document_title: A Bridge Too Far (film)

question_text: a bridge too far where was it filmed

question_tokens: a bridge too far where was it filmed

root

text: A Bridge Too Far (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Operation Market Garden envisions 35,000 men being flown 300 miles from air bases in England and dropped behind enemy lines in the Netherlands. Two divisions of U.S. paratroopers, the 82nd and 101st Airborne, are responsible for securing the road and bridges as far as Nijmegen. A British division, the 1st Airborne, under Major-General Roy Urquhart, is to land near Arnhem and hold both sides of the bridge there, backed by a brigade of Polish paratroopers under General Stanisław Sosabowski. XXX Armoured Corps are to push up the road over the bridges captured by the American paratroopers and reach Arnhem two days after the drop.

tag: p

text: The British are to land using gliders near Arnhem. When General Urquhart briefs his officers, some of them are surprised they are going to attempt a landing so far from the bridge. The consensus among the British top brass is that resistance will consist entirely of "Hitler Youth or old men on bicycles". Although reconnaissance photos show German tanks at Arnhem, General Browning dismisses them and also ignores reports from the Dutch underground. He does not want to be the one to tell Field Marshal Montgomery of any doubts since many previous airborne operations had been cancelled. Though British officers note that the portable radios are not likely to work for the long distance from the drop zone to the Arnhem Bridge, they choose not to convey their concerns up a chain of command intent on silencing all doubt.

text: Speed is the vital factor. Arnhem’s is the crucial bridge, the last means of escape for the German forces in the Netherlands and an excellent route to Germany for Allied forces. The road to it, however, is only a single highway linking the various key bridges - trucks and tanks have to squeeze to the shoulder to pass. The road is also elevated, causing anything moving on the road to stand out.

text: The airborne drops catch the Germans by surprise and there is little resistance. Most of the men come down safely and assemble quickly, but the Son bridge is blown up by the Germans just before the 101st Airborne secures it. Then, soon after landing, troubles beset Urquhart's division. Many of the Jeeps either do not arrive by their gliders at all or are shot up in an ambush. Their radio sets are also useless.

text: XXX Corps' progress to relieve them is slowed by German resistance, the narrowness of the highway and the need to construct a Bailey bridge to replace the one destroyed at Son. They are then halted at Nijmegen. There, soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division perform a dangerous daylight river crossing in flimsy canvas-and-wood assault boats and the Nijmegen bridge is captured, but XXX Corps has to wait several hours for infantry to secure the town.

text: The Germans close in on the isolated British paratroops occupying part of Arnhem at the bridge, although armored attacks are repelled. Urquhart had been separated from his men and the supply drop zones overrun by the Germans. Finally, Sosabowski's troops, held up by fog in England, enter the battle too late and are unable to reinforce the British. After days of house-to-house fighting, pitted against crack SS infantry and panzers, the outgunned troops are captured or forced to withdraw. Arnhem itself is indiscriminately razed in the fighting.

text: Urquhart escapes the battle zone with fewer than a fifth of his original ten thousand crack troops; those who were too badly injured to flee stay behind and cover the withdrawal, surrendering afterwards. On arriving at British headquarters, Urquhart confronts Browning about his personal sentiments regarding the operation: does he think it went as well as was being claimed by Montgomery? Browning's reply (and the film's last line of dialogue) contradicts his earlier optimism: "Well, as you know, I've always thought that we tried to go a bridge too far."

text: In the film's final scene, a young Dutch woman, whose elegant and beautifully furnished home was used as an overflow hospital by the British, abandons the mostly destroyed house. Passing through the front yard, now converted to a graveyard for fallen troops, she and her children trek along the high riverbank, with her father, an elderly doctor, pulling a few salvaged possessions in a cart.

text: Cast and roles[edit]

text: Allies[edit]

text:
Actor
Role
Notes

Dirk Bogarde
Lieutenant-General Frederick "Boy" Browning
GOC I British Airborne Corps, and at HQ First Allied Airborne Army as its deputy commander, British Army at Nijmegen

James Caan
Staff Sergeant Eddie Dohun
(based on Charles Dohun)
runner for Captain LeGrand King "Legs" Johnson, CO, Company F, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division U.S. Army (attacking Best)

Michael Caine
Lieutenant-Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur
CO, 3rd Battalion (Infantry), the Irish Guards, the Guards Armoured Division, XXX Corps, British Army[7]

Michael Byrne
Lieutenant-Colonel Giles Vandeleur
acting CO, 2nd Battalion (Armoured), the Irish Guards, the British Guards Armoured Division. Cousin to 'Joe'.

Sean Connery
Major General Roy Urquhart
GOC, 1st British Airborne Division, Arnhem

Edward Fox
Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks
GOC, XXX Corps,[8] British Second Army.[9]

Elliott Gould
Col. Robert Stout
(based on Robert Sink)
CO, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division[10]

Gene Hackman
Maj. Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski
CO, Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, Polish Armed Forces[11]

Anthony Hopkins
Lt. Col. John Frost
CO, 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem road bridge

Ryan O'Neal
Brig. Gen. James Gavin
CO, US 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army at the bridge across the Maas river in Grave, later at the Maas-Waal canal and the bridge across the Waal river in Nijmegen

Robert Redford
Maj. Julian Cook
CO, 3rd Battalion, 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne, U.S. Army seizing key bridges over the Maas-Waal Canal and the river assault crossing of the Waal river.

Denholm Elliott
RAF meteorology officer
fictional[12]

Peter Faber
Capt. Arie D. "Harry" Bestebreurtje
Liaison officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Office of Strategic Services,[13] Royal Dutch Army[14][15]

Christopher Good
Maj. Carlyle
(based on Maj. Allison Digby Tatham-Warter)
CO, A Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, Arnhem,[16] British Army

Frank Grimes
Maj. Fuller
(based on Brian Urquhart)
G-2 (Intelligence Officer) for the 1st Airborne Corps,[17] British Army stationed at the HQ located in Moor Park Golf Club, Hertfordshire, England

Jeremy Kemp
RAF briefing officer
RAF, but the briefing probably took place at the 1st Airborne Corps HQ located in Moor Park Golf Club, Hertfordshire, England

Nicholas Campbell
Capt. Glass
(based on Captain LeGrand King "Legs" Johnson)
CO, F Company, 2nd Battalion, 502PIR,[18]

Paul Copley
Pvt Wicks
Batman to Lt. Col. Frost, CO, 2nd Parachute Battalion, British Army[19]

Donald Douglas
Brigadier Gerald Lathbury
CO, 1st Parachute Brigade, British Army in Arnhem. Wounded and briefly paralysed, Lathbury made a complete recovery and escaped captivity during Operation Pegasus.

Keith Drinkel
Lieutenant Cornish
(based on Captain Eric Mackay, 9th Parachute Sqdn R.E.)
1st Airborne Division

Colin Farrell
Corporal Hancock
1st British Airborne Division, Urquhart's batman

Richard Kane
Col. Weaver
(based on Graeme Warrack)
Senior Medical Officer, Headquarters RAMC, 1st British Airborne Division, at the Main Dressing Station in the Schoonoord Hotel of the Oosterbeek Perimeter

Paul Maxwell
Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor
CG, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army at the Son bridge and later St-Oedenrode

Stephen Moore
Maj. Robert Steele
(based on Major Anthony "Tony" John Deane–Drummond)[20]
Second–in–Command, 1st Airborne Divisional Signals[21] British Army, Arnhem

Donald Pickering
Lt. Col. C.B. Mackenzie
Principal General Staff Officer (Chief of Staff), Headquarters, 1st Airborne Division, British Army, Divisional HQ at the Hartenstein Hotel[22]

Gerald Sim
Col. Sims
(based on (acting Colonel) Lt. Col. Arthur Austin Eagger)[23]
Senior Medical Officer, 1st Airborne Corps, R.A.M.C., British Army

John Stride
Grenadier Guards major (based on Captain Lord Carrington)
British Grenadier Guards Commander who argues with Major Cook after 82nd capture Nijmegen Bridge

Alun Armstrong
Cpl. Davies
2nd Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st British Airborne Division

David Auker
'Taffy' Brace
Medic, 1st British Airborne Division

Michael Bangerter
British staff colonel
British XXX Corps staff officer at General Browning's HQ

Philip Raymond
Grenadier Guards Colonel (based on Lt. Colonel Edward H. Goulburn)
C.O. 2nd Armoured Grenadier Guards Battalion

Michael Graham Cox
Capt. Jimmy Cleminson
T/Capt., [Sir] James Arnold Stacey "Jimmy" Cleminson Officer Commanding, 5 Platoon (B Company), 3rd Parachute Battalion, British Army, Arnhem[24]

Garrick Hagon
Lieutenant Rafferty
Lieutenant, 101st Military Police Platoon, 101st Airborne Division, Division Field Hospital, U.S. Army[25]

John Ratzenberger
Lt James Megellas
Lieutenant, Company H, 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army, at Waal River crossing[26]

Arthur Hill
U.S. Army surgeon (colonel)
Chief Division Surgeon Lt Col. David Gold, 101st Airborne Division Clearing Station

Ben Cross
Trooper Binns
2nd Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st British Airborne Division

Mark Sheridan
Sergeant Tomblin
2nd Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st British Airborne Division

George Innes
Sergeant MacDonald
British 1st Airborne Division radio operator at the Hartenstein Hotel

tag: table

text: Germans[edit]

text:
Actor
Role
Notes

Hardy Krüger
Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Karl Ludwig
Based on Heinz Harmel, CO of the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, but he did not want his name to be mentioned in the film

Maximilian Schell
General der Waffen-SS Wilhelm Bittrich
CO of II SS Panzer Corps

Wolfgang Preiss
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt
OB West (commander of the German forces on the Western Front)

Walter Kohut
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model
CO of Army Group B

Hartmut Becker
German Army sentry

Hans von Borsody
General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt
Chief of Staff OB West

Lex van Delden
Oberscharführer Matthias
Bittrich's aide.

