Rating: Summary: Worthy of Greatness Review: I love this movie. I can't say it enough. My dad introduced to me it when I was a boy. Most people can look at a book, a painting, or another movie and find inspiration. Where Eagles Dare was my inspiration to be a soldier. The story is smart and well written. The plot line moves well and is organized. The viewer is (at least me) never bored and the story develops at just the right speed. There are great twists in this story that will keep you entertained and intrested. Where Eagles Dare will not appeal to everyone. However, for those who are looking for an alternative to shallow and tiring WWII movies this is for you.
Rating: Summary: Is what other Movies Should Dare! Review: When I first watched the movie in 1968 in a movie theater I left it still mumbling its exalting theme! I was impressed and flabbergasted. Forget the Guns of Navarone, forget Ice Station Zebra and go with the Eagles. Explosive as the movie is its cast: Burton & Eastwood. Shakesperean whit combined with the Man with No Name's chilling silence. Even the supporting cast is explosive in this one. Who can't remember the Gestapo officer? One of the most vicious characterization I've ever seen...Unfortunately Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer never treated this tiny treasure with the respect it deserves. In the U.S. it was released on tape in a Pan & Scan format which leaves out most of the lavish and eery scenery of the Bavarian Alps. Later they decided to release it on a very rare-to-find LaserDisc, but the quality was so poor that one could only ask himself if they did it on purpose. The ratio announced on its sleeve mentioned Widescreen Anamorphic and 2.35 which in reality was a poorly 2:20 ratio. The transfer was poor and its sound was even more terrifying. Since then nothing has happened. Shame on MGM! The only decent copy I could ever get my hands on was on a PAL VHS tape I bought in London some years ago. It's the right 2.35 ratio widescreen format, colors are vivid and the image is crisp (considering the VHS format) and has a conventional but truly good stereo sound transfer. I kept this like a treasure, letting it run just once or twice a year. I wonder if they will ever release it on DVD and if this time they will finally give it justice and give us a pristine copy with a modern Dolby Surround soundtrack and lots of extras (I know they exist 'cause I saw them in 1968). Believe me movie lovers, this one is really one that never ages with time, but rather becomes more valuable with age. In the meanwhile, if you simply can't wait for the DVD copy to appear try to buy it anyway and enjoy the action and the perfect calibration of Burton and Eastwood shot into the German High Command to wreak havoc. Cry Havoc, and let loose the dogs of War! I would give it five and a half stars...
Rating: Summary: Perfect Popcorn War Movie Review: Back when I was a teenage Alistair MacLean fan, I remember staying up all night reading this novel, which was actually adpated from the film (MacLean wrote the movie first!). It was probably MacLean's most exciting book: non-stop intrigue, obfuscation and action, and it is a replica of the movie. So that tells you what to expect here. Plus, we have the added pleasure of watching the screen's oddest couple of all time in Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Burton, in an action movie for a major change, does a great job with his fight scenes, and carries the twists and turns of the plot with aplomb. Eastwood, little more than a hired assassin here, is at his steely and cool best, straight out of Leone's Italian westerns. Throw in a couple of sexy female agents, incredible stunts on a cable car, plenty of machine gun fire, explosions, car chases, and a stirring, heart-pounding music score, and you have the perfect Saturday afternoon popcorn movie. What more could you ask for? You'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time, continually asking, "What the heck's really going on here?"
Rating: Summary: Injustice on DVD Review: Clint Eastwood has made many great films, and a large number of them are available on DVD. The vivid scenes in this movie are second to none and deserve the right to be included in the DVD libraries of all Clint fans. It is sad to think that other movies he has made that, unfortunately, I don't think really lived up to his standards, i.e. Bronco Billy, The Bridges of Madison County and even The Gauntlet to some extent are on DVD, but Where Eales Dare isn't. I hope this injustice is quickly remedied.
Rating: Summary: Where Eagles Dare Review: I'm a 28 yr old female, so I don't normally watch any war movies, but this movie is fantastic. I first saw it when I was about 13yrs old and have seen it about 100 times since. Richard Burton is a GOD!!!! He has the acting ability of 20 of todays actors. Clint is also great and quite cute in his youth. The action, suspense and the intruiging ending make this one very interesting to watch, as well as the explosions, the theme music and the women fighting alongside the men. Richard Burton is just mesmerizing to watch and is so cool and intelligent in his character. They don't make action movies like this anymore, there's more focus on blowing things up and showing blood in todays movies, no real underlying plot. But this film has a great plot, lots of suspense and intrige and still has the explosive ending to satisfy all. If you like war movies, you'll love Where Eagles Dare. I can't wait to get this on DVD.
