The Bridge: Die Bruecke
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Movie Reviews of The Bridge: Die Bruecke
Movie Review: What about the DVD itself?
Summary: 4 Stars
Other reviewers have praised this film at length, so I don't have much to add there. However, none of the other reviews addresses the question of how the DVD itself looks. Here are my impressions:
This DVD was made by a small company called Belle & Blade, which mainly distributes war movies released by other home video companies. I'm a little apprehensive of buying DVDs from such companies because they sometimes border on bootleg quality. (I won't name names.) Happily, this release of "The Bridge" is a pleasant surprise. While not in pristine condition, the print is very good, with excellent contrast and sharpness. The DVD is not progressively encoded, but it looks fine on regular tube TVs. (You may see some blurriness during action sequences if you watch it on a computer or another HD source.) For a DVD originally released in 1998, it holds up well.
It's worth pointing out that Belle & Blade has transferred two separate versions of "The Bridge": the original 102-minute German-language cut and the slighly abbreviated 100-minute English dub. There are some differences between the two, and I prefer the German-language original. My biggest complaint is that you can't turn off the subtitles when you watch the German-language version. In my opinion, all subtitles ought to be optional -- that's simply one of the advantages of the DVD medium. (And other reviews are correct: the subtitling is not completely accurate. But it's not bad.)
Furthermore, "The Bridge" has been such an important and influential movie (particularly in Germany) that it deserves an extra feature or two. Belle & Blade has thoughtfully included the intro by Chet Huntley that accompanied the film's showings in the United States in 1960. (It's of historical interest because Huntley sets the film up as a rejection of totalitarian government, with anti-Communist overtones. That's an obvious misreading. "The Bridge" is primarily about the contrast between youthful idealism and the brutal reality of war, and it can be read as an out-and-out anti-war film.) Still, it would have been nice to hear a military historian provide a commentary track, or perhaps a current German director or critic could have been interviewed about the film's importance. Not to mention that most of the actors who portrayed the boys are still alive and working.
With the above caveats, I recommend this DVD. I don't know if Belle & Blade's other releases are of similar quality, but you should have no worries about this one. I do think that the Amazon price is much too high, though, so keep an eye on the Marketplace sellers.
Movie Review: Outstanding Movie, Needs to be remade into a modern epic.
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, the movie starts slowly and builds, but this is fairly routine for foreign films of the era. The Bridge was made on an extremely low budget and the movie reflects this, with the homemade tanks at the end being almost comical in their appearance. Still, the story overpowers the movie's short falls. If you're a student of German WWII history or an enthusiast, this is a "must have" movie. I would like to see a major motion picture in the league of "Stalingrad", "Downfall" or "Das Boot" done with The Bridge. The book places more emphasis and details on the battle at the bridge which the movie kind of moves quickly over, but again, I think this was a production and cost issue when the movie was made. If someone doesn't make a big screen big budget remake of this movie, they're missing a golden opportunity.Movie Review: Little to add except...
Summary: 4 Stars
Others here have already detailed what a fine (anti)war film Die Bruecke is and why. I can only echo those sentiments: this is a gripping film that really makes you think about militarism and war and their costs. I did find one unfortunate problem with this particular release of the film: the subtitles are at times wrong, but more often they cut and simplify the dialogue and seemingly make little attempt to recreate its nuances. On the bright side, this film isn't heavily rooted in dialogue: the plot and images speak louder than words and get the messages across as clear as day. Still, it would be nice to see this film re-released with better subtitling.Movie Review: The Bridge
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw this one when it came out as a movie when I was a teen. It had a lasting impact on my outlook of war. I have since served in the military, worked and retired. I wanted to see this movie again. Perhaps since I've grown older, been exposed to a lot more violence and a number of wars since, the impact wasn't as great, but it still is an excellent rebuttal to war. I would still recommend it for any young man or woman to watch, and for parents who somehow still believe that war is a glorius adventure!Movie Review: Die Brücke ( The Bridge)
Summary: 4 Stars
I had seen this film way back in the 50s in Germany with our school class and wanted to show it now to my second husband who is English. I had told him often about this particular scene on the bridge, where you can hear the American tank approach. It still left me sitting on the edge of the chair. A very powerful film, had lost nothing of it's fascination in the 50 years, since I had seen it last.
The DVD came before the estimated time, thank you very much for your prompt service.