Fred Williams
Hauptsturmführer Viktor Eberhard Gräbner
Commander of the reconnaissance battle group of 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen

text: Dutch civilians[edit]

text:
Actor
Role
Notes

Laurence Olivier
Dr. Jan Spaander

Liv Ullmann
Kate ter Horst

Siem Vroom
Underground leader

Erik van 't Wout
Underground leader's son

Marlies van Alcmaer
Underground leader's wife

Mary Smithuysen
Old Dutch lady

Hans Croiset
Old Dutch lady's son

Josephine Peeper
Cafe waitress

Tom van Beek
Jan ter Horst

Erik Chitty
Organist

Richard Attenborough
Lunatic wearing glasses
(uncredited cameo)

Albert van der Harst
Medic

text: Production[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2016)

text: Air filming was done in the first weeks of September 1976, culminating in a series of air drops of a total of 1,000 men,[citation needed][27] together with the dropping of supplies from a number of Dakota aircraft. The Dakotas were gathered by the film company Joseph E. Levine Presents Incorporated. All aircraft were required to be CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) or FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) registered and licensed to carry passengers. An original deal for the purchase of ten fell through when two airframes were rejected as passenger configured without the necessary jump doors. Eleven Dakotas were procured. Two ex-Portuguese Air Force, 6153 and 6171 (N9984Q and N9983Q), and two from Air Djibouti, operating from Djibouti in French Somaliland, F-OCKU and F-OCKX (N9985Q and N9986Q) were purchased by Joseph E. Levine. Three Danish Air Force K-685, K-687, and K-688, and four Finnish Air Force C-47s, DO-4, DO-7, DO-10 and DO-12, were loaned for the duration of the parachute filming.

text: Aircraft 6171 doubled as the camera ship on most formations, with a camouflaged Piper Aztec, G-AWDI. A camera was mounted in the astrodome, one on the port upper mainplane surface, with a third camera on the outside of the forward port cabin window and a fourth under the aircraft centre section. In addition, centre escape hatches were removed to make additional camera ports available, provided that no troops were aboard during filming. A second Aztec, G-ASND, was a backup camera ship on some shots, but it was not camouflaged. An Alouette, G-BDWN, was also employed. After a mishap with G-AWDI, two locally hired Cessna 172s, PH-GVP and PH-ADF, were also used. Ten Horsa glider replicas were built, but a windstorm damaged almost all of them. Seven or eight were hastily repaired for the shoot. The replica gliders were tail-heavy and required a support post under the rear fuselage, with camera angles carefully chosen to avoid revealing this. Dakota 6153 was fitted with tow gear and Horsa replicas were towed at high speed, though none went airborne. A two-seat Blaník sailplane, provided by a member of the London Gliding Club, Dunstable, was towed aloft for the interior takeoff shots.

text: Four Harvards portrayed American and German fighters. Their original identities were PH-KLU, PH-BKT, B-64 and B-118, the latter two aircraft loaned by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. These were flown by members of the Gilze Rijen Aero Club, which also provided an Auster III, PH-NGK, which depicted an Auster V, RT607, in wartime camouflage. Spitfire Mk. IX, MH434, depicting a photo reconnaissance variant, coded AC-S, was lent by the Hon. Patrick Lindsay, and was flown by aerobatic champion Neil Williams.[28]

text: Finding sufficient American tanks, jeeps, and trucks of WWII vintage was just possible as many of the vehicles were being discarded from European military (almost entirely reserve) units especially from Greece and Turkey.

text: The scenes around the 'Arnhem' bridge were actually shot in Deventer, where a similar bridge over the IJssel was still available. Although a replica of the original road bridge in Arnhem still existed, it was, by the mid-1970s, sitting in modern urban surroundings which could not be used to portray a 1940s city. A few scenes were shot in Zutphen, where the old municipality house and the main church can be seen.

text: Finance[edit]

text: In order to keep high costs down, all the star-name actors agreed to participate on a 'favoured-nation' basis (i.e. they would all receive the same weekly fee), which in this case was $250,000 per week (the 2012 equivalent of $1,008,250. or £642,000).[29]

text: Shooting of the American-led assault on the Bridge at Nijmegen was dubbed the “Million-Dollar Hour”. Because of the heavy traffic, the crew had permission to film on the bridge between eight and nine o'clock on October 3, 1976. Failure to complete the scene would have necessitated rescheduling at a cost — including Redford's overtime — of at least a million dollars. For this reason, Attenborough insisted that all actors playing corpses keep their eyes closed.[5]

text: After United Artists agreed to pay $6 million for US and Canada distribution rights,[30] the film was a box office disappointment in North America but performed well in Europe.[31]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The film received generally positive reviews from critics. A "making-of" documentary included in a special edition DVD of A Bridge Too Far claims that, at the time of its release, "the film was shunned by American critics and completely ignored at Oscar time for daring to expose the fatal inadequacies of the Allied campaign."[32] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 65% of 20 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.2 out of 10.[33] Critics agreed that the film was impressively staged[34] and historically accurate, although many found it too long and too repetitive.[35] James Caan[35] and Anthony Hopkins were cited by many critics for the excellence of their performances, in a film filled with hundreds of speaking roles and cameos by many of the period's top actors.

text: Promotion[edit]

text:
Story of A Bridge Too Far

Author
William Goldman

Country
United States

Language
English

Genre
non-fiction

Publication date

1977

text: To promote the film, scriptwriter William Goldman wrote a book titled Story of A Bridge Too Far as a favour to Joseph E. Levine.[36] It was published in December 1977 and divided into three sections:

text:
"Reflections on Filmmaking in General and A Bridge Too Far". This section features some essays later reprinted in Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade.[36]
"A Bridge Too Far: The Story in Pictures" - 150 sequential photographs from the film with Goldman’s captions.
"Stars and Heroes" - some of the movie's actors and the men they play tell Goldman their thoughts on the film and the battle.

