THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN (1969)
Updated: Dec 10, 2022
Exposing the Gray Areas of War
Grade: A-
Most movies about World War II tend to favor one side or the other, usually the Allied Forces. This is natural since the other side-the Axis Powers-was responsible for some of the most horrifying atrocities in human history. Even in films like Saving Private Ryan or The Thin Red Line (both 1998), which focus heavily on the devastating effects of war, there is never any doubt as to who we are supposed to be rooting for. There is, however, the occasional war epic that dares to explore the other side-particularly Germany-and treat them as identifiable and even sympathetic characters, while still condemning their cause. The Bridge at Remagen is one of these movies, exploring the plights of both the Americans and the Germans while also delivering on the exhilarating battle sequences one would expect from a WWII epic.
Set in 1945, during the final months of the war, the film tells the story of two soldiers on opposing sides: Lt. Phil Hartman (George Segal) of the American Army and Maj. Paul Kreuger (Robert Vaughn) of the Third Reich. Hartman is ordered by his superiors to take his company of weary soldiers to the German town of Remagen, the home of the only remaining bridge spanning the Rhine River, in the hopes of cutting off the remnants of the retreating German 15th Army. Kreuger is given orders to destroy the bridge to keep the Allies at bay, but he wishes to hold it off for as long as possible so the 15th can get to safety. Unfortunately for him, he has only a small contingent of soldiers left to defend the bridge and the Americans soon lay siege to the town. As the numbers of both sides start to dwindle in the ensuing battle, Hartman and Vaughn are forced to make sacrifices for their people.
From the outset, the film attempts to portray the Nazis not as complete heartless monsters, but as pawns in a terrible game played by their notorious leader. The opening titles roll over scenes of German civilians fleeing across the bridge as the Allies close in. General Von Brock (Peter Van Eyck), Kreuger’s superior officer, is infuriated when he learns that he is being given orders to essentially trap the 15th Army on the other side of the Rhine and sacrifice them. He and Kreuger want them and the people of Remagen to be saved and risk their freedom and lives to defy their orders. Kreuger emerges as one of the most sympathetic characters in the movie, along with a local innkeeper (Heinz Reincke) whose son was killed at Stalingrad. In the movie’s climax, Kreuger kills two soldiers who attempt to desert but is immediately filled with guilt, having previously witnessed another officer killed by a firing squad to set an example to others. Robert Vaughn’s face contorts with horror as his character is confronted by Captain Schmidt (Hans Christian Blech) and the other townspeople. The price he ultimately pays for delaying the destruction of the bridge is a terrible and ironic punishment, and the fact that we come to care about him is nothing short of impressive, considering he was a servant of one of the most infamous men in history.
Meanwhile, the American forces are painted in a somewhat less compassionate light. Hartman exudes nothing but anger throughout most of the film, as well as disdain for the orders of his superior officers. He also is disgusted by the behavior of Sgt. Angelo (Ben Gazzara) who, along with some of the other soldiers, steals belongings from dead Nazis in the hopes of making a profit. Starving and sleep-deprived, the American soldiers maniacally chase chickens around a barnyard and lustfully gaze at a French girl left behind in an abandoned German town.
These portrayals vividly show the characters not to be heroes or villains, but as human beings. And as the film reaches its climax, it is revealed that Hartman and Kreuger are practically two sides of the same coin. U.S. Gen. Shinner (E.G. Marshall) changes the plan from destroying the bridge to taking it, thereby enabling the allies to cross the Rhine safely. He orders Hartman and his men to remove the explosives, much to Hartman’s anger. Thus, the superiors of both Hartman and Kreuger are willing to risk their soldiers to get what they want, and Hartman and Kreuger both hate them for it. The fact that the two adversaries only briefly meet once, when gazing at each other through binoculars at a distance, just makes their connection even more interesting.
The film is directed by John Guillermin who, in the following decade, would make such big movies as The Towering Inferno (1974), King Kong (1976), and Death on the Nile (1978). Ironically, for a maker of such ambitious films, he is not one of best remembered directors. But he shows an impressive ability to direct action sequences in The Bridge at Remagen as planes bomb the town, American tanks and Nazi cannons exchange fire across a valley, and Hartman’s troops slowly make their way across the bridge while getting cut down by enemy fire.
These moments are exciting, but Guillermin never quite allows them to fit into the traditional mold of Good-vs-Evil action. When bombs fall around the bridge, innocent people fall into the water. When the Germans surrender, many fighters are revealed to be citizens, one of them even a child. And even as the Allies draw closer to victory, joy is diminished by Kreuger’s situation. The result is an ironic paradox: want the Allies to win, but we also feel sympathy for Kreuger, despite his status as a Nazi.
In this way, Guillermin strips away the romantic façade of WWII. He shows that even this war had some moral gray areas, and the ones in authority are the main fighters. Everyone caught in the middle, from soldiers to civilians, are victims of their desires. For this reason, The Bridge at Remagen does not deserve to be forgotten like much of its director’s career has been.
Director: John Guillermin
Screenplay: William Roberts, Richard Yates (Based upon the book by Ken Hechler)
Producer: David L. Wolper
Cast: George Segal (Lt. Phil Hartman), Robert Vaughn (Maj. Paul Kreuger), Ben Gazzara (Sgt. Angelo), Bradford Dillman (Maj. Barnes), E.G. Marshall (Gen. Shinner), Peter Van Eyck (Generaloberst Von Brock), Hans Christian Blech (Capt. Karl Schmidt), Heinz Reincke (Councillor Holzang), Joachim Hansen (Capt. Otto Baumann), Sonja Ziemann (Greta Holzang), Anna Gael (French Girl)
Rated: R (for some war violence and brief nudity)
Comments