"There was an unexpected halt to filming in August 1968, when the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, and all American and British cast and crews members had to be evacuated" according to the book, 'Bill Collins presents The Golden Years of Hollywood' by Bill Collins. Collins adds that "A half-replica of the bridge was built near Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence south of Rome, and the film was completed in Hamburg and various Italian locations."
Peter van Eyck's last completed movie before his death.
According to the book 'Bill Collins presents The Golden Years of Hollywood' by Bill Collins, "Apart from three or four large interiors, the film was shot entirely on location . . . The film's producer 'David l. Wolper', obtained permission to use the Davle Bridge, 24 kilometers south of Prague on the Ultava River. Much of the filming, however was carried out in the Czechoslovakia town of Most, 100 kilometers north-west of Prague."
According to the book 'The United Artists Story' by Ronald Bergan, "The Bridge at Remagen was the last bridge standing over the Rhine River in 1945, which both German and American forces fought to control."
After the August 1968 Russian Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia when the film unit had to leave the country, apparently communist newspapers of the day alleged that the production of this movie was none other than a CIA project.
After their daring escape from Czechoslovakia filming was resumed near Hamburg, Germany and near the Pope's summer house, Castelgondolfo, Italy.
At a cost of $250,000, the movie company, United Artists, blasted a tunnel on the east side of the river Vltava in the town of Davle, Czech Republic.
Average Shot Length = ~6.4 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~6.3 seconds.
Because of the heavy river traffic of coal barges, tourist boats and other ships, the Germans did not allow United artists and David Wolper to make the movie at Remagen.
Filming in Czechoslovakia was interrupted by the Soviet invasion of August 1968. Cast and crew were taken to safety in a convoy of 28 taxis, except for Robert Logan, who stayed behind with film gear in order to capture the invasion on film and photo. The movie was completed in Italy and Austria.
One of the first films to be shot behind the Iron Curtain. Czechoslovakia was seen by Russia as becoming too liberal in its values. In attempting to justify the forthcoming invasion by the USSR, Soviet agents spread the rumor that the American soldiers were real. Actually most of them were played by Czech students. Pictures of stored movie props were published as "proofs" of weapons shipments from the United States to arm local "reactionaries". It was even reported that American tanks were rolling through the streets and occupying the towns.
Some of the Jeeps in this film have a vertical bar on the front. This was to cut invisible wires set between two trees by the enemy to decapitate the soldiers.
The Bridge at Remagen aka Ludendorff Bridge can also be seen portrayed in the video-games Call of Duty: Finest Hour and "Panzer Front".
The Bridge at Remagen aka the Ludendorff Bridge can also been seen portrayed in the video-games Call of Duty: Finest Hour and "Panzer Front".
The name of the real life bridge that portrayed The Bridge at Remagen (i.e. the Ludendorff Bridge) was the Davle Bridge aka the Davelským Old Bridge. This bridge is situated in the town of Davle and located over the River Vltava in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Filming at the bridge occurred during the summer of 1968.
The name of the Second World War's mission to capture the Ludendorff Bridge aka The Bridge at Remagen was Operation Lumberjack. This mission was initiated by the US Army in March 1945 with an aim to capture German cities such as Cologne and to create a foothold in the Rhine region. The US 9th Armored Division entered the town of Remagen on 7 March 1945, arriving under fire in the afternoon at the Ludendorff Bridge at 3.50 pm. The capture of this bridge was critical and pivotal to the Allies invading Germany. It was the only bridge whereby the soldiers could accessibly cross over the River Rhine, 8,000 of them doing so. Adolf Hitler had German soldiers responsible for the bridge shot by firing squad.
The producers were granted the right to blow up large parts of the town of Most, but they decided not to blow up the local communist party headquarters building, in order not to cause trouble with the Russians who were already preparing to invade Czechoslovakia during the filming in 1968.
The Remagen of the film's title refers to a town in Germany called Remagen. It is in the Rhineland-Palatinate which is in the district of Ahrweiler. The town is actually located on the Rhine river as was the Bridge at Remagen as featured in this movie.
The Remagen of the film's title refers to a town in Germany called Remagen. It is in the Rhineland-Palatinate which is in the district of Ahrweiler. The town is actually located on the Rhine river as was the Bridge at Remagen referred to in this movie.
The specific Bridge at Remagen which is this film's title, The Bridge at Remagen, is actually the bridge known as Ludendorff Bridge as in the movie and in real life. The bridge was frequently known as the Bridge at Remagen during World War II. It was a railway bridge that ran across the River Rhine at Remagen in Germany. The bridge connected the town of Remagen with the town of Erpel, situated between two ridge lines of hills which flanked the Rhine River. In 1945, during the Second War War, the Allies captured the Ludendorff Bridge between March 7 and March 8 of that year. Today, the remaining towers of the bridge house a museum.