tag: ol

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ "A Bridge Too Far (1977)". BFI. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "A Bridge Too Far (1977)". LUMIERE. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ McKenna, A. T. (2011). "Joseph E. Levine and A Bridge Too Far (1977): A Producer's Labour of Love". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 31 (2): 211–227. doi:10.1080/01439685.2011.572606.
Jump up ^ "The Deep, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Goldman 1977
Jump up ^ Ryan 1974, p. 67
Jump up ^ In the film 'Joe' is depicted as leading the tanks of his cousin Giles' battalion although he commanded the Irish Guards Group as was the practice of combining two battalions from same regiment under senior regimental officer
Jump up ^ Carried the primary responsibility for the 'Garden' ground offensive part of the operation
Jump up ^ Fox had known General Horrocks as a friend before working on the film and took care to portray him accurately. Later he would cite this as his favourite film role.A Bridge Too Far (1977) British Film Institute, archived from the original on 2008-03-12, retrieved 2009-10-19
Jump up ^ Attacked bridge at Zon and later entered Eindhoven to meet British troops
Jump up ^ Arrived in the 3rd lift north of Nijemegen and advanced towards Arnhem
Jump up ^ General Browning failed to arrange for RAF and USAAF liaison officers for the British I Airborne Corps. In the book Ryan says Sosabowski spoke with the chief liaison officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Stevens.
Jump up ^ "Capt. Arie D. Bestebreurtje - World War II Special Operations Soldier". B26.com. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
Jump up ^ escaping in 1941 to UK he studied at the Royal Military Academy, and later in Edinburgh he was trained as an OSS agent and assigned to operations behind in occupied Holland.
Jump up ^ Dutch Wikipedia article
Jump up ^ The Major did not die of wounds at Brigade HQ, but was taken prisoner, moved to the St. Elizabeth Hospital, and later conducted an escape Operation Pegasus with the Dutch Resistance to bring out 138 escapees of the battle, and returning to his post with the remnants of his Company Evasion Report: 21st September - 23rd October 1944 [1]
Jump up ^ p.132, Ambrose, Immerman
Jump up ^ He was initially wounded by a rifle bullet in the right shoulder. The following is taken from War Stories website [2] History vs Hollywood - Captain Legs Johnson "Medics made him lie down and set up an IV with plasma flowing into him. Medical jeeps bearing stretchers were evacuating wounded two at a time, to a field hospital in Zon. Since many of the wounded were hit more seriously than himself, Legs kept delaying his own evacuation, telling the medics to convey the others first. Even when Legs was finally loaded, he was still telling them to delay and take others. Against his objections, he was placed across the hood of the Jeep on a stretcher and then the Jeep scratched-off, headed for Zon. At that time, a German MG42 machine-gun fired at the Jeep from over 500 yards distance. One round entered Legs' helmet and tore into his head. He lost consciousness and would not wake -up until weeks later.
At the hospital in Zon, Legs was briefly examined and since he was unconscious and his brains were exposed, he was relegated to the 'dead pile' of troopers who were wounded so seriously that they had no chance to survive.
Later that afternoon, Sgt Charles Dohun (Hollywood changed his first name to EDDIE), (James Caan) who was Legs' runner [orderly] wandered over to the hospital for a specific purpose. He knew that the captain had a substantial amount of cash in his billfold and he didn't want a stranger from another unit to get it.
Dohun spotted Captain Johnson in the dead pile and examined him-when he discovered that Legs was still breathing, he carried him into an operating room and ordered the surgeon to save him. When the doctor refused, Dohun pointed a souvenir Luger at him and threatened to shoot him (he did not use a .45 as shown in 'A Bridge Too Far', but a .45 looks more impressive).
The operation was successful. "Legs" regained consciousness six weeks later in a hospital, "deaf, dumb, blind, and with a steel plate in my head." As of this writing (October, 2005), Legs is still alive in Florida. Charles Dohun survived World War II and lived in N.C. until his death about 15 years ago.
Regarding the Hollywood Depiction
When I interviewed Legs Johnson in the late 1990s, he commented on how he and Sgt Dohun were portrayed in 'A Bridge Too Far', the 1977 Hollywood version of Cornelius Ryan's book about Operation Market Garden.
"Legs" said: "In the movie, I was a little, scared guy and Dohun was a great big guy. Hell, in real life I would've made TWO of Dohun."
Cornelius Ryan described in his book, how Sgt Dohun was placed under arrest for threatening to shoot the surgeon. I have not learned the identity of that doctor, but he did NOT pardon the sgt, as shown in the film. Sgt Dohun was taken before LTC Steve Chappuis (later Brigadier General (Ret.) Steve A. Chappuis), the 2/502 C.O. and "Silent Steve" placed him under arrest for one minute. As Dohun stood at attention before his desk, the LTC looked at his watch for sixty seconds, then told Dohun he could go.
Captain Hugh 'Duke' Roberts, the second battalion S-1 of the 502 PIR, was among the few individuals who knew the story of how Dohun had ordered the doctor to perform the operation, at gunpoint. Duke wrote a letter to Mrs Johnson,(Legs' wife), explaining how Sgt Dohun had been responsible for saving his life. When Cornelius Ryan was researching 'A Bridge Too Far', Mrs Johnson sent that letter to Ryan, which is how the author became aware of the story.
Jump up ^ Although ordered to load his shotgun, dinner jacket and golf clubs into the staff car in the movie, seemingly to bring with him on the operation, these would eventually arrive in the 'Sea Tail' via Normandy beaches.
Jump up ^ The role is based to a point that he was the Major responsible for divisional signals. His depiction in the film after landing is completely fictional.
Jump up ^ He became separated from his unit whilst trying to link up with 1st Parachute Brigade, who were surrounded at the north end of Arnhem Bridge, and along with three other soldiers spent three days trapped in a small room at the back of a German–occupied house. On managing to leave this building, they split up to cross the river; Deane–Drummond successfully swam to the south bank of the Rhine, but was almost immediately taken prisoner. The next day, he managed to escape from a group who were being escorted out of Arnhem, and spent the next eleven days hiding inside a large cupboard until he felt safe to move.
Jump up ^ he was effectively CO on the first day until Hicks was contacted by which time he had established Divisional HQ at the Hartenstein Hotel. He later swam the river Lek to contact Gen. Sosabowski, and through him the XXX Corps HQ.
Jump up ^ O.B.E. (Military Division) of the Order "in recognition of gallant and, distinguished services in Sicily" Supplement to The London Gazette, 23 March 1944
Jump up ^ Shown accompanying Maj. Gen. Urquhart he however did not become ADC to General Officer Commanding 1st Airborne Division until 1945, but was mentioned in dispatches for Arnhem
Jump up ^ The name is probably fictional since the event did not occur as portrayed in the film
Jump up ^ Most decorated officer of the 82nd Division. Unlike depicted in the movie the real Magellas survived the battle and of 2015 is still alive.
Jump up ^ a member of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment claims there were no more than 200 men involved .Parachute drops were by the 1st Battalion the Parachute regiment, only 100 jumpers plus support, 10 man sticks per Dakota.
Jump up ^ Hurst, Flt. Lt. K.J., DC-3 Project Officer for the film; AIR International, July 1977, Volume 13, Number 1, pp. 33-34, Talkback column
Jump up ^ "Entirely Up To You, Darling"; page 152-3; paperback; Arrow Books; published 2009. ISBN 978-0-099-50304-0
Jump up ^ A., C. (June 15, 1977). "The final decision will be mine". The Washington Post (1974-Current File).
Jump up ^ European filmgoers are holding up 'Bridge' Beck, Marilyn. Chicago Tribune (1963-Current file) [Chicago, Ill] 20 Oct 1977: a8.
Jump up ^ Papamichael, Stella. "A Bridge Too Far: Special Edition DVD (1977)," BBC website. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "A Bridge Too Far (1977)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent. "Film: It's a Long War In 'Bridge Too Far'," New York Times (June 16, 1977).
^ Jump up to: a b Morgan, Jason. "A Bridge Too Far," Archived September 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. FilmCritic.com (Jan. 9, 2006).
^ Jump up to: a b Egan p 145


document_title: Uncle Ben

question_text: who killed uncle ben in spider man 1

question_tokens: who killed uncle ben in spider man 1

text: Uncle Ben

text: Publication history[edit]

text: Uncle Ben first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) and was killed in the very same issue. Although his history as a supporting character was very brief, Uncle Ben is an overshadowing figure in Spider-Man's life, often appearing in flashbacks.

text: Notability of death[edit]

text: The murder of Uncle Ben is notable as one of the few comic book deaths, that has never been reversed in terms of official continuity. He was a member of the "Big Three", referring also to Jason Todd (an associate of Batman) and Bucky (an associate of Captain America) whose notable deaths, along with Ben's, gave rise to the phrase: "No one in comics stays dead except for Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben". Later, the revivals of both Bucky and Jason in 2005 led to the amendment, "No one in comics stays dead except Uncle Ben". The violent killing of Uncle Ben, done by a common street criminal, also shares multiple similarities to the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, the parents of Batman, which sometimes is included in the saying.[1]

text: There have been examples of Uncle Ben remaining alive in alternative timelines, including stories featured in Marvel's What If (one of which he forces Peter to unmask in front of J. Jonah Jameson), and a storyline of the 1994 Spider-Man animated series featured a universe where Uncle Ben had never died, and Peter Parker became a successful industrialist, having never really bothered to use his powers responsibly as everything always seemed to work out for him. This fact is used to defeat the rampaging Spider-Carnage by exposing him to the one person he will trust and listen to: the Uncle Ben of that reality.[volume & issue needed]

text: A story-line in the official series Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man seemingly suggested that Ben may be alive. This Ben, however, was actually from a parallel universe where Aunt May died in a random accident, leaving him to raise Peter. This alternate Ben came to the planet Earth of regular Marvel comics (the 616 reality) as part of an evil plan devised by the Hobgoblin of 2211 to defeat the Spider-Men of different eras.[volume & issue needed]

text: During the Clone Conspiracy storyline, when Peter's clone Ben Reilly who named himself after Uncle Ben and Aunt May, taking Ben's first name and May's last to differentiate himself from Peter used the Jackal's technology to revive various old enemies and allies of Peter Parker, he offered to bring Uncle Ben back to life while trying to win Peter to his point of view,[2] but although tempted at the offer, Peter concluded that the reason Ben had not brought 'their' uncle back on his own was that he knew that Uncle Ben would disapprove of his "nephew's actions", as Ben's plan would see everyone on Earth granted immortality while dependent on him to supply the medication needed to stabilize their cloned bodies.[3]

text: Fictional character biography[edit]

text: Ben Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York. He trained to be a military police officer,[4] and also spent time as a singer in a band. He had known his future wife, May Reilly since their high school days, but she in turn was naively interested in a boy who was involved in criminal activities. When he came to her one night and proposed to her on the spot, Ben was there to expose him as a murderer, and to comfort the heart-broken May when the boy was arrested. Their relationship evolved into love, and they enjoyed a happily married life. When Ben's younger brother Richard Parker and his wife Mary were killed in a plane crash, Ben and May took in their orphaned son Peter and raised him as their own.[5]

