Where Eagles Dare

buckaroo

Here kitty, kitty, kitty
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This is probably without a doubt, my most favorite movie, and if it isn't, it is the one movie that I've seen more than any other. I simply love this movie and the reasons are various. First off, the plot has more twists than a pretzel, and I'll never forget the first time I saw it. I'm one who fancies myself as a pretty good sleuth in that I seem to have the ability to figure out movies fairly early on. This movie had me changing my mind almost to the point of the credits at the end. But aside from the fact that things change in this movie, I also like the actors who are the main charactors, Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Alistair MacLean wrote this movie, one of many that have been successful movies. His Guns of Navarone and Force 10 From Navarone are also movies that I like, as well as more of his other movies.

Where Eagles Dare gives me plenty of entertainment plus, it cools me off even when its hotter than hades outside. But it can be lots of fun to watch over and over for a specific reason, to catch all the goofs they made while editing it. The movie was made in 1968, so the special effects boys had yet to make great strides and so they had to use other means, such as cut and paste so to speak. Also they did little to try and make the stunt doubles look like the actors. There are many more snafus in the movie, but as I said, it's more fun to find them for yourself than to be told.

The music is terrific if nothing else and it adds to the excitement of the whole aura of the movie. The one negative I would give this movie is it's length, but there's a silver lining in that as well. The VCR version gives the movie an intermission and I'd expect the same from the DVD. That has served me well over the years in that I can stop the movie at that point and pick it back up again another time. I'll be doing just that tonight as it'll probably be time for the race when the intermission comes.

All in all, I have found few movies that give me this much pleasure watching over and over again. I practically know the words now by heart, and find myself quoting them during the movie. I have found a web site dedicated to this movie, so you can see that I'm not the only one who is mesmerized by it. Everything from where this probably is in Austria, to the music being played on the German radio in the radio room has been discussed. But the biggest discussion I've had with anyone has always been why did the American Lieutenant try to use his knife to kill the radio operator rather than use his gun with a silencer as he did with the telephone operator earlier in the movie. Of course, the answer to that is that the author needed a way to alert the Germans that there were intruders.

This is an old movie so there might be youngsters who have never seen it. If you are an oldster and still haven't seen it, have fun and watch it. BTW, the movie is about a group of British special forces military types with one American Ranger, attempting to save an Amercain General who was shot down in his small plane and is being held in the Schloss Adler (castle of the eagles). They must rescue him before he blabs about plans for the invasion of Normandy.
 
I have to agree CB! One of my very favorites and I've seen it about a gazillion times.
 
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