Meeting: A Bridge Too Far – Myth and Reality
Speaker: Professor John Buckley
Wednesday 16th October 2019 – 7.30pm
Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote, RG8 0QY
A Bridge Too Far – Myth and Reality
This month the British Modern Military History Society hosted a presentation given by the author & broadcaster Professor John Buckley.
Another full house for the BMMHS talk last evening in Woodcote. Prof John Buckley from the War Studies Dept of Wolverhampton University gave an insightful and fascinating talk comparing how the book and film of A Bridge Too Far have portrayed events in a rather different way from the reality. He showed how with hindsight and the need for a good story, the facts of what actually happened were sometimes ignored, changed, made-up to suit Hollywood and box office.
Thank you John for a great talk, greatly enjoyed by all who attended.
Talk Summary
Cornelius Ryan’s book A Bridge Too Far about the Allied airborne landings in the Netherlands in September 1944, and the Richard Attenborough directed film of the same name, have over the last forty years significantly altered and distorted our understanding of this crucial action of the closing months of the Second World War. Most obviously after the film’s release in 1977 an established interpretation emerged that has influenced popular and academic history alike and has resulted in the foundation of myths and misinterpretations that persist to the present day.
The process by which this occurred – including Ryan’s methodology, Attenborough’s attitude, and screenplay writer William Goldman’s interpretation – is the main focus of this talk. Ultimately, it is a story of character assassination, betrayal, journalistic sleight of hand and the appropriation of history.
The charity donation from this talk:
Meeting Venue: Woodcote Village Hall RG8 0QY
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Biographical notes – Professor John Buckley
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