Rating: Summary: The Greatest Movie Of All Time Review: Where Eagles Dare is without doubt The Greatest Movie Of All Time. It has it all: WWII, Alpine Mountains, Parachutes, Blondes, Bombs, Machine Guns, Motorcycles, Disguises, Chase Scenes, Suspense . . . it ain't over 'til it's over.
Rating: Summary: Needs to be a DVD Review: I watched this movie everytime it was on USA network and TNT network. Being in the military I came to appriciate our WWI and WWII hero's that have been forgotten. I love to watch this movie it shows how the 2 great actors Burton and Eastwood infilitrate to find a spy. This movie is just one of those movies that you will always want to watch on any given day. I hope this movie will be on DVD soon, I see many movies that shouldn't even exsist on DVD now...
Rating: Summary: Great action movie Review: Although this is set in WW2 it is almost a mistake to call this a 'war' movie. This is an action adventure, featuring a team of soldiers set during WW2!! Okay, so once we understand we are not going to be seeing a Private Ryan, what will we be getting? Well, it is very fast moving, is action packed and actually has an entertaining plot too! Burton enjoys himself as the team leader and Eastwood is great as his right hand man. The Germans, although many of them bite the dust, are not shown to be stupid and un-necessary characterisations are avoided. From the opening shot of the mountains and the first note of the soundtrack this is a hugely enjoyable film and worthy of many repeated viewings. Okay, now and then you need to watch something like Private Ryan to see the horror of war, but Eagles is a great and fun film.
Rating: Summary: My favorite WWII movie, but where is the DVD? Review: This is without question my favorite of all war movies. With an exceptional script and superb chemistry between Eastwood and Burton the suspense fairly crackles through all the twists in this exciting adventure romp. I am biting at the chomp to buy this on DVD, come on MGM this is a no brainer for a DVD release.
Rating: Summary: Pardon my dodgy German. So does Where Eagles Dare Review: Thought my sister's kids might like this but I couldn't find it. Times change, I guess. What certificate would it get now? Probably a 12 or 15. Shame, kids need to know the historical truth, that is how the British won the war with a little help from America. Certainly wet my pants as a nipper. It had everything in it except Colonel Kurtz in jackboots ("Those 50's helicopters, I hate them".) As an adult, it's rather unnerving, like some gothic nightmare. But it's only a slight exaggeration of reality, evolution's nightmare (pretentious? nein, meine leibling!) Mr Jnyby83 (your papers!) German's don't just talk German to other Germans. Remember the German making a lone phone call? How about the Gestapo man and the Major trying to out supercilious sinister each other in the Schlock Idler: "Ve are not in de kindergaten now, Major, vatch your step!" - "Do not address an officer of ze Whermacht in zat tone, and get off my foot, I'm bigger zan you!" - "This is preposterous! Sit! Down!" - "I haff friends in high places!" - "higher zan zis castle? I'm getting a nosebleed!" Or words to that effect. Makes it much easier for the allies to infiltrate the Reich, especially when your girlfriend's named Fred. Also, love the way Burton and Eastwood vacate that hut after setting bombs and there's 'Warning!' written in English on the poster on the outside. Back in the castle it's all in German, hence the 'Funkraum' (get down, fraulein!) What did happen to the two dead bodies in that room? Other fun bits include Eastwood reaching for the grenade without getting his hand hit by bullets (did he fire 6000 rounds without re-loading or was it only 5? In all this confusion I kinda lost track myself.) Poor old Burton however, gets one straight away ("Oh dash it all, what rotten luck" he says with admirable PG restraint.) Also, the guys climbing up the side of the castle with thin ropes ("physically impossible" snorts dad.) No Germans guarding the obvious escape route, the lift room, forcing them to hammer the doors like 'Guns of Navorone'. They never learn, yer Jerries. Nazi's have dodgy eye'sight too, not noticing the team jump out of the cable car into the river from a few yards away. It's all those gloomy corridors and black everything. But the film is sneer proof really, although it does fizzle a bit after the cable car fight, with an endless chase that destroys most of the Luftewaffe as well. The acting? Burton spends the film trying not to leichnam and Eastwood sulks 'cos he didn't get to go on the cable car. Best performance goes to the baby faced Caesar Gestapo guy who does a splendid bit of method stuff after he has escorted Mary Ure back to her room. He rubs his chin, his brow, he looks zis way and dat. He is suspicious, nein? Hey dude, great clothes, lousy politics. Maybe that's why most of the British top brass turned traitor, it can't be for the weather. Further warm tributes to Heidi, whose chest enters a doorway a full minute before her nose (your papers? Please tell me you dropped them!) If we were all willing to be honest with ourselves, it's not the same as when you're a kid and all a bit boring now. Never mind, ve haff vays of makink' you release de DVD!
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