Post by wdm0744 on Apr 17, 2008 13:06:05 GMT -5
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”
Sadder words have seldom been spoken in the English language – they bring to mind the bittersweet nostalgia of a time when things weren’t just different, they were better.
The current state of affairs makes us wish we had truly appreciated the good old days while we had them, and the true tragedy is, no matter how badly we want to, we can never recapture the magic we failed to fully appreciate then.
To my knowledge, no one has even attempted in modern times to recreate the type of sheer excitement, genuine intrigue, and unabashed fun that Alistair MacLean put on display when his works, “The Guns of Navarone” and “Where Eagles Dare”, graced the silver screen in 1961 and 1968 respectively.
Now I realize (and, I must confess that it is done with a bit of my tongue planted in my cheek) that I am waxing rather eloquent over what can best be described as high-flying adventure movies. But the fact remains that, in my opinion, no movie in the past 15 years has come close to capturing the spirit of these great films.
Most modern movies, especially war films, take themselves rather seriously. Now, don’t misunderstand me – I am not trying to downplay the horrors of war, diminish the service of veterans, or dismiss the effectiveness and relevance of modern war movies. Not at all, I just think there is something special about a movie that throws realism to the wind while simultaneously throwing the entire Nazi army at a small band of plucky heroes. “Where Eagles Dare” and to a lesser extent, “The Guns of Navarone” are less “Saving Private Ryan” and much more “Mission Impossible”.
Of the two, I like “Eagles” better. The question is why and the answer is simple: Richard Burton. But I am getting ahead of myself, really.
I’m sure it has escaped no one’s attention that our culture allows a bit more imagination when telling stories set during the Second World War, particularly on the European front, than stories set in other wars. There are probably many reasons for this. For one, no other war in modern memory presents us with such a clear and utter villain. Not only was the Nazi ideology and practice evil, it was occult, unholy. It is even reflected in the iconography of the war. The shape of the standard issue WWII German helmet, the Nazi version of the Roman eagle, and, of course, the swastika, all just scream “bad guy”.
It is these types of popular notions that have given us stories of a WWII fought with Tesla Coils, living gargoyle dragons, conjured demons, and zombies. Often, in our popular consciousness, the Second World War is the idealistic war against ultimate evil.
“Where Eagles Dare” exhibits this same spirit. It stars Richard Burton (for those of you not familiar with his awesomeness, you may know him as Mr. Elizabeth Taylor) as Major Smith and a young Clint Eastwood as Lieutenant Shaffer of the American Ranger Division. These two are teamed with a group of British secret agents (and fluent German-speakers) and tasked with the rescue of a vital American colonel from the clutches of the Gestapo. The colonel is being held in the Schloss Adler (“The Castle of Eagles”) deep in the dark heart of the Bavarian mountains. Dressed in German uniforms, the team will be dropped from a stolen German plane into the forest near the impenetrable fortress.
To tell you any more would be a disservice. Suffice to say that things do not go as planned (or do they?).
Fair warning: this is a long movie. So long in fact, that some VHS copies still include what I can only assume is the theatrical inclusion of an intermission. So, yeah, it’s long, but it isn’t slow. The first half of the film is snared with twists and turns and deep intrigue. It proves that you don’t need the gadgets of Q-branch to be a kick-ass spy. All you need is a quick wit, a few notebooks and, to quote “Dog Soldiers”, a set of “balls of British steel”. In the end, the plot makes sense – I think.
The second half of the film is one long action sequence. Seriously, for the last 45 minutes, the movie doesn’t take a breath. We watch as our heroes struggle to escape from the mouth of the beast as a whole literal division of the SS pursues them all the way. Fun fact: of all of Eastwood’s films, this one has the highest body count. Don’t worry parents. It’s violent, but not overly gory. The blood has that orange tint to it that splashed across the screen in the Hammer horror films. It kind of looks like liquefied Play-Do.
This is one film not concerned with reflecting the realities of war or physics. It exists solely to entertain its audience with an exciting, but smart action movie. Don’t leave your brain at the door because you’ll be needing it.
I realize this review has become long-winded, but I must mention two final points before I encourage you to run, not walk, to your friendly neighborhood video store and checkout with “Where Eagles Dare”. By the way, you can also find it in the $5 DVD bin at Wal-Mart.
First, the music by Ron Goodwin is a thing of beauty. Goodwin uses snare drums and the inspired choice of Alpine horns to effectively convey the breadth and darkness of the German war machine and the bravery and bravado of the intrepid heroes.
Second, Richard Burton is awesome in this film. True enough, he does seem to be half asleep most of the time, but that just adds to his coolness. Major Smith lets nothing bother him – he is seven steps ahead of everyone and everything else, including automatic gunfire. He also gets some of the best lines every committed to the screen.
In one scene, Smith has met up with another agent with whom he has had some sort of romantic relationship. Complaining about the bitter cold and the lack of supplies, she scolds Smith, “I thought you loved me”. To which Burton, without missing a beat, responds, “I can’t help what you think”. For me, this line approaches “I’m happiest…in the saddle”-like greatness.
So, to sum up, give an old movie a chance, Sonny. Its okay for a movie to just be fun every once in a while. Next time your wife or girlfriend wants to watch a Doris Day romance; tell her you have another classic you’d like to try.
