MAN MOVIES: WHERE EAGLES DARE

I’ve noticed in posting these “man movies” that many are war films. While at first I thought this might seem odd I soon realized that most “chick flicks” are romances so I guess there’s something to be said about the way genders look at film, eh?

Released in 1968, WHERE EAGLES DARE was based on the best selling novel of the same name by author Alistair MacLean. Having written THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (another man movie if there ever was one), the film is set during WWII. Intelligence brings in Maj. Jonathan Smith (Richard Burton) and a team of soldiers that includes American Lt. Morris Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) for a covert mission. It seems that a general has been captured by the Nazis and is being interrogated. This same general has information concerning D-Day that mustn’t fall into their hands. The goal of this team is to rescue the general before he can say anything.

Of course in the best tradition of movies from the time, the rescue isn’t the main mission going on here. After landing they discover one of the team with his neck broken, apparently from a mishap when he parachuted in. Not so. Burton is the only member of the team who knows the truth behind the mission and the reason that an American was included on the team. One of the commandoes involved is a traitor.

Posing as German soldiers, the team splits and heads to town to meet with agents already in place. Burton and Eastwood keep together while the others are picked up. Now they not only have the general to rescue but the other members as well. To do so they’ll have to get to the mountainside fortress where they are being held, a fortress only accessible via the cable cars that go to and from.

The pair makes it to the castle along with the agents already on the scene. The discovery of the traitors plays out quite well with a double double cross in the works that helps move things along. And once the traitor is revealed and the general in hand, all that remains is to escape the fortress and avoid the Nazis in place there and at the terminal where the cable car will end. Sounds simple, right?

The action is well placed here, never making the film non-stop but mixed with enough story to keep it all together as a well told tale. Burton does a great job as the stand up English sort while Eastwood uses the laid back style of acting he’s noted for to perfection. These are two different sorts of characters as well as actors, but they work off one another to great effect here.

The photography is marvelous and the locations amazing. You feel the cold of the snow covered mountains, even more so during a battle on top of the cable cars near the film’s end. Its one of those moments that stays with you, a classic scene.

Yes, once again men are men, women are women and the hero saves the day. There’s plenty of bloodshed, plenty of bullets flying and lots of action in this film. But as I said, it has more story than most which just adds to the greatness of the film. It seems this is a forgotten treasure of sorts that I hope you’ll take the time to rediscover. You’ll find yourself entertained and rooting for the good guys all the way.

As something new I'm going to attempt to include the trailers for some of these films. Let me know what you think.