Where Eagles Dare

[Robert Rojas]

Greetings to both citizen Ryokai and the community as a whole. Howdy Ryokai! Well sir, in deference to your point OR points-of-view as articulated within your posting of Saturday - May 19, 2018 - 5:14pm, old yours truly would like to echo many of the sentiments of brother Mark in Cleveland, Tennessee as expressed within his sage posting of Saturday - May 19, 2018 - 9:21pm. It might serve everyone well if one keeps in mind that you are partaking in a cinematic event with the purpose of being entertained and not necessarily that of being factually informed. After all, the cinematic presentation of WHERE EAGLES DARE is wholly based on the novel authored by the late Alister MacLean in year 1967. One must also understand that any film production is working under strict time constraints with very narrow budget parameters. With that kept in mind, it should not come as a terrible surprise if expedient artistic license is taken during the course of such a production. So, with that said, I actually viewed the cinematic presentation of WHERE EAGLES DARE in a bona fide theater when it was initially released in year 1969 and I JUST LOVED IT! Apart from the all too numerous technical excesses, I was enthralled with the sound track, the vintage Junkers 52, the wonderful scenery and, of course, the film's two really hot actresses!. However, on the other hand, I guess there is no accounting for personal taste! Now you know. Well, that's my initial two cents worth on this media related topic - for now anyway. In any case, I would like to bid you a copacetic day over in the proverbial DOWN UNDER.


Best Regards From My Side Of The Pacific Rim,
Uncle Bob

[Mackay]

Great movie! It starts slow with a lot of suspense, but the last hour is pretty much one long action sequence.

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

To revisit this thread, I like the movie, and along with Mr.Rojas, I have seen this flick in a actual huge movie theater, and it is overwhelming and cool, the opening cedits are surpreme in a theater, the Junkers52 flyimng over the Alps with the drumbeat sound score is really good. Have to remembern it's a movie, full of weirdness BS..

[Sejanus]

Sadly, the JU-52 aircraft used in the filming of Where Eagles Dare crashed in Switzerland during August 2018. All aboard were killed according to media reporting:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... lane-crash

[askropp]

This movie is pure crap. I am not even talking about the usual ridiculous stereotypes of imbecile German villains and Anglo-Saxon superheroes. It begins with the imaginary mountain fortress (named "Schloss Adler" in pseudo-German gibberish and modelled after Hitler's non-existent "Eagle's Nest" mentioned in American fairy tales) guarded by six divisions of Gebirgsjäger (no wonder that Germany lost the war with so many troops idly lingering around in a remote Alpine resort). Supposedly, this medieval castle can only be reached by cable car, which makes you wonder how the knights got up there to build it during the middle ages. Although they are mentally retarded, the Nazis are technically advanced and already use swarms of helicopters. Oh yes, the Yankee general held at the fortress was "shot down on his way to Kreta" in 1943, because it makes totally sense to send an over-important spymaster with secret knowledge of the Normandy invasion to an enemy-occupied Greek island (apparently straight through German airspace). Maybe he was really heading for Navarone? To cap it all, all spies (with the exception of Burton and Eastwood) are double agents who are working for the Nazis although no one should know better than them that Germany is losing the war. If this film is really based on McLean's book, it must be rated as pulp fiction.

[Robert Rojas]

Greetings to both citizen askropp and the community as a whole. Howdy A.S.K.! Well sir, in deference to your point OR points-of-view as passionately articulated within your posting of Wednesday - September 26, 2018 - 6:59am, old yours truly will NOT dispute any aspect of your critique. Of course this celluloid epic was and is a total sham - BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY GREAT ENTERTAINMENT! Now, even you have to admit that the aerial photography taken in the Alps was pretty damned cool. The film's sound track was quite memorable as well. Incidentally, if you feel this strongly about WHERE EAGLES DARE, then I bet you'll go into apoplexy after sitting through a session of KELLY'S HEROES! Remember, it's just a movie and movies are nothing more than temporary escapism. So, do yourself a favor and LIGHTEN UP! Well, that's my latest two Yankee cents worth on this media related topic - for now anyway. In any case, I would like to bid you an especially copacetic day over in your corner of the Fatherland. Auf Wiedersehen!

Best Regards,
Uncle Bob

[askropp]

I bet you'll go into apoplexy after sitting through a session of KELLY'S HEROES

Au contraire - watching Kelly's Heroes makes me go into a fit of rapturous exaltation, because I rate it as one of the best war movies ever. In my opinion, WED is airing a fake aura of historical seriousness (intended or not), while KH is so obvious over the top that no one could seriously assume that the depicted events are historical. The protagonists of KH (an allegory of the Vietnam War) are in fact anything but "heroes", they are wily rascals fighting for their own "private enterprise" (i.e. a great bank heist). The characters are likeable while those in WED are cold and brutal (a waste of such great actors). But I just read on Wikpedia that the novel is "less violent" and "more humorous", and that the characters are "more clearly defined", so I will exclude McLean from my criticism.

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

askropp, yeah WED is a pile of nonsense, butit is a movie made to entertain so I will enjoy it with all of your points against it(and I agree 100% with those. As for Kelly's heroes, I kind of like it, but not really. Get what I am saying. As for Alister MCLean and his book, this is a FYI, he wrote the screen play first, then wrote the book based on the screen play.(this according to TCM and FilmHistory.com

[Uncle John]

"Broadsword calling Danny Boy, Broadsword calling Danny Boy....Over"
Haha, good movie....I love it.

I was sad when I heard about JU-52 aircraft crashed......

[Helmut0815]

Well, I think I was twelve years old when I watched this movie. For me the movie was over when that Bell 47 fish bowl helicopter landed at castle Wolfenstein. WTF?


regards


Helmut

[VanillaNuns]

I am surprised ( but also relieved) that there hasn't been a fast and furious/independance day
style remake...

Quentin Tarantino says it's his all time favourite movie and he'd love to remake it. Hopefully not. It would ruin a classic.

As for all the mistakes, it's Boys Own Adventure, therefore not to be taken too seriously. A highly enjoyable and entertaining movie.

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

As I stated earlier in thread, good movie for entertainment,I watch it everytimre it is on TCM in letterbox cinama version.

[Uncle John]

For me the movie was over when that Bell 47 fish bowl helicopter landed at castle Wolfenstein. WTF?

Ya but didn't you notice that radioman was found murdered without snow footprints?....haha
I would love to watch it again in my 4K home theater with large subwoofer haha

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

For me the movie was over when that Bell 47 fish bowl helicopter landed at castle Wolfenstein. WTF?

Ya but didn't you notice that radioman was found murdered without snow footprints?....haha
I would love to watch it again in my 4K home theater with large subwoofer haha

that is one of many weirdness scenes that make no sense or has any logic, but hey, its a flick of make believe fantasy

[ROLAND1369]

I watched it in the movie theater at Fort Benning GA while going thru Jump school in 1969. When they mentioned Clint Eastwood "as a Ranger and that speaks for itself" the theater was almost destroyed by the catcalls and disparaging remarks of mega proportions which were only surpassed by the remarks during the jumping from the aircraft.