text: Ben was very protective of Peter, going as far as fighting some of the bullies that tormented young Parker. Peter became friends with Charlie Weiderman in high school, a teen even more unpopular than he was. However, Charlie often provoked the trouble with the other teens. One day, he was chased to the Parker home by a group of bullies led by Rich and Ben intervened. Ben told them that if they wanted Charlie, they would have to go through him. Rich tried to, but was surprised by Ben's army training. As soon as the bullies were gone, he told the boy that he was not welcome at the house or with Peter because of his provoking the bullies and not being able to tell the truth.[6]

text: In high school, a radioactive spider bite gave Peter superhuman powers. Creating the costumed identity of Spider-Man for himself, Peter sought first to exploit his newfound powers as a masked wrestler and then as a television star. Coming from a television appearance, Spider-Man saw a burglar[7] being chased by a security guard. The guard called for Spider-Man to stop the thief, but the nascent Spidey refused on the grounds that catching criminals was not his job. The robber got away.[8]

text: When Peter later returned home, he was informed by a police officer that his beloved Uncle Ben had been killed by a burglar. Outraged, he donned his Spider-Man costume and captured the man only to realize to his horror that it was the same burglar whom he could have effortlessly captured earlier at the studio. As a result, Peter considered himself morally responsible for Ben's death and resolved to fight crime as a superhero — realizing that with great power comes great responsibility — and vowing never to let another innocent person come to harm if he could help it.[8]

text: Ben Parker's death was truly avenged when the burglar returned for the money once more, threatening Aunt May. The burglar died from a heart attack upon beholding his old nemesis Spider-Man once again and learning that Spider-Man and Peter Parker were one and the same person.[9]

text: In Amazing Spider-Man Family #7, May relates to Peter her account of meeting Ben for the first time.

text: Ben briefly appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #500; after Spider-Man played a vital role in preventing the resurrection of Dormammu, an unidentified higher power provided Doctor Strange with a small box that he felt he had to give to Spider-Man as a reward for his role in events. When Peter opened the box on the roof of his apartment building, it contained a note saying "You have five minutes. Spend them as you will", followed by Ben appearing on the roof. It was revealed that this Ben - whether a ghost or Ben having been temporally relocated from the moment before his death - remembered being out for the walk that resulted in him getting shot but nothing afterwards, although he concluded that the events leading to him being on that roof were not important. In their talk Ben said that the only thing that would disappoint him about Peter is if Peter ever settled for less because he was afraid of reaching for more. This helps Peter to see that he had a good life for all its hardships, recognizing that he has always used what he has, and Ben assures Peter that he is proud of him before he vanishes.[10]

text: During the 2008–2009 "Dark Reign" storyline, Uncle Ben makes an appearance in the Underworld when Hercules attends the trial of Zeus, directing Amadeus Cho as he attempted to find his parents in the afterlife.[11] In the "Amazing Grace" storyline, Ben appears as an apparition to Spider-Man while battling a horde of demons and gargoyles, telling him that his death is not Peter's or anyone's fault. However, one enemy notices him and attacked only to disappear. This left Spider-Man puzzled if he was imagining Ben or he was really talking to his ghost.[12]

text: When Ben Reilly adopted the identity of the Jackal and set up an elaborate plan to use Warren's new cloning process to make the world immortal, he attempted to win Peter's allegiance by showing him Ben's coffin and offering to bring Ben back to life.[2] However, although tempted by the idea, Peter realized that Ben never intended to bring 'their' uncle back to life because he would have done it already, coldly informing his clone that Uncle Ben would tell him that he was wrong.[3] At the conclusion of the crisis, Peter takes a moment beside the coffin containing Ben's corpse, acknowledging that Reilly's actions were wrong but wishing that he was there regardless.[13]

text: Other versions[edit]

text: Trouble[edit]

text: A version of Ben appeared in the Mark Millar, Terry Dodson 2003 limited series, "Trouble", with his brother Richie, who were involved with teenagers, May and Mary.[volume & issue needed]

text: None of the characters' last names were revealed. The story did not become canon because of its negative reception.[volume & issue needed]

text: Bullet Points[edit]

text: In this alternate reality, a young Ben Parker is working as a military policeman. He is assigned to security for Doctor Erskine, a scientist for the Captain America program. An assassination attempt on Erskine succeeds, killing Ben in the process. Later on, May still attempts to raise Peter on her own, but without the influence of Ben, Peter grows up to be angry, cynical and mean-spirited, going on to become the Hulk of this reality when he sneaks onto the test site that Rick Jones sneaked onto in the original version of events.[14]

text: House of M[edit]

text: In the House of M reality, Ben Parker is alive and, like the rest of the world, is aware that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. After recovering Peter's journal, with entries detailing that the world is not how it should be, Ben discovers that he is killed shortly after Peter gains his powers. He later helps Peter fake his death, photographing Spider-Man apparently hanging himself.[15]

text: Marvel Noir[edit]

text: In the Marvel Noir reality, Ben Parker is a social activist who was murdered by Norman Osborne's enforcers. He had previously been a decorated pilot and veteran of World War I, but he did not take pride in his service, believing that no just cause was fought for. His nephew Peter dons his old aviator uniform and wields his service revolver during his activities as Spider-Man.[16]

text: Spider-Verse[edit]

text:
A version of Peter Parker named Patton Parnell lives with his abusive Uncle Ted on an unknown Earth. After the bite of an irradiated spider mutates him into an arachnid monstrosity, Patton infects his Uncle Ted with his offspring while declaring he taught him that "With great power comes a great appetite".[17]
An alternate Uncle Ben from an unknown reality appears in a flashback along with the version's Aunt May. In this reality they are portrayed as scientists. They informed Peni Parker that she was the only person able to carry on the project (after her father, the original SP//dr, died in battle), and accepted the responsibly, allowing the radioactive spider that formed the other half of SP//dr's CPU to bite her.[18]
In an unknown reality, Uncle Ben and Aunt May are with their nephew Peter at the hospital after he suffers an allergic reaction to the radioactive spider bite, leaving him in a coma. Because of this, they are out of their house when is burgled by the thief that killed Ben in the main universe. Peter transforms into Man-Spider and attacks Uncle Ben and Aunt May, but is thwarted by Spider-Man Noir. Six-Armed Spider-Man creates a cure for Peter, allowing him to live a normal life with Ben and May.[19]
The Earth-3145 version of Ben Parker was isolated in Ezekiel's bunker after Earth is decimated by nuclear fallout. Ben is later found by Silk, Spider-Man and the other Spider-Men when arrive while fleeing from the Inheritors.[20] Ben received his powers when he accompanied Peter to the science demonstration and was bitten by the spider instead of his nephew. Ben retired out of grief after his foe the Emerald Elf discovered his identity and killed his May and Peter. After entering Ezekiel's bunker upon being told about the Inheritors, his Earth was decimated when a nuclear blackmail plot by Otto Octavius went wrong. Although he initially declines to join the other Spiders in their final attack on the Inheritors, Spider-Man and Superior Spider-Man convince him to do so by arguing that he has only failed if he gives up, Peter in particular affirming that the advice of his own Uncle Ben has saved his world and made a difference every day.[21] He subsequently works with Spider-Ham to rescue Benjy Parker - the baby brother of Spider-Girl - and take him to another dimension for safety.[22] When the crisis is concluded, Ben accompanies Spider-Girl back to her home dimension, and decides to remain so that he can be the great-uncle that no other Ben Parker has had the chance to become.[23]

tag: ul

text: Ultimate Marvel[edit]

text: Ben Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man differs slightly from the original Ben Parker. In the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, Ben Parker is younger than his original counterpart. He is also a former hippie who wears his hair in a ponytail and teaches Peter to be nonviolent. Ben also reminisces about the period he lived on a commune. After Peter Parker went out for a walk, he came home and learned from a police officer that Uncle Ben was murdered.[24] Uncle Ben is seen one last time meeting Peter in the afterlife after his death.

text: What If?[edit]

text: Uncle Ben was featured in various issues of What If.

