "on his own" troops, and the defensive position has becomes untenable. In desperation, Krüger returns to HQ to make a personal appeal to the general for more reinforcements, but on arrival he finds that the building has been taken over by the SS and Von Brock has been arrested for being "defeatist". Krüger is then questioned about the delay before blowing up the bridge. Unable to present a written order, he is not able to justify his actions and is arrested.
Back at Remagen, Hartman leads a raid against a machine gun nest installed by Krüger on board a barge
moored to the bridge, but while taking its crew out, Angelo is hit and falls into the river. Despondent, Hartman marches on foot towards the bridge defenders' post at the same time as a squad of M24 Chaffee
light tanks cross the bridge. The remaining German soldiers surrender to the Americans. Hartman then discovers that Angelo has survived after all. The next day, Krüger is led out for execution by SS firing squad. With the sounds of many planes overhead, Krüger asks: "Ours or theirs?". The SS officer attending him replies, "Enemy planes, Sir!". "But who is the enemy?" muses Krüger before he is shot.
The film concludes with scenes on the bridge, and a screen crawl informing the viewer that the actual structure collapsed into the Rhine 10 days after its capture.
officials did not allow the production of the film in that country. The film company then secured permission to shoot at Davle
, a town in Czechoslovakia
that straddled the Vltava River, and possessed a suitable bridge structure. During filming, the Soviet Army
invaded Czechoslovakia
to reinstall a hard-line Communist government, causing the film company to flee to the West in taxis.
Robert Vaughn appeared as himself narrating and being a character in Solo behind the Iron Curtain
, a radio play broadcast by BBC Radio 4
in 2007 about making the film in Prague
, during the Russian invasion of August 1968 in response to the Prague Spring
earlier in the year.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
starring George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
, Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara
-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
and Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
. It was directed by John Guillermin and was shot on location in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
The film is based on the book The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and U. S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Ken Hechler
Ken Hechler
Kenneth William Hechler is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977 and was West Virginia Secretary of State from 1985 to 2001....
. It was adapted into a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Richard Yates
Richard Yates (novelist)
Richard Yates was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.-Life:...
and William Roberts
William Roberts (screenwriter)
William Roberts was a screenwriter.His screenplays includeThe Mating Game ,The Magnificent Seven ,The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm ,The Bridge at Remagen ,Posse ....
.
The film is a highly-fictionalized version of actual events during the last months of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when the U.S. 9th Armored Division
U.S. 9th Armored Division
The 9th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army in World War II. In honor of their World War II service, the 9th was officially nicknamed the "Phantom Division."-History:...
approached Remagen
Remagen
Remagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
and found the Ludendorff Bridge
Ludendorff Bridge
The Ludendorff Bridge was a railway bridge across the River Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river...
still intact. The movie re-enacts the week-long battle, and several artillery duels, that the Americans fought before gaining a bridgehead across the Rhine for the final push into Germany.
Plot
Lieutenant Hartman (George SegalGeorge Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
) is an experienced combat team leader who is becoming weary of the war in Europe. After he is promoted to company commander following the reckless death of the previous officer, he is given orders to advance to the Rhine River at Remagen where he is promised a rest for his men. At the same time, Major Paul Krüger (Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
), an honorable Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
officer, is given the job of destroying the bridge there by his friend and superior, Colonel General von Brock (Peter van Eyck
Peter van Eyck
Peter van Eyck, born Götz von Eick , was a German-American actor.-Biography:...
) who has been given a written order to do it immediately. But the staff officer appeals to Krüger's sense of honour, giving him a verbal command to defend the bridge for as long as possible to allow the 15th Army trapped on the west bank of the river to escape.
After capturing the undefended town of Meckenheim
Meckenheim
Meckenheim is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km south-west of Bonn.-References:...
four miles from Remagen, Hartman is ordered by his battalion commander, Major Barnes (Bradford Dillman
Bradford Dillman
-Early life:Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930 in San Francisco, California, the son of Josephine and Dean Dillman, a stockbroker. He studied at Town School for Boys and St. Ignatius High School. Later he attended the Hotchkiss boarding school in Connecticut, where he became involved in...
), to continue the advance until encountering resistance. Hartman is disgusted because Barnes is using the men's lives to further his own military career. Krüger, meanwhile, has been touring the defences above the town of Remagen. He assures the handful of troops, which are just old veterans and boys, that he has a personal guarantee from the general that tank reserves are on the way. But when Hartman's troops attack the town, Krüger is shown the reality when he calls for the promised tanks and is told they have been sent "elsewhere".
On finding the bridge intact, General Shinner (E.G. Marshall) orders Major Barnes to secure its capture, saying: "It's a crap shoot, Major . . . We're risking one hundred men, but you may save ten thousand". With only momentary hesitation, Barnes agrees to send in Hartman's company. He then orders the troops to gain a foothold across the Rhine River, thus avoiding a costly assault-crossing elsewhere. Sergeant Angelo (Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara
-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
), one of Hartman's squad leaders and friend, highlights the mood of the war-weary men by striking Barnes after being ordered onto the bridge.
