Latest news with #OperationMarketGarden
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Sean Connery leads dazzling A-star cast in epic war film but fans all criticise same thing
The 1977 war epic is based on historian Cornelius Ryan's book of the same name and is loaded to the brim with one A-list actor after the other - but it still received criticism Richard Attenborough's 1977 war masterpiece, A Bridge Too Far, is brimming with a roster of A-list actors. The film is based on the book of the same name by historian Cornelius Ryan and was adapted for the silver screen by William Goldman. In an effort to publicise the film, Goldman penned a book specifically titled Story of A Bridge Too Far - as a favour to Joseph E. Levine - which hit the shelves in December 1977. A Bridge Too Far dramatises Operation Market Garden, the audacious yet doomed military operation undertaken by the Allied forces during World War II. Set in September 1944, it tells the tale of British, Polish, and American forces' attempt to capture a series of bridges in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, aiming to swiftly end the war by circumventing the German Siegfried Line. A collaborative production between the United States and the United Kingdom, A Bridge Too Far was shot in the Netherlands, often at the very historical sites where the events unfolded, reports the Express. Boasting an impressive ensemble cast, A Bridge Too Far stars Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. The war film garnered numerous accolades, including eight BAFTA nominations and four wins, with John Addison, a veteran of the British XXX Corps during Operation Market Garden, taking home the award for Best Score. Despite its critical success, the film received a lukewarm reception from critics, with a 59 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One critic noted: "Does have its flat spots, but does have a top-notch cast to keep boredom at bay." Another reviewer commented: "Though overlong, muddled, ponderous and overbaked, it's not without some impressive moments." A third critic stated: "The movie's big and expensive and filled with stars, but it's not an epic. It's the longest B-grade war movie ever made." Some critics found the film's length to be a drawback, with one calling it "a movie too long" and another describing it as "a very long slog". However, audience reviews of the film were overwhelmingly positive, with one viewer writing: "One of the greatest war films ever put to screen. With an all-star cast the complaints about it being too long are unwarranted as the build-up and story is fully required. An all-time great!". Another viewer praised the film, saying: "One of the best WW2 movies. The all-star cast is incorporated well into the story of Operation Market Garden. Epic, intense full-scale battle sequences make this memorable. Only demerit is the movie is a bit too long." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. While one fan was effusive in their praise for the movie: "One of the best war films over the years I enjoyed in 1977 and now watching it for my 20th time. Richard Attenborough did a great job on directing, all the actors did a great job. The cinematography, the sound, and music was great plus it's just a great film. I put it up there with one of my top 10 films of all time next to the movie Patton." Meanwhile, another viewer kept their feedback succinct: "Nothing much to say, historical accuracy, practical effects and incredibly high quality for its age, a gold standard of historical war movies."
Rhyl Journal
27-06-2025
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Battle of Arnhem veteran becomes MBE days before 100th birthday
Geoffrey Roberts, from Peterborough, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem and to charity by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Mr Roberts, who turns 100 on Saturday told the PA news agency: 'I'm surprised actually, I don't know what I got it for, I didn't do anything. 'When I saw the letter I thought someone was kidding me, I didn't have a clue, it was the last thing on my mind. I was very shocked and very overwhelmed.' Asked how important it is that veterans continue to be recognised, he said: 'It's very important, there's not many of us left, so it's very important especially for the ones who didn't come home. 'The heroes are lying in a cemetery, I was lucky, I turned left when I should have turned right so I'm still here.' Mr Roberts, who was born in the Chelsea Barracks in London in 1925, signed up in 1942. On September 17 1944, he flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden – depicted in the 1977 Hollywood film A Bridge Too Far – which saw 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachute or glide behind German lines. Mr Roberts was captured on September 26, with a German officer giving him some cigarettes and telling him, 'for you, the war is over'. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp and put to work in a coal mine until the end of the war.
Leader Live
26-06-2025
- General
- Leader Live
Battle of Arnhem veteran becomes MBE days before 100th birthday
Geoffrey Roberts, from Peterborough, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem and to charity by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Mr Roberts, who turns 100 on Saturday told the PA news agency: 'I'm surprised actually, I don't know what I got it for, I didn't do anything. 'When I saw the letter I thought someone was kidding me, I didn't have a clue, it was the last thing on my mind. I was very shocked and very overwhelmed.' Asked how important it is that veterans continue to be recognised, he said: 'It's very important, there's not many of us left, so it's very important especially for the ones who didn't come home. 'The heroes are lying in a cemetery, I was lucky, I turned left when I should have turned right so I'm still here.' Mr Roberts, who was born in the Chelsea Barracks in London in 1925, signed up in 1942. On September 17 1944, he flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden – depicted in the 1977 Hollywood film A Bridge Too Far – which saw 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachute or glide behind German lines. Mr Roberts was captured on September 26, with a German officer giving him some cigarettes and telling him, 'for you, the war is over'. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp and put to work in a coal mine until the end of the war.
The Independent
26-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Battle of Arnhem veteran becomes MBE days before 100th birthday
A 99-year-old who fought in the Battle of Arnhem said it is important for Second World War veterans to be honoured as 'there's not many of us left'. Geoffrey Roberts, from Peterborough, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem and to charity by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Mr Roberts, who turns 100 on Saturday told the PA news agency: 'I'm surprised actually, I don't know what I got it for, I didn't do anything. 'When I saw the letter I thought someone was kidding me, I didn't have a clue, it was the last thing on my mind. I was very shocked and very overwhelmed.' Asked how important it is that veterans continue to be recognised, he said: 'It's very important, there's not many of us left, so it's very important especially for the ones who didn't come home. 'The heroes are lying in a cemetery, I was lucky, I turned left when I should have turned right so I'm still here.' Mr Roberts, who was born in the Chelsea Barracks in London in 1925, signed up in 1942. On September 17 1944, he flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden – depicted in the 1977 Hollywood film A Bridge Too Far – which saw 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachute or glide behind German lines. Mr Roberts was captured on September 26, with a German officer giving him some cigarettes and telling him, 'for you, the war is over'. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp and put to work in a coal mine until the end of the war.
South Wales Guardian
26-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Battle of Arnhem veteran becomes MBE days before 100th birthday
Geoffrey Roberts, from Peterborough, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem and to charity by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Mr Roberts, who turns 100 on Saturday told the PA news agency: 'I'm surprised actually, I don't know what I got it for, I didn't do anything. 'When I saw the letter I thought someone was kidding me, I didn't have a clue, it was the last thing on my mind. I was very shocked and very overwhelmed.' Asked how important it is that veterans continue to be recognised, he said: 'It's very important, there's not many of us left, so it's very important especially for the ones who didn't come home. 'The heroes are lying in a cemetery, I was lucky, I turned left when I should have turned right so I'm still here.' Mr Roberts, who was born in the Chelsea Barracks in London in 1925, signed up in 1942. On September 17 1944, he flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden – depicted in the 1977 Hollywood film A Bridge Too Far – which saw 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachute or glide behind German lines. Mr Roberts was captured on September 26, with a German officer giving him some cigarettes and telling him, 'for you, the war is over'. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp and put to work in a coal mine until the end of the war.