text:
In one reality where May was killed by the burglar instead of Ben, Peter immediately went after the burglar, but accidentally pushed him out of the window of a warehouse during the fight, resulting in Ben taking the blame for the crime to save his nephew. Lacking the moral influence of Ben or the need to stay secret for his aunt, Peter broke out of the orphanage he was sent to and began to defeat criminals for the reward money, matters coming to a head when he nearly killed the Green Goblin in a fight. Attempting to break Ben out of prison, Ben nevertheless convinced him that he had to accept responsibility for his actions, prompting Peter to return to school and form a relationship with Mary Jane after Anna Watson took him in, culminating in Ben helping Peter in his crime-fighting activities after he was released from prison.[volume & issue needed]
In the first "What If" story regarding Spider-Man (named "classic"), it was Aunt May who went downstairs after hearing a noise, not wanting to wake up Ben. The same storyline plays out, with the burglar shooting May and Spider-Man apprehending him in the warehouse. In this story, Ben finds out about Peter's activities as Spider-Man relatively soon, and talks to him about it. Peter explains to him when he donned the costume and why, even telling him about letting the would-be murderer go that very same night he robbed the wrestling register. Peter breaks down, saying how everything was his fault. Ben responds with anger at himself, being weak in not being able to protect "his May". After Peter tells him he did not know and could not have possibly done anything, Ben instantly calms down and tells Peter to follow his own advice. He further inspires Peter to keep being Spider-Man, not because of regret or penance, but to protect and help all those who are weak and in need of help. Ben and Peter form an even closer relationship with Ben offering his support in many of Spider-Man's future battles. Eventually Ben becomes outraged at Jameson's constant smearing of Spider-Man's name, considering it an insult to May's memory. He eventually lets Jameson in on Spider-Man's identity, forcing Jameson in a position he is uncomfortable in as a journalist. He cannot expose Spider-Man without endangering Ben Parker, yet he also does not wish to support vigilantism. Eventually, he finds a middle road and unofficially employs Spider-Man so he can gain inside scoops on crimes being solved in the city. The story eventually ends with Spider-Man saving Bennett Brant and Betty Brant from Doctor Octopus, as well as fighting a Green Goblin who kidnapped Jameson to find out Spider-Man's real identity (having correctly surmised there was a reason Jameson had those inside scoops). At the end of it all, Peter and Ben shake hands with Ben saying they will face all dangers and the future together.[25]

text: Derailed Alt-Ben Parker[edit]

text: In an alternate reality shown in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, an alternate reality was witnessed where May died in a random accident, prompting Peter to go into show business with Ben as his agent to make money. Peter's focus on his career prompts him to eventually leave home, simply paying Ben a percentage out of respect for their old relationship rather than any actual concern. This Ben was eventually 'derailed' into the 616 reality by the Hobgoblin of 2211 as part of her plan against the Spider-Men of various eras, leaving him shocked when he witnessed his destroyed house and the still-living May Parker. Confronting her, he ended up in a fight with Jarvis, with whom she at the time has a relationship with, but wandered away in confusion. Lacking direction, Ben wandered into an alleyway where he encountered a shadowy figure who offered him a gun, telling Ben that any action he takes would simply create another universe where he took the opposite action, so he might as well do what felt good. After this Hobgoblin was erased from history by a Retcon Bomb of her own invention, the Spider-Man of 2211 met with what he presumed to be the same Ben Parker to take him back to his own timeline. In a surprise twist, deciding he rather wanted to "stick around for a while", this Ben Parker shoots this future Spider-Man. At the same time, another Ben Parker was shown dead in the alley, meaning one Ben Parker had killed the other and taken his place.[26]

text: It was revealed that the Ben Parker who had died in the alleyway was the Uncle Ben of the alternate reality, while the Ben Parker who killed Spider-Man 2211 was, in fact, the Chameleon of 2211; the Chameleon had attempted to convince Ben to resort to murder, but Spider-Man correctly guessed that there were no circumstances under which Ben would do such a thing.[volume & issue needed]

text: "With great power comes great responsibility"[edit]

text: The thematic and often-quoted (including by the Supreme Court of the United States[27]) Spider-Man phrase with great power comes great responsibility is widely attributed to Uncle Ben. However, in Amazing Fantasy #15, where it first appears, it is not spoken by any character. In fact, Ben has only two lines in the entire comic. The original version of the phrase appears in a narrative caption of the comic's last panel, rather than as spoken dialogue. It reads, "...with great power there must also come -- great responsibility!".[28]

text: However, later stories and flashbacks that took place when Ben was still alive retroactively made the phrase one of Ben's many homilies he would lecture Peter with. Latter-day reinterpretations of Spider-Man, such as the Spider-Man film and the Ultimate Spider-Man comic, depict Ben as saying this phrase to Peter while he is still alive, in their last conversation. Both the aforementioned adaptations also had Peter lash out at Ben just after he says it, and both also mention his father.

text: The origins of the phrase pre-date its use in Spider-Man. In 1817, member of British parliament William Lamb is recorded saying, "the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility."[29] In 1906, Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office Winston Churchill said, "Where there is great power there is great responsibility",[30] even indicating that it was already a cultural maxim invoked toward government at the time. The sentiment is also attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required."[Luke 12:48]

text: In other media[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text:
Uncle Ben appeared in the 1960s Spider-Man television series. He appeared in the episode "The Origin of Spider-Man".
Uncle Ben is mentioned in the 1980s Spider-Man television series. In the episode "Arsenic and Aunt May", the Chameleon (after meeting the relative of the Burglar) escapes from prison and poses as a medium while using technology to make Aunt May seemingly see Ben's ghost.
Uncle Ben appeared in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, voiced by Frank Welker. He appeared in the episode "Along Came Spidey".
Uncle Ben appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Brian Keith (in "The Menace of Mysterio", "The Mutant Agenda" and the "Spider Wars" series finale). He appeared in the series as a spirit or seen in flashbacks talking to Peter Parker whenever his nephew gets frustrated the tough choices as Spider-Man. In the series finale when Spider-Man had to stop Spider-Carnage from destroying all reality, Spider-Man managed to make contact with an alternate reality of his uncle in a world where Peter Parker was a successful industrialist; realizing that Peter's counterpart in this reality had never failed or had any difficulties in life due to his casual attitude towards the crisis as opposed to Spider-Man or the other counterparts, Peter realized that Ben was almost certainly still alive in this reality if he was alive in any alternate timeline. Thanks to Ben's influence, Spider-Carnage was convinced to stop trying to destroy reality. After Spider-Carnage instead used the reality bomb to create a portal and subsequently committed suicide by entering the portal to end the threat once and for all, Spider-Man and Ben hugged; although they lived in different realities, Ben was proud of his different reality nephew while Spider-Man assured Ben that he will always have him in his own heart.
In Spider-Man Unlimited, Uncle Ben is briefly mentioned in the pilot episode "Worlds Apart" [Part One]. He is also seen in the theme song which Uncle Ben was killed.
Uncle Ben appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Edward Asner. His character remains faithful to the comics. He is featured in Spider-Man's flashback in the episode "Intervention" revealed that Ben was killed while defending May Parker during a break-in at their house by a burglar that Peter Parker selfishly let go earlier that day. After Peter discovered that Ben was murdered by a burglar who broke into the Parker house and stole Ben's car, Peter furiously sought revenge, donning the Spider-Man costume and confronting the burglar in an old warehouse. Spider-Man unmasked his uncle's killer, realizing that it was the same burglar from earlier. After knocking the criminal out and lowered to policeman via web line, Peter vowed to use these spider powers for good and to never put himself before anyone else and to never to let another innocent person come to harm if anything could help it, and remembering his uncle's words: 'With great power there must also come great responsibility'.
Uncle Ben is featured in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series, voiced by Greg Grunberg.[31] His character is loosely based on his Ultimate Counterpart as opposed to his previous versions. In the pilot episodes "Great Power" and "Great Responsibility", Peter Parker recalled that fateful night of his uncle's murder and Nick Fury uses Ben's memory to have Spider-Man join S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of being solo. A picture of Ben is also seen having fun with May Parker and their young nephew. Ben is personally featured in the episode "Strange Days". Nightmare tries to use Spider-Man's failure being unable to save his uncle's life, however, this does not work; Ben actually motivates Peter to defeat Nightmare (something neither Iron Fist nor Doctor Strange was able to do). In the episode "Ultimate Deadpool", Spider-Man remembers his uncle's memory when thinking about Deadpool's own demons. The character is occasionally referenced in Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister Six primarily as May's source of Ben Reilly's name. The episode "Return to the Spider-Verse" Pt. 2 features a Wild West reality version of Uncle Ben (voiced by Clancy Brown[32]) who is depicted as the "Phantom Rider" and Webslinger the Spider Cowboy's uncle. As Doc Ock Holliday's brainwashed Deputy, the Phantom Rider helped repelled Wolf Spider and later fought both Spider-Man and Kid Arachnid. Although unaffected by Kid Arachnid's venom blasts, Spider-Man and Webslinger eventually were able to defeat Doc Ock Holliday. Upon Doc Holliday's defeat, Ben was freed from the brainwashing and remanded Doc Ock Holliday to the hoosegow while reclaiming his Sheriff title. As Sheriff Ben and Webslinger are reunited, Spider-Man gets a final look at Sheriff Ben before departing to the next reality, quietly hopeful that one reality has Ben still alive.
Uncle Ben appears in Spider-Man, voiced by Patton Oswalt.[33]

text: Film[edit]

text:
In the Spider-Man film series, Ben Parker is portrayed by Cliff Robertson and his character remains relatively faithful to the comics, including his being shot by a criminal Peter failed to stop (although in the comics he was shot trying to defend May during a break in at their house and in the film he was shot during a carjacking).

