Germany, 1945. The final months of World War II. The conflict can almost be considered over, after the country has been invaded by the Allied troops. There are no longer any adult soldiers to defend the positions, only teenagers. In a little town, a group of youths have been ordered to guard a small bridge. Inflamed by the idea of defending their country, and inspired by the Nazi ideology of ‘blood and honour’, the boys set out to carry out their orders.
Bernhard Wicki
Actor and filmmaker born in 1919 in Sankt Pölten (Austria) and died in Munich in 2000. He studied acting at academies in Berlin and Vienna, and starting the 1950s he worked as an actor on films like 'The Last Bridge' (Helmut Käutner, 1954), 'Lamp Fever' (Kurt Hoffmann, 1960) and 'Despair' (R.W. Fassbinder, 1978) or the television series 'Lemminge' (Michael Haneke, 1979). After filming the documentary 'Warum sind sie gegen uns?' (1958, winner of two German Film Awards), his first feature film was 'The Bridge' (1959), Best Film at Mar del Plata and Silver Spike at Seminci, in addition to being nominated for an Oscar. With ‘The Miracle of Father Makachia’ (1961), he won the Golden Bear for Best Director in Berlin and the City of Valladolid Award at Seminci. He participated in Cannes in 1964 with ‘The Visit’ (nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design) and in 1989 with ‘Spider's Web’, his last feature film.
DIRECTOR
Bernhard Wicki
SCREENPLAY
Bernhard Wicki, Michael Mansfeld, Karl-Wilhelm Vivier
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Gerd von Bonin
EDITOR
Carl Otto Bartning
SOUND
Willi Schwadorf
MUSIC
Hans-Martin Majewski
PRODUCTION
Hermann Schwerin, Jochen Severin
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Fono Film, Transocean-Film
CAST
Volker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz, Frank Glaubrecht, Karl Michael Balzer, Volker Lechtenbrink, Günther Hoffmann, Cordula Trantow
