Clint Eastwood Collection: Where Eagles Dare

Starring:Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern, Donald Houston, Peter Barkworth, William Squire, Robert Beatty, Brook Williams, Neil McCarthy, Vincent Ball, Anton Diffring, Ferdy Mayne, Derren Nesbitt, Victor Beaumont, Ingrid Pitt, John G. Heller, Guy Deghy, Olga Lowe
Director: Brian G. Hutton
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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Scorned by reviewers when it came out, this concentrated dose of commando death-dealing to legions of Nazi machine-gun fodder has acquired a cult over the years. In 1968 Clint Eastwood was just getting used to the notion that he might be a world-class movie star; Richard Burton, whose image had been shaped equally by classical theater training and his headline-making romance with Elizabeth Taylor, was eager to try on the action ethos Eastwood was already nudging toward caricature. Alistair MacLean's novel The Guns of Navarone had inspired the film that started the '60s vogue for World War II military capers, so he was prevailed on to write the screenplay (his first). The central location, an impregnable Alpine stronghold locked in ice and snow, is surpassing cool, but the plot and action are ultra-mechanical, and the switcheroo gamesmanship of just who is the undercover double (triple?) agent on the mission becomes aggressively silly. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Commandos, posing as German soldiers, parachute into a city to rescue a supposed allied general from a Nazi hideaway fortress that can only be reached by cable car.

Customer Reviews:

Great one.......2007-05-27

My sister in law loved the movie. She was happy that we were able to find it.

Where Eagles Dare.......2007-05-07

Clint Eastwood Collection: Where Eagles Dare One of the all time best adaptations of Allistair MacLean's novels to a a movie. Superb actors help to carry off the story line.

I thoroughly enjoy this movie every time I watch it. Unfortunately most of today's movies adapted from books start good and end up getting totally off the story line for "Dramatic effect".

You really should this suspense filled movie about 7 allied spies dropped behind enemy lines to "rescue" a capture American General from the German Intelligence services.

"The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch".......2007-04-10

I love the heck out of this movie. It's probably one of my favorite action movies, and a bit of a guilty pleasure when I talk about it to some of my friends. I first caught it on TCM while in high school, and I was blown away at first not by the action but by the scenery. This film probably has the best cinematography of any action film, with the stunning shots of the alps and the well done set of the Eagle's Nest. (I highly suggest you watch this widescreen - I've seen it formatted, and it doesn't do the movie any justice) At first I didn't think much of it, but I got the DVD of it for Christmas last year, and watching it again after 6+ years was even better than the first time.

The story entails a group of MI6 operatives heading into the "Castle of the Eagles," a German fortress atop a mountain that can only be reached by eagle. (or a handy ride up in a transport attached to wire) They are after an American general who has the plans for opening the second front, (ie D-Day) and know the Germans want to get the plans out of him. Accompanied by an American Ranger, Lt. Schaffer, (Clint Eastwood) and led by Major Smith (Richard Burton) they quickly find out that someone among them is a double agent working for the Germans. The plot thickens from there as Schaffer and Smith sneak into the base and try to complete their mission.

"Where Eagles Dare" is one of those action films that has it all. Car chases, shoot outs, intrigue, exploding cars, explosions in general, helicopters (no helicopter crashes though) and a lot of dead Nazis. It also has a decent script working for it. It may have not won any Academy Awards at the time, but it has enough plot twists to keep you interested. It also has some great characters - Major Smith, in particular, is a great character. He seems to have a way out of every sticky situation, and knows how to play his enemy. Even Clint Eastwood's Schaffer character has some wits about him, even if he's just a more shoot-em-first alternative to Smith's more calculating persona.

Sure, like other action movies there are a lot of things you are supposed to ignore. Like how a bunch of people who jump into freezing alpine water come out not shivering a bit and are dry a few minutes later. Or maybe when when Clint Eastwood uses two submachine guns at once and kills a large group of Germans. You might even have to forgive some of the corny German accents the SS cast bears. But when all is said and done you're very forgiving of the film, and learn to just enjoy yourself. If you want to see World War II era action at its very best, look no more than "Where Eagles Dare."

Burton and Eastwood in a Action Classic.......2007-04-04

1968's "Where Eagles Dare" paired veteran thespian Richard Burton and up-and-coming young actor Clint Eastwood in a classic action thriller adapted from Alistair MacLean's bestselling novel of the same name. MacLean was prevailed upon to write the screenplay, and the movie sticks reasonably close to its namesake's storyline.

An American General who is a principal planner for D-Day is shot down over Bavaria in the German Alps. The leader of British Intelligence, Admiral Rawlins, decides to mount a hasty rescue mission using a small group of his best agents, led by Major John Smith (played by Burton), and augmented by an American OSS agent (played by Eastwood). The group is parachuted into Bavaria disguised as German Alpen Korps troops, there to storm a castle where the captured American General is being held. It turns out that one or more of the agents may be a double agent, leading to a complicated game of double-cross in which Burton and Eastwood must extract the general from the castle and make their way to a rendezvous at an airfield while evading what seems like a signficant portion of the German Army.

The plot, like the novel, lacks some of the emotional depth of MacLean's earlier efforts but more than makes up for it with a steady stream of thrilling action sequences, each more improbable than the last. A solid cast of British actors and Eastwood are more than equal to portraying the commandoes and their secret helpers in Bavaria, delivering punchy ironies while machinegunning the bad guys. MacLean managed to preserve the best plot twist from the novel for the final scene.

This movie is highly recommended to fans of Clint Eastwood and his action movies. Fans of Alistair MacLean will find it a much better than average adaption of one of his novels.

Where Eagles Dare.......2007-03-30

Classic war movie with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton how can it possibly suck.

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