Bridge too far

Erimus74

Well-known member
Can watch this over & over again

Where's the captain?

He's dead, I didn't ask you how he was, where is he?

Great scene

Some excellent actors, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman & many more
 
I've always been mean to ask you something, why hell do you always carry the blooming umbrella?
Memories ☔
 
its a classic film.

I have recently re-watched The Longest Day again, with John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda and Sean Connery, after learning that my Granddad was in the 4th Commando brigade that marched for the beaches to relieve the para's at Pegasus Bridge under Lord Lovatt and his mental bag piper Bill Millen.

What a group of men. The likes of which we will never see again.
 
its a classic film.

I have recently re-watched The Longest Day again, with John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda and Sean Connery, after learning that my Granddad was in the 4th Commando brigade that marched for the beaches to relieve the para's at Pegasus Bridge under Lord Lovatt and his mental bag piper Bill Millen.

What a group of men. The likes of which we will never see again.
Fantastic, classic film

The most expensive black & white film made
 
its a classic film.

I have recently re-watched The Longest Day again, with John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda and Sean Connery, after learning that my Granddad was in the 4th Commando brigade that marched for the beaches to relieve the para's at Pegasus Bridge under Lord Lovatt and his mental bag piper Bill Millen.

What a group of men. The likes of which we will never see again.

Fun fact, Richard Todd, who in the film played the CO of the Glider Force of the Ox & Bucks that originally took Pegasus Bridge (as part of the 1st Airborne's Operation Tonga operation on the night of 5th/6th June) in real life was part of the 7th Parachute Regiment that landed nearby and reinforced the Ox & Bucks to hold the Bridge until Lovatt's Commando's and your granddad got there from Sword Beach.

There is one scene where Richard Todd is playing the CO (Major John Howard DSO) and another actor is alongside him playing Captain Richard Todd relaying a message.
 
Last edited:
David Niven is another actor who had an interesting war career. He came back from Hollywood to re join, and if memory serves I think he ended up in the commandos.

Didn't have a lot of time for those actors who stayed in Hollywood helping the war effort by appearing in films
 
David Niven is another actor who had an interesting war career. He came back from Hollywood to re join, and if memory serves I think he ended up in the commandos.

Didn't have a lot of time for those actors who stayed in Hollywood helping the war effort by appearing in films

And yet they arguably played the most crucial part in winning the war.

Why do I say that?

The country Churchill placed the most spies in wasn't Germany, Italy, Japan or Russia or France even. It was America. He knew the key to winning the war was getting the US on our side. Goebbels was busy producing landmark propaganda films that are cited today as how to go about influencing and persuading a population to do his regimes bidding. Churchill was smarter. He deliberately set about infiltrating and influencing Hollywood. The Nazi's and Japanese were portrayed as evil, the Brits as plucky and good and aligned with the American ideal of freedom. Americans were against getting involved in another European war in 1939, but by the time it got to December 1941 it was decided whose side they would be on if they did get drawn in. Roosevelt knew war was coming and who they needed to fight as did the Jewish Movie Moguls and Financiers, but it was a process to persuade the general population. So it helped first win financial, shipping and arms support, which led to a coastal conflict between the U boats and the Coast Guard, which then meant American ships were sunk, which in turn meant the US was able to swing straight into a strategy of taking out Germany first.
 
David Niven is another actor who had an interesting war career. He came back from Hollywood to re join, and if memory serves I think he ended up in the commandos.

Didn't have a lot of time for those actors who stayed in Hollywood helping the war effort by appearing in films
Dave Niven played a great part in The guns of Navarone
 
Some amazing actors.
Typically propagandist, but it kind of says "look what can be achieved"!
A very young Oliver Reed ....
way ahead.jpeg
 
Battle of Britain - still the best for me - without victory against bigger odds in 1940 there would have been no D Day and no Arnhem - August 1940 we were at our lowest point. It was the first time the Axis and European Fascist forces were defeated/stopped. They had had a 7 year winning run up till then.

The film was reasonably representative.
 
Back
Top