Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»1950s Movies»Movies 1959
    Movies 1959 Movies B 3 Mins Read

    Bridge, The (1959)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    In a small town in Germany which is relatively untouched by the war despite the fact that Allied troops have broken into Germany in the closing days of April 1945, a group of seven 16-year-old boys in the little school wait to be called up for service (although they would normally be underage for the army).

    A bomb badly aimed at the local bridge heralds the approach of the Americans and the call comes through.

    One of their teachers, Mr Stern (Wolfgang Stumpf), who has been in charge of their military training in the village square, tries to keep the children from being sent to the front and is eventually joined in this effort by Captain Fröhlich (Heinz Spitzner), who had been a teacher himself before joining the army.

    The captain puts the seven boys under the command of Corporal Heilmann (Günter Pfitzmann) and instructs the corporal to see that they are unharmed.

    Heilmann posts them at the local bridge – where he believes they will be out of harm’s way – and goes back to town where he is mistaken for a deserter and killed.

    Boredom ends for the boys at dawn when an American fighter plane comes over the horizon and strafes them, killing one of their number, Sigi (Günther Hoffmann), and goading them into a reckless attack on American tanks that arrive moments later. Their rashness disables two tanks and causes the others to turn back, but at a price. Four of the boys are dead.

    Then their little victory turns to ashes when a German demolition squad appears and blows up the bridge; doubly ironic because it is of no military value.

    When Albert Mutz (Fritz Wepper) learns that his companions have given their lives in vain, he shoots and kills the demolition sergeant, whose squad returns the fire and kills one more boy, Hans Scholten (Folker Bohnet).

    Bone-tired and disillusioned, Mutz staggers back into the town as white flags and sheets are being hung out of all the windows, signalling surrender to the approaching Americans.

    The nature of the photography and the fact that all the players are unknown give this anti-war film the believability of a newsreel making The Bridge a difficult film to watch at times. Cordula Trantow received the Bundesfilmpreis award for her performance as Franziska.

    The movie was filmed at the Florian-Geyer-Brücke (Florian Geyer Bridge) – which was demolished in 1991 and replaced in 1995 – and at other locations in the town of Cham in Oberpfalz, Bavaria, 150 miles northeast of Bad Tölz.

    The three M24 Chaffee light tanks shown in the movie are not real. Because the newly formed Bundeswehr (postwar German Army) still did not have any tanks in 1959, Bernhard Wicki had wooden models constructed and placed on top of truck chassis (the truck wheels can be seen clearly under the body of each “tank”).

    The original German title is Die Brücke. A made-for-German-TV remake, directed by Wolfgang Panzer, appeared in 2008 but is widely regarded as inferior to the original version.

    Hans Scholten
    Folker Bohnet
    Albert Mutz
    Fritz Wepper
    Walter Forst
    Michael Hinz
    Jurgen Borchert
    Frank Glaubrecht
    Karl Horber
    Karl Michael Balzer
    Klaus Hager
    Volker Lechtenbrink
    Sigi Bernhard
    Günther Hoffmann
    Franziska
    Cordula Trantow
    Mr Stern
    Wolfgang Stumpf
    Corporal Heilmann
    Günter Pfitzmann
    Captain Fröhlich
    Heinz Spitzner
    Lt. Colonel
    Siegfried Schürenberg
    Mrs Mutz
    Ruth Hausmeister
    Mrs Borchert
    Eva Vaitl
    Mother Bernhard
    Edith Schultze-Westrum
    Mr Forst
    Hans Elwenspoek
    Mrs Forst
    Trude Breitschopf
    Mr Horber
    Klaus Hellmold
    Sigrun
    Inge Benz
    Barbara
    Edeltraut Elsner
    Stabsfeldwebel
    Vicco von Bülow
    Feldwebel Verpflegung
    Heini Göbel
    Dienstmädchen bei Forst
    Herma Hochwarter

    Director
    Bernhard Wicki

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Blood Oath (1990)
      Blood Oath (1990)
      Shortly after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in World War II, Japanese troops captured the Australian garrison on the…
    • Broken Arrow (1950)
      Broken Arrow (1950)
      The first Western from director Delmer Daves, Broken Arrow tells the story of US army scout Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) who…
    • By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
      By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
      This sequel to On Moonlight Bay (1951) reunited most of the original cast and presented the trials and tribulations of…
    • Operation Bullshine (1959)
      Operation Bullshine (1959)
      Assigned to an all-women anti-aircraft ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) unit on the English coast, handsome Lt. Gordon Brown (Donald Sinden)…
    • Bad Blood (1981)
      Bad Blood (1981)
      Set in the early days of World War II and based on a true story, Australian actor Jack Thompson stars…
    • Betrayed (1954)
      Betrayed (1954)
      Clark Gable stars in a wartime espionage drama which has as many thrills as surprises. It is based on the…
    • Battle Flame (1959)
      Battle Flame (1959)
      In 1950, at the onset of the Korean War, the US Marines land on an enemy-controlled beach. Among the American…
    • Hanging Tree, The (1959)
      Hanging Tree, The (1959)
      Dr Joe Frail (Gary Cooper in his last western film), trying to forget an unhappy past, drifts from town to…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleStatus Quo bassist Alan Lancaster has died, aged 72
    Next Article Youth Wants to Know

    Comments are closed.

