Where Eagles Dare (1968)

trekgeezer · May 24, 2009, 06:03:15 PM

Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood lead a team of MI6 operatives to rescue a captured American General being held by the Nazis in a mountain top castle before he can be interrogated. There's only one problem, someone is knocking off the team members. There's something else afoot and only Burton seems to know what's really going on.

The story behind this movie is quite interesting. Seem Burton's sons wanted to see him in war action adventure movie and approached the producers about it. They consulted Alistaire MacLean, but all his books were either already sold or in production. So he wrote an original screenplay for the film (then turned it into a novel).

This movie rivals any modern action movie for the number of explosions and the number of bullets fired. It's cool watching Clint firing away with an MP-40 in each hand.

This is a classic and a epic WWII movie with great action and suspense, if you haven't seen it and you love action do so.

Allhallowsday · May 24, 2009, 06:39:07 PM

When this one came on the tube, in my house it was an event. Get the popcorn, get the ice cream, get the sodas, shut out the lights... WHERE EAGLES DARE is on!! Intense action-adventure, intrigue and suspense, ironic twist ending slightly humorous RICHARD BURTON and too-cool CLINT EASTWOOD. Always loved this one, and also one of my fondest family TV viewing memories.

Jack · May 24, 2009, 07:12:14 PM

Awesome movie, one of my favorites. Love the winter scenery and the fortress atop the mountain as well. I've gotta watch this again soon.

lester1/2jr · May 24, 2009, 07:15:27 PM

also a great song (with some rough language just fyi)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZHxmzwxtLA

trekgeezer · May 25, 2009, 09:04:32 AM

Thought of another good reason to watch this movie. Hammer Films veteran Ingrid Pitt as Heidi the undercover bar maid Heidi.

Neville · May 25, 2009, 03:52:44 PM

A bit too long before the action finally kicks in, but a Hell of a WWII movie, that's for sure. Terrific action, impressive sets and locations, a script full of twists and turns... ¡and Clint Eastwood! The fireworks in the second half rival with any WWII you've ever played, you can bet on that.

Now, I can buy Eastwood doing all that crazy commando stuff, but Richard Burton...

And even Eastwood would be in trouble among nazis, that haircut looks definitely too American for him to impersonate a German soldier.

It makes a good comparison with "the other" Brian Hutton / Clint Eastwood WWII film out there, "Kelly's heroes". They couldn't be more different.

peter johnson · June 03, 2009, 01:07:12 PM

The best part about this film was the Mort Drucker MAD Magazine parody that came out at the same time, which just nailed every plot hole and ridiculous convention: -- "Rope . . . rope . . . rope . . . we got 6 million feet of rope!!" -- and the pictures of the magazine clips that were so long they jumped the frame. Never could take the movie all that seriously after reading that.

peter alfred/denny what, me worry?

Jape · June 04, 2009, 12:22:08 PM

Really excellent war film, it was on TV the other day and is always a treat, though the traitor's pitiful cries as he is slowly pushed off the cable car during the final escape has always creeped me out, certainly never wanted to be at a high altitude with Richard Burton around thats for sure!

Trevor · June 08, 2009, 02:15:04 AM

Great film ~ I have it on VHS and only recently saw it on TCM. Once I saw it on TCM, I realized that I'd been watching 1/2 a film as the VHS I had wasn't letterboxed.

Trivia ~ apparently Alistair MacLean and Richard Burton didn't get on at all and they allegedly came to blows one night. The strange thing is, they're buried in the same Swiss cemetery not more than a few feet away from each other.