He appeared in the first film as a father figure for Peter. The amiable Ben is laid off from his job as a chief electrician after 35 years and worries about his nephew's strange behavior. His words of wisdom ('With great power comes great responsibility') eventually inspire Peter to become Spider-Man. Losing his temper during this speech, Peter tells him to stop acting like his father, hurting his feelings badly. Later that night, Ben is apparently shot dead by a thief, Dennis Carradine, whom Peter refused to stop when he was cheated out of his money. Peter and his aunt greatly mourn his death, particularly Peter, who is haunted by the fact that he could have stopped Carradine and saved his uncle. By the end of the film, Peter has accepted Ben as the father figure of his childhood.
The second film features a sequence where Peter contemplates giving up his Spider-Man identity to Ben who, in the flashback, is a physical representation of the entity and ideology of Spider-Man, encouraging Peter to continue on as a superhero. Also, Peter admits the truth surrounding Uncle Ben's death to Aunt May. She is shocked and upset at first, but later commends Peter for telling her the truth.
Robertson reprised his role in a flashback scene (as well as a dream sequence) in the third film (his final acting role). In the film, Captain George Stacy tells Peter and Aunt May of new evidence that suggests Carradine was only an accomplice of Flint Marko, who was Uncle Ben's real killer; Peter then imagines Marko throwing Ben out of the car and gunning him down in cold blood while Carradine desperately tries to stop Marko before driving off. Robertson appears again at the end of the film during a more accurate flashback, as Marko explains to Peter that he only wanted Ben's car, since Marko needed to steal money to help his critically ill daughter Penny. However, Carradine startled Marko and caused him to accidentally pull the trigger when Ben was trying to reason with him. This somewhat shocked Marko, as he feels extremely remorseful for killing Ben. Realizing how desperate Marko is to help his own daughter and understanding the importance of forgiveness over revenge, Spider-Man forgives Marko and allows him to go free.

Martin Sheen portrays Uncle Ben in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man. Though his character still remains faithful to the comics, the manner of his murder is drastically different. Following an argument with Peter which results in Peter storming out, Ben leaves to find his nephew and encounters a thief who has just raided a grocery store where Peter was shopping but who Peter refused to stop when he did not provide enough money to pay for a drink. The thief trips over and drops his gun. Ben tries to get the gun first, but a struggle ensues and Ben is killed. Unlike the comics, Ben's killer remains at large.
The screenwriter for Spider-Man: Homecoming, John Francis Daley, confirms that Uncle Ben exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite never being referenced directly in the film (though Peter does mention that Aunt May's been through a lot lately which was an intentional nod to the character). In an earlier draft of the film, May mentions that Peter's wardrobe for homecoming was Ben's clothing, but it was cut out because the screenwriters didn't want his death to be a throwaway line.[34]

text: Video games[edit]

text:
Uncle Ben is mentioned in the first 3 missions, "Search for Justice," "Warehouse Hunt," and "Birth of a Hero" in the 2002 Spider-Man video game, as Peter Parker attempts to track down Ben's killer.
Uncle Ben is briefly mentioned at the end of Spider-Man 3.
Uncle Ben's Noir version is mentioned by Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions when going after the Vulture (that universe's killer of Uncle Ben).
Uncle Ben makes an appearance in the prologue of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, voiced by Mark Bramhall. The tutorial starts off showing the event that lead to his death. After that, he is referenced throughout the game by Peter Parker, Aunt May, and Stan. Around the end of the game, Stan tells Peter that Ben would've wanted him to grow up to be the man that he wanted Peter to be.

text: Franklin Richards' Uncle Ben[edit]

text: Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four often refers to Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, as "Uncle Ben" (Grimm is the best friend of Franklin's father Reed Richards). Franklin Richards and Peter Parker also have the same middle name, Benjamin, as the Thing and Ben Parker are their namesakes. Spider-Man is aware of this, and told Franklin, "Uncle Bens are always right."[35]

text: Son of Spider-Man[edit]

text: In The Amazing Spider-Man #498-500, Spider-Man falls through time, encountering all of his enemies from the past, and sees himself in the future. The future Peter Parker tells him that he should tell Mary Jane Watson and their son that he loves them every day. "Our son is called Ben", he says, "but it would pretty much have to be, wouldn't it?" However, because of the way time-travel in the Marvel universe works, it should be noted that this is only a potential future, not necessarily a definite one (This future being even more unlikely after the events of One More Day).

text: The Other Uncle Ben[edit]

text: Like her father, Spider-Girl also has an Uncle Ben. However, unlike her dad, May never knew her uncle: Ben Reilly, Spider-Man's clone. If Spider-Girl has any children in the future, they too would have an Uncle Ben - May's baby brother. Ironically in the aftermath of Spider-Verse, the Earth-3145's Ben Parker himself would stay on her world, and has a chance to be his grandfather, something that the other Ben Parkers were unable to achieve on account of their deaths.


document_title: Walking with Dinosaurs (film)

question_text: who is the voice of patchy in walking with dinosaurs

text: Walking with Dinosaurs (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: A paleontologist named Zack takes his nephew Ricky and niece Jade on a fossil hunt. While alone, Ricky is met by a talking rook, who turns into an Alexornis named Alex. He tells him of a story set in the Cretaceous period 70 million years ago. Patchi is the smallest in a litter of Pachyrhinosaurus hatchlings, and is often bullied by his older brother Scowler. Their father Bulldust is the leader of a Pachyrhinosaurus herd. Alex, who is Patchi's mentor, tries to help Patchi impress a female Pachyrhinosaurus named Juniper, but her herd migrates south without him.

text: Bulldust moves his herd south as well, but when they try to pass through a forest, they are forced to flee when a fire erupts. Taking advantage of the chaos, a pack of carnivores, led by a Gorgosaurus named Gorgon, attacks the scattered herd. They kill the rest of Patchi and Scowler's family, with Gorgon personally killing Bulldust. Afterwards, Patchi's herd combines with Juniper's as they continue their migration. Gorgon's pack attacks them again; in the ensuing panic, Patchi, Scowler, and Juniper fall into the river and are swept downstream to the ocean, with Alex following them from above. At a beach, Scowler follows a herd of Edmontosaurus to find food, callously leaving Patchi and Juniper behind. The two make their way through a forest and eventually are able to find their herd and Scowler.

text: After years of making the same migration from north to south and vice versa, an adult Scowler becomes the herd's new leader, and chooses Juniper to be his mate, much to Patchi's disappointment. Scowler recklessly leads the herd onto a thinly frozen pond, and Patchi is able to lead the majority of the herd to safety. Enraged and believing Patchi to be usurping him and also trying to take Juniper from him, Scowler goads Patchi into a battle for leadership of the herd. Scowler quickly wins and disowns Patchi, ordering Juniper and the rest of the herd to leave him behind. Despondent and heartbroken, Patchi tries to allow predators to eat him, but Alex convinces him to die for something worth dying for as Bulldust did.

text: Reinvigorated by the advice, Patchi returns to the herd, only to find them under attack by Gorgon and his pack again. As Gorgon overpowers him in battle, a repentant Scowler orders Patchi to save himself and lead the herd to safety. Instead, Patchi leads them in driving off Gorgon and his pack for good, saving Scowler. Scowler reconciles with Patchi and then concedes leadership of the herd to him, and Patchi goes on to have eggs with Juniper, one of which hatches and Alex asks for it to be named after him. In the present day, moved by Alex's story, Ricky returns the Gorgosaurus tooth to Zack and Jade, who have unknowingly discovered Gorgon's skull.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Voiceovers for prehistoric creatures

John Leguizamo ... Alex
Justin Long ... Patchi
Tiya Sircar ... Juniper
Skyler Stone ... Scowler

