A Bridge Too Far/The Great Escape/Battle Of Britain (Box Set)

Advantages: Great aerial photography, stirring score, fine all-star cast
Disadvantages: Some subplots are a bit dire....

...to stand in for their 1940 forbears. Nor do I find fault with the now outdated visual effects; yes, some of the explosions (particularly of crashing planes and the big bombing raid on London at night) look cartoony, but, again, this film was made in 1969, not 2005...or even 1999. The MGM 2003 DVD release is a bit lacking in the critical areas of sound (it's okay but not exactly earthshaking) and extra features, since the only such offering is the original theatrical trailer. Heck, it doesn't even bring a chapter list or one of those trivia-filled booklets such as those in the MGM Home Entertainment DVDs of The Great Escape and A Bridge Too Far. Nevertheless, its restoration to widescreen places The Battle of Britain's DVD version head and shoulders above the fullscreen VHS videotape edition.... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning aerial sequences, great score, entertaining account
Disadvantages: Too many cooks

...be 'A Bridge Too Far' which fell foul of an ensemble cast. There are just too many faces too take in, and often they are fleeting appearances that lend nothing to the production. Of the cast, Robert Shaw, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer and Trevor Howard get most screen time, which is criminal if you bear in mind the other names involved with the production. Michael Caine is reduced to a walk on role, Kenneth More is wasted in an equally brief bit of casting. Michael Redgrave, Ian McShane, Harry Andrews, Barry Foster and Edward Fox all drift in and out of the picture, while Susannah York is afforded far TOO much screentime as one half of an insipid romance. If all the above sounds like an attempt to deter you from seeing 'the Battle of Britain' do not be fooled. Flaws aside it is a tremendous piece of entertainment, take the rough... Read review

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Advantages: Good action movie, acting and presentation of characters.
Disadvantages: Fictional account based on historical facts.

...The Second World War was full of pivotal moments from the Battle for France, Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, through to Stalingrad, Anzio and the Battle of the Ardennes in Belgium, each one of them has become famous for being a major turning point in the war against Hitler and Germany, however, the battle for the Remagen bridge, which was just as pivotal if not more so in many ways, has never really been given the credit it deserves and this movie, although based on fictional characters and units, does at least give it some credence. In early 1945, the western allies had defeated Hitler's last major offensive and gamble, the Battle of the Ardennes ( or Battle of the Bulge as the US call it ) and were pushing deep into Germany from the north, west and south. Hitler had sacrificed his best troops and equipment in one last, pointless... Read review

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