THE BRIDGE Movie Review

Die Brucke

1959 Bernhard Wicki

Though much smaller in scope, Bernard Wicki's anti-war Oscar-nominee is a legitimate companion piece to All Quiet on the Western Front. Both are concerned with the waste of German boys in pursuit of an impossible victory. The Bridge is set at the end of World War II. It's based on Erwin C. Dietrich's autobiographical novel and feels accurate in the early domestic scenes and the combat scenes, and at the end when the two sides overlap.

In April 1945, in an unnamed German town near the American lines, life goes on despite air raids and shortages. At first, the place seems almost normal. Mrs. Bernhardt (Edith SchultzeWestrum) still picks up laundry and Mr. Forst (Hans Elwenspoek), the local Nazi Party organizer, is busily at work. But he is virtually the only “able-bodied” man around. Mr. Horber (Klaus Hellmond) has lost a hand. Mrs. Borchert (Eva Vaitl) is running the family farm by herself, though she does have slave laborers. Most of the males are teenaged boys.

Walter (Michael Hinz) is into jazz and cigarettes. Karl (Karl Michael Balzer) has fallen in lust with his father's girlfriend. Klaus (Volker Lechtenbrink) has a girl his own age and is just discovering how complicated romance can be. Jurgen (Franz Glaubrecht) thinks that he is destined to be an officer in the Army like his father and grandfather. Siggi (Gunther Hoffmann) is the littlest of the bunch. Albert (Fritz Wepper) and Scholten (Volker Bohnet) fill out this gang of seven. (If any of those credits are incorrect, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile differences between subtitles and credits.) Actually, these are completely normal, active, curious kids. Though they understand intellectually that the war is almost over and that Germany will lose, they're still anxious to do their part. They run to get the mail every day, hoping that their enlistment orders will arrive. Their parents dread the same news.

When they are called up, each reacts differently and off they go. The veterans tolerate these eager puppies and don't make life nearly as difficult as they could. After a teacher intervenes on their behalf, one of their officers makes sure the boys will be sent somewhere away from the worst of action. He places them under the direction of Cpl. Heilmann (Gunter Pfitzmann), whose seven years of Army service have taught him one important lesson: “Keep out of the way.”

Unfortunately, that is precisely what they are not able to do. In the second half, the seven boys face the confusion of a full retreat without any adult leadership. What are they to do when they see seasoned troops bent on self-preservation passing them by? The dynamics of the group take over with frightful results. By today's standards, director Wicki spends far too much time setting the stage, but he wants viewers to know the kids as individuals and to understand the forces that have shaped them. Once the pace picks up, it moves very well, and Wicki has a strong visual sense. The first time all of the soldiers come swarming out of their barracks and moving down a flight of stairs is a wonderful moment that captures the profound changes the boys are experiencing. Then later, when they must face American troops and tanks, the level of realistically graphic violence is remarkable. In 1959, it must have been shocking.

Some have noted that the final battle in Saving Private Ryan owes something to the end of The Bridge, and there are similarities. Those should not be taken too far, however. Wicki finds no glory or redemption in battle—only the waste of young men who never have a chance to make mature decisions about what they are doing.

Cast: Fritz Wepper (Mutz), Volker Bohnet (Scholten), Franz Glaubrecht (Borchert), Karl Michael Balzer (Karl Horber), Gunther Hoffman (Siggi Bernhardt), Michael Hinz (Forst), Cordula Trantow (Franziska), Wolfgang Stumpf (Stern), Volker Lechtenbrink (Klaus Hager), Gunter Pfitzmann (Heilmann), Edith Schultze-Westrum (Mother Bernhardt), Ruth Hausmeister (Mrs. Mutz), Eva Vaitl (Mrs. Borchert), Fritz Wepper (Albert), Siegfried Schurenberg (Col. Frolich); Written by: Bernhard Wicki, Michael Mansfield, Karl-Wilhelm Vivier; Cinematography by: Gerd Von Bonen; Music by: Hans-Martin Majewski. Producer: Hermann Schwerin. German. Awards: Nominations: Academy Awards ‘59: Best Foreign Film. Running Time: 102 minutes. Format: VHS.