The Bridge (1959)

 Bernhard Wicki's "The Bridge"


I've seen many lists of what films people consider to be the greatest "war films" of all time. Never on these lists have I ever seen Bernhard Wicki's 1959 war film "The Bridge." The travesty of this became all the more palpable to me after watching the film. Not only is it one of the best war films ever made, the central perspective coming from the non-Allied Nazi forces is a radical and effective way to condemn the violence and destruction that was brought.

Despite being from the perspectives of the Nazi soldiers, Wicki's intentions are pretty clear. Although Wicki himself is Austrian, the retrospective sentiment by those in West Germany at the time were of shame and condemnation. With their cinema, the Germans were able to see their past clearly. Hindsight is 20/20, after all. 

"The Bridge" centers on a group of schoolboys in the closing days of World War II. The schoolboys live in a small German town, far from the main action of the war. Despite being so far away, they fantasize and dream about a day in which they get to enlist and fight for the Fatherland. They eventually get their wish, and the very next day, are stationed at their local bridge with no real training or combat. After their supervisor (who was only trying to keep them out of the war) is killed, they stay and fight the American forces that are attempting to cross. Unbeknownst to them, they are foiling their own side's plans to blow up the bridge as the Americans are crossing. Things end tragically.

The final climatic scene of the film had hints of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," along with a final tone of Scorsese's "The Departed." Its tragicness completely underlines the unfortunate absurdity of war and its consequences. We as viewers sympathize with the young boys because they are so young and "know not what they do." Their lives are rendered insignificant and wasted by the "Bridge on the River Kwai"-esque confusion of allegiance and pride towards an evil regime. 

Because we are watching confused young boys try their best to protect and uphold the crooked and backward powers of the Nazi forces, the drama of the film lies in the yearning for this realization. We hope the end result is their recognition that they are being used. Rather, their ultimate felt leaves you feeling cold and defeated - that war and violence spare no one and that the ideology and hatred continues to flourish. 

"The Bridge" is devastating and emotional. Obviously, the action elements at the end present an 'exciting' conclusion to the story. But, this action is rendered devasting. We root for the safety of the children, while also rooting against their success. It's a complex emotional journey that leaves the viewer feeling a sense of defeat. 



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