MovieFreak.com - "Where Eagles Dare" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

In 1944, an American General is shot down over a heavily defended German fortress and imprisoned within. A rescue attempt is at once launched by British Intelligence, since the General must be liberated before being made to reveal Allied plans for an invasion of France. As the mission unfolds, however, double and triple agents begin to appear in the ranks of the rescue team (headed by Maj. Smith, Richard Burton) with the added mystery of an American Lieutenant (Clint Eastwood) assigned to the mission for reasons unknown. Thanks to the IMDB.

Where Eagles Dare is just a pleasure to watch. One of the first really cool blockbusters, Brian G. Hutton’s film plays great even today. The things that make this film as cool as it is can be attributed to all of the following: 1) exciting action, 2) great chemistry between Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, 3) Alistair MacLean’s complex and thrilling screenplay/story, 4) Hutton’s inventive and effective directing, 5) a satisfying and perilous location (Austrian Alps), and so on. Where Eagles Dare is promising blockbuster material from the early days of action cinema.

Ron Goodwin’s signature score starts the film off nicely, setting the tone for what is to come. MacLean’s screenplay is very detailed and elaborate, yet also slows down the film at spots. The general pace, however, is quite good. Despite its length, Where Eagles Dare builds on suspense and action as plot thickens. In fact, once past the 35 minute mark, the suspense continues to intensify and never lets up. Granted, there are a few slow moments in-between, but most of them are required for exposition, such as prolonged dialogue (especially heavy during the meeting with Gen. Carnaby, Maj. Smith, and German commanders). MacLean also tends to stretch common sense at times, meaning he compromises an event in favor of building more suspense and danger. An example is when late in the film Maj. Smith orders two of the remaining double agents to get on top of the cable car first, which compromises Eastwood's character but sets up a thrilling fight scene with the agents and Smith.

Moreover, there are many memorable sequences here, most notably the last 45 minutes which serve as an extended escape from Schloss Adler and the town of Werfen. Great moments include Eastwood’s shootout with approaching soldiers outside the radio room, Burton’s dangerous fight on top of the cable car, the cable car descent, the bus ride to the airfield and the twist reveal on the plane home. And who could forget the famous "Broadsword calling Danny Boy." Additional assets of Where Eagles Dare include Arthur Ibbetson’s energizing cinematography, Ron Goodwin’s commanding score, and John Jympson’s slick editing. Check out Where Eagles Dare if you enjoy blockbusters and the war genre. You won’t regret it. Also, Clint Eastwood fans have reason to rejoice as the film is finally available on DVD in glorious widescreen.

Warner Bros. presents Where Eagles Dare in an all-new digital 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The print quality looks rather decent. Despite spots of grain and shimmering, the widescreen transfer is pretty nice. Detail is sharp and colors are rightfully subdued. Blue and white seem to be the top two choices for colors, and director Brian G. Hutton lights scenes accordingly. But there is a good level of brightness present in the transfer. Also, rear projection scenes look great. The transfer balances the colors and lighting very nicely. Clips from the making-of featurette (more on this in the extras section of the review) show some of the rear projection scenes in fullscreen and VHS quality, and the improvement of these scenes in the film’s widescreen presentation are very good. The overall print quality is not excellent when comparing the transfer to today’s standards, but that’s okay considering the film’s age. However, Where Eagles Dare looks excellent when compared to the VHS version, obviously.

Warner Bros. presents Where Eagles Dare in remastered English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Dialog is clear and easy to understand. Ron Goodwin’s film score reaches the rear speakers from time to time, giving the presentation an overall good bass. The rest of the soundtrack, however, is more front-heavy. The two front channels emit dialog and sound effects. Puzzlingly, gun shots sound more like *thuds* coming out of a bad silencer. On a positive note, explosions and machine gun fire bring a lot to the presentation. Overall, Where Eagles Dare sounds pretty good. It’s a commendable transfer on most levels. You can also select to view the film in a French dub track.

The only supplement here is a making-of featurette called On Location: Where Eagles Dare (12:40), but it’s a good one. There’s plenty of on-set footage in here that should give viewers a good insight into the making of the film. Audio clips of interviews with Eastwood and Burton play over some footage. The featurette is narrated by somebody, though I don’t by whom. It also addresses the atmosphere of the Austrian villages used in the film as the filmmakers brought in German tanks, extras dressed as soldiers, etc. Seeing these things obviously brings back painful memories, though people were invited to participate during filming. Overall, this featurette is a very good companion to the film. Also included in the extras section is the film’s Theatrical Trailer and Cast & Crew information (namely an Eastwood filmography).

You can select to view the film with optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated but easy to navigate. The 155-minute feature is organized into forty-two chapters. As with all Warner titles the DVD comes in a snapper case that lists chapter selections on the inside flap.

Where Eagles Dare is a cool blockbuster even today. Its action scenes, intricate plot, and cinematic look make for an exciting action experience. Eastwood and Burton are the perfect team, as are screenwriter Alistair McLean and director Brian G. Hutton. Video/audio quality is pretty good and a terrific update. The featurette on the making of the film is a great companion to the film. Where Eagles Dare comes recommended.

THE MOVIE	8
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	4
OVERALL (not an average)	8