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Simply A Masterpiece

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This rather rough movie mixes documentary footage with reenactments by the same men who fought to keep control of the bridge at Arnhem. The focus is exclusively on the First Airborne who landed by glider and parachute and ultimately managed an escape from the hellish battle by crossing the Rhine. They'd lost 80% of their original 10,000 men. We see nothing of the Allied armor, the Poles, the Americans, or the Germans.A harrowing story, vitiated by the fact that none of the men who recreate their experiences are actors and by the fact that production values were evidently low, although the tanks we see are apparently genuine German Panthers.I admire the film, it's technical quality aside, because it deals openly with an unqualified Allied defeat. It was released only a year or so after the battle itself and the true horrors of war, including the failures, were only given serious treatment a few years later, when enough time had passed for passions to cool. It's the story of an heroic stand but, unlike Dunkirk or Wake Island, it was not a necessary one. It was originally designed as part of a successful and innovative attack. In a way, it's a film that was ahead of its time.The actual attack was known to be risky from the beginning. It was Montgomery's main dare. The airborne would capture various bridges across Holland and the armored column would race along the single available road and gain a foot hold in the Ruhr, German's industrial area, which would bring the war to a quicker end.The attack suffered from poor planning and bad luck, none of it detailed here, possibly because in 1946 not all the pieces had been put together. I'll give just one example of bad planning and one of bad luck. Intelligence underestimated the strength of the German forces that were in the immediate area. A German soldier investigating a wrecked glider found a briefcase containing the entire plan of attack.Many years later, Richard Attenborough tried again with "A Bridge Too Far", much more splashy and expensive but equally confusing.The weaknesses of films like these can't be thought of as comments on the men who fought at Arnhem or along that narrow corridor across the Netherlands. They fought as valiantly as any men have fought anywhere. Still, the end result was a tragedy for everyone involved, including the Germans. The failure simply meant that the war would be extended that much longer, and many more lives and treasure would be spent before it ended.

My grandfather starred in this film, as he was battling in Arnhem. In the opening scenes he is seen in the barracks, and a picture of my grandmother can be seen on the side of his bed. Throughout the film he played many roles, as all of the German roles were played by the troops. This film is so emotional for me as i never really knew my granddad. The film is available on DVD, so i have it to watch whenever i feel alone, or indeed close to my granddad at any particular time. I hope Theirs Is The Glory makes others understand what is was like in the war. The title is appropriate as it truly was Their Glory. A very emotional and true to life film. 10/10 From me.

My Father was one of the soldiers that was used in the film. He took me to see it in a local movie theater when I was quite young (6 or 7 years old). He was a sergent major in the Royal Canadian Engineers. His company, using Evinrude powered storm boats, evacuated the survivors of the British Airborn units across the Rhine from Arnhem. There is a closeup of his face and he says something to the effect that he guesses that they are glad to be across the river or something to that effect. I took him, before he died to see the movie "A Bridge too far". His comment was that it was typically American. He always felt that their movies downplayed the roles of the Comonwealth allies. I have not seen the movie "Theirs is the Glory" since then. I would love to get a copy so that my children and grandchildren could see it.

I saw this movie when I was a child back in the 1940's in England. Possibly when it was released, which I expect would have been about 1947, it would mean I was a Primary School child.I have never forgotten the impact the film had. Sure there were wordy scenes, but I did not realise that it was recreated, so I thought "Well that's how adults talk!". It did not detract for a child from the impact of the movie.We had seen lots of worse propaganda films during WWII which were so bad we could not believe them. So to see a film with the authenticity of that film was simply mind blowing.The soldiers paid a terrible price but it was so true to life - one could have watched it over and over again. There should be more salutes to bravery like this film!