Modern-day humans

Karl Urban ... Uncle Zack
Charlie Rowe ... Ricky
Angourie Rice ... Jade

text: In the film, the story of the dinosaurs is book-ended by live-action footage. Leguizamo, Long, Sircar, and Stone provide voiceovers for the computer-animated dinosaurs, while the book-end scenes star Urban as an uncle taking his nephew and niece, played by Rowe and Rice, to a dinosaur excavation site.[2] For the role of Alex, Leguizamo said he sought to conceal his own accent and create a unique voice for Alex.[3] He adopted a Spanish accent since parrots had a Latin American origin. He said, "What was most difficult was finding the right pitch, because Alex is a small bird, but he's also the story’s narrator. So he also had to sound paternal and patriarchal."[4] Leguizamo compared his accent to that of Ricardo Montalbán, a Mexican actor.[5] Long said he was cast based on his voicing of the chipmunk Alvin in Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) and its sequels.[6]

text: Creatures in film[edit]

text:
Alexornis[7]
Alphadon[7]
Chirostenotes[7]
Edmontonia (identified as an ankylosaur)[7]
Edmontosaurus[7]
Gorgosaurus[7]
Hesperonychus[7]
Pachyrhinosaurus[7]
Parksosaurus[7]
Quetzalcoatlus (identified as a pterosaur)[7]
Troodon[7]

text: Production[edit]

text: Walking with Dinosaurs, named after BBC's 1999 television documentary miniseries, was produced by BBC Earth, an arm of BBC Worldwide that was launched in 2009. The feature film is directed by Barry Cook, who was a director for Mulan (1998) and the co-director for Arthur Christmas (2011), and by Neil Nightingale, creative director at BBC Earth.[8] The script was written by John Collee.[9] Nightingale and BBC Earth's managing director Amanda Hill sought to produce film adaptations to extend the arm's brand of nature programming. The two were inspired by returns for Deep Blue (2003) and Earth (2007), which were theatrical versions cut from their respective nature documentary series.[10] In June 2010, BBC Earth entered a deal with Evergreen Films, based in the United States, to produce a film featuring dinosaurs.[11] By the following November, BBC Earth entered a deal with Reliance Big Entertainment to finance the production of three films, including Walking with Dinosaurs. The deal had initially attached Pierre de Lespinois of Evergreen Films and Neil Nightingale to co-direct the film.[12] Barry Cook, who joined the film in March 2010,[13] eventually replaced de Lespinois as director.[8]

text: The total production budget was $80 million.[14] About 70% of the budget was covered when IM Global, a finance and sales company backed by Reliance, sold film rights to various distributors at the American Film Market in November 2010. The budget was further covered by tax breaks provided for filming in Alaska and in New Zealand. IM Global covered only 15% of the budget directly. Forbes called Walking with Dinosaurs an independent film with an unconventionally large budget since the production did not originate at a major studio.[15] Nightingale explained, "It was originally funded by... Reliance, and then we sold it pretty quickly to 20th Century Fox for most of the world, and to a range of other distributors in a few other countries, and that's not an unusual path for an independent film — in other words, a non-studio film which doesn't originate from a big studio."[16]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The film features computer-animated creatures in live-action settings.[10] Live-action footage was filmed in New Zealand and in the southern part of the U.S. state of Alaska. Director Nightingale said, "[They] have that kind of temperate climate which represents the period very well. The world was a bit warmer then, so they would have had 24 hours of sunshine in the summer and 24 hours of darkness in the winter."[17] Filming began in 2011 in Alaska, where Evergreen Films is headquartered.[18] In the second half of 2011, more than 55 people were working out of Evergreen's office in the Alaskan city of Anchorage.[19] While the film's dinosaurs lived in Alaska during the Late Cretaceous period approximately 70 million years ago, they lived more in the northern part of the state due to the climate at the time. Filmmakers considered Southeast Alaska's rainforests below the Arctic Circle close to the climate that the dinosaurs experienced, so they filmed there and in Southcentral Alaska. Specific locations included Crow Creek Mine near Girdwood, Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula.[20] In 2012, the state government of Alaska awarded the production companies a subsidy of US$1.7 million.[21] Additional filming also took place on South Island in New Zealand.[16] For a river chase scene, filming was performed at rapids in New Zealand using a helicopter and with a 3D camera rig in a rubber boat.[17] At the locations, the crew built dinosaur shapes out of PVC drain pipes to give the filmmakers a sense of the dinosaurs' scale when filming the live-action backdrop.[22]

text: Animation[edit]

text: Animation work was done by the Australia-based company Animal Logic, which joined the production in January 2011. Its involvement with the production created 140 jobs in New South Wales.[23] The company's animation director for Walking with Dinosaurs was Marco Marenghi, who had also worked on the BBC miniseries.[24] The company collaborated with animation producer Jinko Gotoh, who contributed to Finding Nemo (2003) and 9 (2009).[25]

text: Character designer David Krentz, who also worked on Disney Animation's Dinosaur (2000), designed about 20 creatures for the film and worked with 5-6 palaeontologists.[13] The characters were based on creatures found at fossil sites in Alaska and in Canada.[26] Krentz initially designed the creatures in pencil then modeled them with the software ZBrush to send to animators.[13] In addition, palaeontologists provided Animal Logic with technical drawings of dinosaur skeletons so animators could construct the skeletons virtually. The animators collaborated with the palaeontologists to validate the basic movements of the computer-animated dinosaurs. Software was used to overlay muscle to fit the movements. Animal Logic adapted the software Quill, which they used to animate penguin feathers in their work on Happy Feet (2006), into new software called RepTile to animate dinosaur skin and scales.[17] It also added feathers for some dinosaurs, including the Troodons and the Hesperonychus. The color palette and feather pattern of a golden pheasant was used for the appearance of the Hesperonychus.[27] The natural history unit archives were used to create a "behaviour matrix" that matched dinosaurs' anatomically correct gestures to their moods.[17] Animal Logic ultimately created 800 animated shots for the film, which director Cook said was a low number for an animated film.[13]

text: The 3D effects for the animation were achieved with the Fusion 3D system,[25] which was used for Avatar (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), and live 3D sports broadcasts.[18] Cinematographer John Brooks worked with consultants and stereographers from the Cameron Pace Group to use a two-camera setup and capture film in 3D.[13]

text: Music[edit]

text: Paul Leonard-Morgan composed the film score for Walking with Dinosaurs. He joined the production in July 2013. The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg performed the score at the Babelsberg Studio in Potsdam, Germany, where it was recorded. Engineer Rupert Coulson then mixed the score at AIR Studios in London, England. Leonard-Morgan then went to Los Angeles, California to dub the music for the film.[28] Leonard-Morgan's score was one of 114 original scores from feature films that were determined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be eligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards,[29] though it was not nominated.[30]

text:
Additional music

No.
Title
Music
Length

1.
"Calling All Hearts"
Sanford Clark

2.
"What a Difference a Day Makes"
Tim Myers

3.
"I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"
Barry White

4.
"Tusk"
Fleetwood Mac

5.
"Ends of the Earth"
Lord Huron

6.
"Live Like a Warrior"
Matisyahu

text: Voiceovers[edit]

text: In the film, actors provide voiceovers for the main creatures. Director Barry Cook said the original plan was for the film to be without dialogue or narration. He said, "I think originally, we were looking at a film that could stand alone as a virtual silent movie... You can turn the soundtrack off and still get involved with the story and feel the emotions of the characters. In its final version, the movie has a narration and goes inside the heads of the animals, so you can hear what they're thinking."[13] Executives at 20th Century Fox, one of the film's main distributors, viewed a rough cut and felt the film needed voiceovers so children in the audience could connect to the characters.[31]

text: The film's character designer David Krentz said, "Although the production veered away from being very realistic, the animation still plays independently. The powers that be decided to add narration and voice-over to reach a wider audience and the characters became slightly anthropomorphized to make them more attractive to younger kids."[13] Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte responded to The Scotsman's prompt about the "danger of anthropomorphising" the dinosaurs, "The voiceovers are a bit of a compromise; the dinosaurs' lips aren't moving, they are not smiling and having human-like facial expressions or anything like that... They are only anthropomorphised to a small degree and that is necessary for a film like this."[22]

text: Palaeontological accuracy[edit]

text: Variety reported, "[Director] Nightingale describes the project as 'mainstream entertainment' rather than natural history... but draws accurately on the latest discoveries in paleontology."[10] A team of scientific and technical consultants contributed to the film. One team member was Dr. Steve Brusatte of Edinburgh University, who is a Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology. Brusatte said the filmmakers strove to understand the discoveries about dinosaurs since the release of Jurassic Park in 1993, "They used so much of this information that we've learned over the past few decades, about feathered dinosaurs, about how dinosaurs lived in big herds, which dinosaurs preyed on each other, their environments, and used that to tell the story."[22]

text: Some dinosaurs in the film are feathered. Brusatte said, "Over the past 15 years, we have collected thousands of specimens of feathered dinosaurs – proper bona fide dinosaurs covered in feathers." New Scientist reported that "no evidence has yet been found" to suggest that the Pachyrhinosaurus or the Gorgosaurus were feathered.[32] Director Cook said of the Gorgosaurus, "We decided that we wouldn't put feathers on that one, but we did give that dinosaur iridescent scales."[27] National Geographic said, "Many paleontologists and dinosaur fans are disappointed that CGI docudrama's villains, a gaggle of iridescent Gorgosaurus, are devoid of any fluff or fuzz." Shortly after the filmmakers designed their Gorgosaurus for the film, the tyrannosauroid Yutyrannus was discovered with direct evidence of feathers.[33] While older than Gorgosaurus, Yutyrannus provides further evidence of feathers in tyrannosauroids. National Geographic also noted that Gorgosaurus was depicted as feathered in the 2011 direct-to-video film March of the Dinosaurs.[34]

text: Palaeontologist Anthony Fiorillo was a consultant for the film and helped determine what dinosaurs lived in Alaska at the time. Fiorillo said "the first known track" of a therizinosaur in Alaska was discovered in 2012,[35] which was too late to include in the film's lineup of dinosaurs. The palaeontologist said based on ongoing research of the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, which he discovered in Alaska in 2012, he would have modified his advice to the filmmakers about designing the film's Pachyrhinosaurus.[36]

