Where Eagles Dare

Richard Burton Director: Brian G. Hutton, Yakima Canutt, Elliott Kastner, Brian Hutton Brian G. Hutton

Overview

An expensive but enormously profitable war picture, Where Eagles Dare centers upon a daring rescue and even more daring escape. Disguised as Nazi officers, commandoes Maj. John Smith (Richard Burton), Lt. Morris Schaffer Clint Eastwood and six other courageous souls parachute behind enemy lines. Their mission: to rescue an American general, held captive in a supposedly impenetrable Alpine castle. Aiding and abetting the commandoes are Allied undercover agents Mary (Mary Ure) and Heidi (Ingrid Pitt). Also on hand is a British officer (Patrick Wymark), who masterminded the mission. Somewhere, somehow, someone amongst the Allies is going to turn out to be a traitor. There's also a neat plot twist in store when the commandoes manage to reach the American general -- which leads to yet another twist. The vertigo-inducing climax has made Where Eagles Dare one of the most sought-after of "early" Eastwood starring features. The film was written directly for the screen by espionage novelist Alistair MacLean.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/01/2010
UPC:	0883929107605
Original Release:	1968
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:35:00
Sales rank:	852

Special Features

Vintage featurette on location: Where Eagles Dare; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Richard Burton	Maj. Jonathan Smith, MC
Clint Eastwood	Lt. Morris Schaffer
Mary Ure	Mary Elison
Patrick Wymark	Col. Wyatt Turner, DSO MC,Actor
Michael Hordern	Vice Adm. Rolland
Donald Houston	Christiansen
Peter Barkworth	Berkeley
Robert Beatty	Cartwright Jones
William Squire	Thomas
Brook Williams	Sgt. Harrod
Vincent Ball	Carpenter
Anton Diffring	Col. Kramer
Neil McCarthy	MacPherson
Derren Nesbitt	Von Hapen
Richard Beale	Telephone Orderly
Victor Beaumont	Col. Weissner
Ivor Dean	German Officer
Lyn Kennington	German Woman
Nigel Lambert	Young German Soldier
Michael Rooney	Radio Operator
Ernst Walder	Airport Control Officer,Actor
Ingrid Pitt	Heidi
Ferdy Mayne	Rosemeyer,Rosemeyer, German Officer
Chris Adcock	le soldat allemand
Del Baker	le pilote
Guy Deghy	Maj. Wilhelm Wilner
Olga Lowe	Lt. Anne-Marie Kernitser
Max Faulkner	Sgt. Hartmann
John G. Heller	German Major at 'Zum Wilden Hirsch'
Jim Dowdall	Extra
Harry Fielder	German Soldier
Roy Beck	German Cablecar Engineer
Pauline Chamberlain	Blonde Woman in Tavern
Terence Conoley	Nazi
Philip Stone	Sky Tram Operator
Ron Goodwin	Composer

Technical Credits

Alistair MacLean

Alistair MacLean	Screenwriter
Brian G. Hutton	Director,Director
Jerry Gershwin	Executive Producer,Producer
Elliott Kastner	Producer,Director
Yakima Canutt	Stunts,Director
Fred Hellenburgh	Special Effects
Richard Parker	Special Effects
Tom Howard	Special Effects
Jonathan Bates	Sound Effects
John Bramalll	Sound Effects
J.B. Smith	Sound Effects
Richard Best	Sound Effects
Peter Dobson	Sound Effects
Rick Lester	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

In this 1969 spine-tingler, allied soldiers infiltrate a mountaintop castle in the Bavarian Alps to rescue a captured general who knows the plans for D-Day. The production features parachute jumps, gunplay, explosions, spectacular scenery, and frozen hands reaching for survival on a rock face. And then there are the narrow escapes in which the heroes dodge gunfire in castle corridors, drive a bus through mountain passes, and take off in a plane thinking all is well when it isn't. In short, Where Eagles Dare is a pip of a film from start to finish. Rousing music and a lively script, adapted by Alistair MacLean from the novel he wrote, complement bully performances by Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. As British Maj. John Smith and American Lt. Morris Schaffer, raspy Burton barks commands while cool-man Eastwood nullifies Nazis with blades and bullets. Excellent performances from Michael Hordern as British Vice Adm. Rolland and Derren Nesbitt as Nazi Major von Harpen support the performances of Burton and Eastwood. But it is the action and the pacing that are the real stars. Dressed in German uniforms, the allied infiltrators take a perilous cable-car ride, get pulled through windows, and mingle with the enemy while a new danger lurks around every corner. Surprises abound as the allies discover that not everyone is who he is supposed to be. Meanwhile, the audience chews knuckles as the music builds, and a final, shocking secret manifests itself.