    Can you help?
    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small.


    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Karate Killers, The (1967)
      In this unfunny spy spoof, Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and […]
    • Peak Practice
      1 9 9 3 – 2 0 0 2 (UK) 152 x 50 minute episodes Peak […]
    • Origami
      1 9 6 8 – 1 9 7 1 (UK) 32 x 15 minute episodes This […]
    • W.E.B.
      1 9 7 8 (USA) 9 x 60 minute episodes Any resemblance between […]
    • Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977)
      Renegade USAF general Lawrence Dell (Burt Lancaster) escapes […]
    • Dead Ringers (1988)
      David Cronenberg is not a director for the squeamish. In Dead […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶Happy 81st Birthday to Anita Harris, born 3rd June 1942 in Somerset, England. She is an all round entertainer, singer/dancer/actress.
    As a child she was a keen ice skater, and just before her 16th birthday she was talent spotted and invited to join a dance troupe and headed for Las Vegas, performing 3 shows a night. She stayed 6 months.

    While she enjoyed dancing, singing was always her first love. Upon returning to England she joined the Cliff Adams Singers and was with them for 3 years. In 1961 she made her first recordings with the John Barry Seven. Possibly two of her best known recordings are 'Just Loving You' and 'We're Going on a Tuppenny Bus Ride'.

    In the 1960's She appeared in a two 'Carry On' films. On TV in the 70's among other things she was on David Nixon's Magic Box for 8 years as his assistant. She continued working on stage and screen with entertainment legends – everyone from Bob Monkhouse and Tommy Cooper to Bruce Forsyth, Morecambe and Wise and Harry Secombe. In 1986 she made her debut in 'legitimate theatre' playing Grizabella in the West End production of Cats.
    Today she continues to perform on stage and in cabaret with her band. You can hear her recordings on
    serenade-radio.com the Best in Easy Listening.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 11
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I remember using whatever one was cherry-flavoured.

    It was Dr Mopp for me.

    www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/look-whos-back/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Look whos back | Raleigh UK

    www.raleigh.co.uk

    They will be available to buy online and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham. The online sale will have a virtual queuing system in place and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham there will be a queueing system outsid...
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    FIREBALL XL-5 begins this Saturday, 3rd June at 2:35pm on #TalkingPicturesTV So here's five fascinating facts about the Gerry Anderson's 'Supermarionation' programme!
    1 - The series was inspired by the 'space race' between the USSR and the USA. 2 - 39 episodes were made in black and white. 3 - The series premiered on ATV London in October 1962. 4 - The voice of Steve Zodiac was provided by actor Paul Maxwell. 5 - The famous theme song was sung by Don Spencer.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 3
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/31/bruce-springsteen-review-murrayfield-stadium-edinburgh

    That's why they call him "The Boss".
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Bruce Springsteen review – after half a century, still having the time of his life

    www.theguardian.com

    Springsteen and the E Street Band feel like a bar band that can’t believe their luck to be playing a stadium – and the enthusiasm is infectious
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Sad news. We wish her well 🤗

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dame Esther Rantzen says her lung cancer is in stage four

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV presenter and Childline founder says she is on a new form of medication for the disease.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 3

    Comment on Facebook

    Oh no 😢 in my prayers Esther xxx

    Didn’t she want to put the unvaccinated into camps during lockdown…

    That’s not cool 😞

    Another great voice has left us 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Tina Turner: Music legend dies at 83

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Her unmistakable voice on hits like The Best and What's Love Got to Do With It made her a superstar.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I found out on tiktok before I saw it on any news channels..

    Terrible, terrible news. Taken far too young. Vale Andy Rourke!

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed Rourke died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_xELTfEds

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65576903 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Beatles: Rare first edition White Album given to charity

    www.bbc.co.uk

    A 1968 White Album, complete with original inserts, is given to a Sutton Coldfield charity shop
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    I recently fulfilled the dream of over 40 years and saw The Zombies perform live (They were amazing!). Their current bass player is a chap called Søren Koch, and this is his regular band - The Beatophonics. If you love 60s Beat music, do yourself a favour and have a listen. They are truly superb. open.spotify.com/artist/5W05FY5rERtVTBippPjold?si=nU5zM8gJSXONAGCWOUrTnA

    variety.com/2023/film/news/beetlejuice-2-release-date-theaters-1235607767/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    ‘Beetlejuice 2,’ Starring Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega, to Hit Theaters in 2024

    variety.com

    Whether or not you say his name three times, Beetlejuice is returning to movie theaters next year. Warner Bros. has announced that “Beetlejuice 2” will be released on the big …
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 3
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Canada Cold War Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Kraütrock Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music Video games
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.