Sadder words have seldom been spoken in the English language – they bring to mind the bittersweet nostalgia of a time when things weren’t just different, they were better.
The current state of affairs makes us wish we had truly appreciated the good old days while we had them, and the true tragedy is, no matter how badly we want to, we can never recapture the magic we failed to fully appreciate then.
To my knowledge, no one has even attempted in modern times to recreate the type of sheer excitement, genuine intrigue, and unabashed fun that Alistair MacLean put on display when his works, “The Guns of Navarone” and “Where Eagles Dare”, graced the silver screen in 1961 and 1968 respectively.
Now I realize (and, I must confess that it is done with a bit of my tongue planted in my cheek) that I am waxing rather eloquent over what can best be described as high-flying adventure movies. But the fact remains that, in my opinion, no movie in the past 15 years has come close to capturing the spirit of these great films.
Most modern movies, especially war films, take themselves rather seriously. Now, don’t misunderstand me – I am not trying to downplay the horrors of war, diminish the service of veterans, or dismiss the effectiveness and relevance of modern war movies. Not at all, I just think there is something special about a movie that throws realism to the wind while simultaneously throwing the entire Nazi army at a small band of plucky heroes. “Where Eagles Dare” and to a lesser extent, “The Guns of Navarone” are less “Saving Private Ryan” and much more “Mission Impossible”.
Of the two, I like “Eagles” better. The question is why and the answer is simple: Richard Burton. But I am getting ahead of myself, really.
I’m sure it has escaped no one’s attention that our culture allows a bit more imagination when telling stories set during the Second World War, particularly on the European front, than stories set in other wars. There are probably many reasons for this. For one, no other war in modern memory presents us with such a clear and utter villain. Not only was the Nazi ideology and practice evil, it was occult, unholy. It is even reflected in the iconography of the war. The shape of the standard issue WWII German helmet, the Nazi version of the Roman eagle, and, of course, the swastika, all just scream “bad guy”.
It is these types of popular notions that have given us stories of a WWII fought with Tesla Coils, living gargoyle dragons, conjured demons, and zombies. Often, in our popular consciousness, the Second World War is the idealistic war against ultimate evil.
“Where Eagles Dare” exhibits this same spirit. It stars Richard Burton (for those of you not familiar with his awesomeness, you may know him as Mr. Elizabeth Taylor) as Major Smith and a young Clint Eastwood as Lieutenant Shaffer of the American Ranger Division. These two are teamed with a group of British secret agents (and fluent German-speakers) and tasked with the rescue of a vital American colonel from the clutches of the Gestapo. The colonel is being held in the Schloss Adler (“The Castle of Eagles”) deep in the dark heart of the Bavarian mountains. Dressed in German uniforms, the team will be dropped from a stolen German plane into the forest near the impenetrable fortress.
To tell you any more would be a disservice. Suffice to say that things do not go as planned (or do they?).
Fair warning: this is a long movie. So long in fact, that some VHS copies still include what I can only assume is the theatrical inclusion of an intermission. So, yeah, it’s long, but it isn’t slow. The first half of the film is snared with twists and turns and deep intrigue. It proves that you don’t need the gadgets of Q-branch to be a kick-ass spy. All you need is a quick wit, a few notebooks and, to quote “Dog Soldiers”, a set of “balls of British steel”. In the end, the plot makes sense – I think.
The second half of the film is one long action sequence. Seriously, for the last 45 minutes, the movie doesn’t take a breath. We watch as our heroes struggle to escape from the mouth of the beast as a whole literal division of the SS pursues them all the way. Fun fact: of all of Eastwood’s films, this one has the highest body count. Don’t worry parents. It’s violent, but not overly gory. The blood has that orange tint to it that splashed across the screen in the Hammer horror films. It kind of looks like liquefied Play-Do.
This is one film not concerned with reflecting the realities of war or physics. It exists solely to entertain its audience with an exciting, but smart action movie. Don’t leave your brain at the door because you’ll be needing it.
I realize this review has become long-winded, but I must mention two final points before I encourage you to run, not walk, to your friendly neighborhood video store and checkout with “Where Eagles Dare”. By the way, you can also find it in the $5 DVD bin at Wal-Mart.
First, the music by Ron Goodwin is a thing of beauty. Goodwin uses snare drums and the inspired choice of Alpine horns to effectively convey the breadth and darkness of the German war machine and the bravery and bravado of the intrepid heroes.
Second, Richard Burton is awesome in this film. True enough, he does seem to be half asleep most of the time, but that just adds to his coolness. Major Smith lets nothing bother him – he is seven steps ahead of everyone and everything else, including automatic gunfire. He also gets some of the best lines every committed to the screen.
In one scene, Smith has met up with another agent with whom he has had some sort of romantic relationship. Complaining about the bitter cold and the lack of supplies, she scolds Smith, “I thought you loved me”. To which Burton, without missing a beat, responds, “I can’t help what you think”. For me, this line approaches “I’m happiest…in the saddle”-like greatness.
So, to sum up, give an old movie a chance, Sonny. Its okay for a movie to just be fun every once in a while. Next time your wife or girlfriend wants to watch a Doris Day romance; tell her you have another classic you’d like to try.