text: Don Lessem, a writer who specializes in dinosaurs, said Walking with Dinosaurs was an improvement from Jurassic Park in how the dinosaurs fit the period. He found most of the dinosaurs to be depicted correctly but also highlighted the possibility of the Gorgosaurus having feathers. Lessem stated the Alaskan scenery, while "a spectacular backdrop", did not exist at the time, "Conifers excepted, such scenery did not exist in dinosaur-age Alaska. Think woody outskirts of Seattle instead. Rainy and cool. No grand Rockies. Or much grass. And not much snow or ice."[37]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: 20th Century Fox marketed Walking with Dinosaurs in the territories where it distributed the film.[15] It also held a launch event at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in California.[38] The film is an extension of an existing franchise that started with the BBC miniseries and continued with an arena show that put animatronic dinosaurs on display. Since merchandising deals already existed, filmmakers easily began releasing merchandise for the film. Forbes said, "There is already merchandise (toys, lunch boxes etc.) related to the movie which is normally unheard of for a first film."[15] Macmillan Children's Books (under Macmillan Publishers) acquired the license to publish tie-in books for the film in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. They published in November 2013 an encyclopaedic guide to the film's dinosaurs, a film handbook, and sticker books.[39] Travelgoods.com produced back to school merchandise based on the film, and Keldan International sold a hatching-egg toy for Christmas.[40]

text: Supermassive Games developed the Wonderbook game Walking with Dinosaurs for the PlayStation 3. The game was released on 13 November 2013.[41]

text: Release[edit]

text: Distribution sales[edit]

text: While Reliance Entertainment released the film in India, IM Global, which represented non-India rights to distribute the film, marketed it at the American Film Market in November 2010. In what Variety called one of the "biggest deals in years", 20th Century Fox, the one-time U.S. home video distributor of the original series, purchased rights to distribute the film in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Latin America, and other territories. Variety reported, "Insiders say it's safe to say that the pre-sales cover most, if not all, of the film’s budget." For other territories, Constantin Film purchased distribution rights for Germany, Alliance Films for Canada, Aurum for Spain, and Dutch Film Works for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.[42] Entertainment One acquired Alliance and Aurum in January 2013, which rearranged distribution rights.[43]

text: Theatrical run[edit]

text: Walking with Dinosaurs premiered on 14 December 2013 at the Dubai International Film Festival.[44][45] Distributor 20th Century Fox also had a special screening for the film in New York City on 15 December 2013.[3] It distributed the film in cinemas in the United States and in the United Kingdom on 20 December 2013.[46] It distributed the film in Australia and New Zealand on 1 January 2014.[40]

text: Distributor 20th Century Fox focused advertising on young children. It also advertised the film as one for kids like Avatar (2009) was for adults.[47] Prior to the film's release, Forbes stated that in the United States, Walking with Dinosaurs was the only "kid-friendly film" coming out in December 2013.[48] The Wall Street Journal said, "Walking with Dinosaurs... is the only new release targeted at children and is expected to appeal primarily to young ones."[49] Box Office Mojo commented in its December 2013 forecast, "It should do some solid business among families with younger children, though in a highly-competitive season this is the kind of movie that can get lost in the pack."[50] It predicted that Walking with Dinosaurs would gross US$11.8 million over the weekend and rank sixth at the box office.[47] ComingSoon.net predicted that with a crowded weekend of films, Walking with Dinosaurs would gross US$6.8 million over the weekend to rank seventh at the box office.[51] TheWrap says that box office analysts predict a weekend opening "in the low-teen millions".[52]

text: The film was released in 3,231 cinemas in the United States with 84% of the cinemas having 3D.[53] On the opening weekend in the United States, it grossed US$7.1 million and ranked eighth at the box office.[54] According to the polling firm CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a "B" grade.[55] Distributor 20th Century Fox had anticipated an opening weekend of US$10 million to US$12 million. The Hollywood Reporter said, "Walking with Dinosaurs is the first major disappointment of the Christmas season."[56] It was outperformed almost 3-to-1 by the competing family film Frozen, which ranked third at the box office and had been in theaters for a month.[57] Outside the United States, Walking with Dinosaurs was released in 40 markets the same opening weekend. It grossed US$13.8 million, with US$1.6 million grossed in the United Kingdom.[55]

text: Walking with Dinosaurs has grossed US$36.1 million in the United States and Canada and US$94.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of US$130.6 million.[58] In the United States, it is one of only twelve feature films to be released in over 3,000 theaters and still improve on its box office performance in its second weekend, increasing 2.6% from $7,091,938 to $7,276,172.[59] The Hollywood Reporter said in January 2014 that the film's global box office performance was disappointing and was likely to only go up to US$125 million, meaning "a potential loss in the tens of millions for the financiers". It reported the financiers' response about the anticipated loss, "They contend they will break even because of sponsorships, merchandising, tax breaks and foreign presales in territories where Fox didn't pick up the film." Fox would also avoid a loss since it did not cover any part of the production budget and would get a distribution fee.[31]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The Wall Street Journal reported that film critics thought that Walking with Dinosaurs's "majestic visuals are seriously undermined by pedestrian storytelling".[60] The Hollywood Reporter said, "Many critics have derided the juvenile tone of the voice dialogue... also noting that the animals' lips don't move."[31] The film review aggregator website Metacritic gave an aggregate score of 37 out of 100, which it said indicated "generally unfavorable" reviews. It surveyed 21 critics and assessed 10 reviews as negative, six as mixed, and five as positive.[61] The similar website Rotten Tomatoes scored the film with 24% based on a survey of 70 reviews assessed as positive or negative. It assessed 53 as negative and 17 as positive. The website said, "Walking with Dinosaurs boasts painstaking visual brilliance, but it's unfortunately clouded by a clumsy script that's dominated by juvenile humor."[62] It also reported, "The pundits say the filmmakers seem to have worried that a quasi-nature documentary approach might have turned off the youngsters, but the narrative is so poorly executed that the end result isn't all that entertaining, much less educational."[63]

text: Mark Adams of Screen International said Walking with Dinosaurs worked as "a kids' film for young dino fans". Adams commended the 3D special effects as "immersive and impressive" but thought audiences may be frustrated at "its rather simplistic story". He said, "The film's attempt to make its story broad and accessible at times sits uneasily alongside the spectacular computer animation."[2] Michael Rechtshaffen, reviewing for The Hollywood Reporter, also approved of the effects, calling them "first rate". The critic however complained that the added dialogue was "needless" and that it was "safe to assume that the overlay was added after the fact" by studio executives. Rechtshaffen said, "Although the plotting... follows a safely predictable course... It's that forced, unnecessary and largely unfunny dialogue—save for Leguizamo's spirited way with words—that comes up distractingly flat."[64]

text: Dan Jolin at Empire panned Walking with Dinosaurs as "insipid, bloodless, pseudo-educational and offensively anthropomorphised". Jolin applauded the visual effects but said that "the decision to insert chirp-pop songs and voice the principal dinosaurs" overshadowed the effects.[65] Tom Meek, reviewing for Paste, also praised the effects as "a visual wonderment" but disparaged "the cutesy animal voices and personas". Aside from highlights like the line "Think outside the nest" and the song "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac, Meek was disappointed by the dialogue and choice of music.[66] Brian Switek, reviewing for National Geographic, said the voiceovers ruined the film. He said where films like The Land Before Time and You Are Umasou (the latter based on the Japanese book of the same name) were children's films with meaningful dialogue, Walking with Dinosaurs instead had dialogue that "is vacuous and not only lacks emotional weight, but actually drains any emotions the audience might feel for the characters". Switek said the film could be salvaged if its release on home media would include an option to watch it without the dialogue.[67]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Walking with Dinosaurs was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on 25 March 2014. It ranked third in both Blu-ray sales and combined DVD and Blu-ray sales. It ranked below Frozen, which was in its second week of home media release, and The Wolf of Wall Street, which was also in its first week. Over 35% of sales for Walking with Dinosaurs were from Blu-ray sales.[68] Around 4% of its total sales were Blu-ray discs in 3-D.[69]

text: The Blu-ray 3D disc for Walking with Dinosaurs features bonus content including a "Cretaceous Cut" of the film that omits the voiceovers.[70]

text: Walking With Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D[edit]

text: In 2014, a shortened 45-minute version of Walking With Dinosaurs was released in 3D theaters across the U.S.A. Unlike the movie, this documentary is narrated in a style similar to that of the TV series, and removes the character names and dialogue. Unlike the series though, Prehistoric Planet 3D has a "profile" appear whenever a new prehistoric animal species shows up; this profile shows the animal's name and diet. The Gorgosaurus that appeared in the movie are referred to as Nanuqsaurus; this is probably because other than a few possible indeterminate remains, Gorgosaurus is not known from Alaska, while Nanuqsaurus is.[71]