Where Eagles Dare **** (1968, Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure) – Movie Review 2372

Director Brian G Hutton films Alistair MacLean’s World War Two adventure novel in 1968 as a hugely popular action movie with favourite stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, and a strong support cast including Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern, Donald Houston, Peter Barkworth, Robert Beatty, Ferdy Mayne and Anton Diffring. Now considered an adventure classic, it is beautifully shot on location in Austria and Bavaria and benefits greatly from the technical involvement of many of the top film-making professionals of the era.

MacLean’s story is about Allied commando forces sent in a daring raid to parachute into Germany to save an American military top-brass held in a secure schloss by the Nazis. Classic it may be, but on screen, it is strictly comic-book stuff, with far-fetched shoot-outs, noisy explosions and careless mass slaughter.

Credibility is low and mindless violence is high. Hutton’s direction plods and the plot is convoluted and overcomplicated, with the author writing his own screenplay, his first. MacLean wrote the novel and screenplay at the same time, and both were commercial successes.

However, there are ideal stars in Burton as group leader John Smith and Eastwood as the young American lieutenant Morris Schaffer to lead the heroics, both relishing their roles. Eastwood handles most of the action scenes, while Burton chews over the dialogue, after most of Schaffer’s lines were given to Burton when Eastwood requested he be given less dialogue.

And there is also a fine array of British character actors to fill the background spaces. Above all, there are plenty of well-staged thrills throughout for action fans. It is one of the first films to use front projection, allowing filming of the scenes where the actors are on top of the cable car.

It was the 13th most popular movie at the US box office and seventh most popular at the UK box office in 1969 and remains a popular favourite on its many TV showings. It cost $7.7million and earned $21million. 

Hollywood stuntman Yakima Canutt, as second-unit director, shot most of the action scenes. British stuntman Alf Joint doubled for Burton in such sequences as the fight on top of the cable car. Award-winning conductor and composer Ron Goodwin wrote the stirring score. Future Oscar-nominee Arthur Ibbetson worked on its cinematography with H A R Thompson.

Also in the cast are Brook Williams, Neil McCarthy, Vincent Ball, Victor Beaumont, Richard Beale, Ivor Dean and Ferdy Mayne.

The film is noted for the phrase ‘Broadsword calling Danny Boy’, used by Burton several times. Burton said: ‘I decided to do the picture because Elizabeth [Taylor]’s two sons said they were fed up with me making films they weren’t allowed to see, or in which I get killed. They wanted me to kill a few people instead.’ Eastwood initially said MacLean’s script was ‘terrible’ and was ‘all exposition and complications’. Eastwood and Burton dubbed the film ‘Where Doubles Dare’ due to the amount of time stand-ins doubled in action sequences.

The title, chosen by producer Elliott Kastner, is from Act I, Scene III in William Shakespeare’s Richard III: ‘The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.’ Like most of MacLean’s works, Where Eagles Dare features his trademark ‘secret traitor’, unmasked at the end.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2372

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