On the other side, as the American soldiers rush the bridge, Krüger along with explosives engineer, Captain Baumann (Joachim Hansen
Joachim Hansen (actor)
Joachim Hansen was a German actor. He was best known for film roles in the 1960s and 1970s where he was often cast in roles portraying Nazi officers and World War II German officials....
), and Captain Schmidt (Hans Christian Blech
Hans Christian Blech
Hans Christian Blech was a German film, stage and television character actor who found success both in his native land and in Hollywood....
) from Remagen Bridge Security Command, try to blow up the bridge, but the explosives they have been provided with prove to be not the high-yield military grade charges needed for the job but weaker industrial explosives, which fail to destroy the superstructure. Hartman's troops then dig in to consolidate their hold on the intact bridge.
Krüger, who still believes in victory, shoots two soldiers as they try to desert. He then realises that the futility of the situation has turned him "on his own" troops, and the defensive position has becomes untenable. In desperation, Krüger returns to HQ to make a personal appeal to the general for more reinforcements, but on arrival he finds that the building has been taken over by the SS and Von Brock has been arrested for being "defeatist". Krüger is then questioned about the delay before blowing up the bridge. Unable to present a written order, he is not able to justify his actions and is arrested.
Back at Remagen, Hartman leads a raid against a machine gun nest installed by Krüger on board a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
moored to the bridge, but while taking its crew out, Angelo is hit and falls into the river. Despondent, Hartman marches on foot towards the bridge defenders' post at the same time as a squad of M24 Chaffee
M24 Chaffee
The Light Tank M24 was an American light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and with the French in the War in Algeria and First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee, after the United States Army General Adna R...
light tanks cross the bridge. The remaining German soldiers surrender to the Americans. Hartman then discovers that Angelo has survived after all. The next day, Krüger is led out for execution by SS firing squad. With the sounds of many planes overhead, Krüger asks: "Ours or theirs?". The SS officer attending him replies, "Enemy planes, Sir!". "But who is the enemy?" muses Krüger before he is shot.
The film concludes with scenes on the bridge, and a screen crawl informing the viewer that the actual structure collapsed into the Rhine 10 days after its capture.
Cast
- George SegalGeorge SegalGeorge Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
- Lieutenant Phil Hartman - Robert VaughnRobert VaughnRobert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
- Major Paul Krüger - Ben GazzaraBen Gazzara-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
- Sergeant Angelo - Bradford DillmanBradford Dillman-Early life:Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930 in San Francisco, California, the son of Josephine and Dean Dillman, a stockbroker. He studied at Town School for Boys and St. Ignatius High School. Later he attended the Hotchkiss boarding school in Connecticut, where he became involved in...
- Major Barnes - E. G. MarshallE. G. MarshallE. G. Marshall was an American actor, best known for his television roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors in the 1970s...
- General Shinner - Peter van EyckPeter van EyckPeter van Eyck, born Götz von Eick , was a German-American actor.-Biography:...
- Generaloberst von Brock - Hans Christian BlechHans Christian BlechHans Christian Blech was a German film, stage and television character actor who found success both in his native land and in Hollywood....
- Hauptmann Karl Schmidt - Heinz Reincke - Holzgang, the Mayor
- Joachim HansenJoachim Hansen (actor)Joachim Hansen was a German actor. He was best known for film roles in the 1960s and 1970s where he was often cast in roles portraying Nazi officers and World War II German officials....
- Captain Otto Baumann - Bo HopkinsBo HopkinsBo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
- Corporal Grebs - Robert LoganRobert LoganRobert F. Logan, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs, the most notable of which were a very successful series of family adventure movies in the 1970s....
- Private Bissell - Matt ClarkMatt Clark (actor)Matt Clark is an American actor and director with credits in both film and television. Clark has played diverse character roles in Westerns, comedies, and dramas....
- Corporal Jellicoe - Steve SandorSteve SandorSteve Sandor is an actor who made his first television appearance on Star Trek: The Original Series, playing Lars in the second season episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion "....
- Private Slavek - Richard MünchRichard MünchRichard Heinrich Ludwig Münch , better known as Richard Münch, was a German actor, best known for portraying Alfred Jodl in Patton...
- General von Sturmer - Günter MeisnerGünter MeisnerGünter Meisner was a German actor. He is best remembered for his several cinematic portrayals of Adolf Hitler....
- Oberstgruppenführer Gerlach
Filming in Czechoslovakia
Because of shipping traffic on the River Rhine, West GermanWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
officials did not allow the production of the film in that country. The film company then secured permission to shoot at Davle
Davle
Davle is a market town in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It is located more than south of Prague at the confluence of the Vltava and Sázava rivers.- History :...
, a town in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
that straddled the Vltava River, and possessed a suitable bridge structure. During filming, the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
invaded Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
to reinstall a hard-line Communist government, causing the film company to flee to the West in taxis.
Robert Vaughn appeared as himself narrating and being a character in Solo behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, a radio play broadcast by BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in 2007 about making the film in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, during the Russian invasion of August 1968 in response to the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
earlier in the year.