Eagles Dare has everything -- the very best of entertainment

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2008)

Plot, acting, action, mystery and suspense, espionage, war — Where Eagles Dare has these and more. And, its many elements are blended well into a film that provides great entertainment. This first-rate film is based on a fiction novel of World War II by British author Alistair MacLean. The top-notch cast delivers very good performances (watch some of the facial expressions of Clint Eastwood, some of the German officers and the men in the mission group; hear the heavy breathing by Richard Burton from his trudging up and down in the snow and frequent climbing, and then his comment at one point on exhaustion).
The main setting is a castle somewhere in or near the Bavarian Alps that provides outstanding scenery. The female roles reflect the importance of the women within the plot without a gratuitous sex scene or aspect so common today. Indeed, that would have reduced the value and characters of the women in the story. There may indeed have been a relationship between two of the main characters, but the movie didn't exploit that with a scene of intimacy that would distract us from the plot. So, in the absence of "sexploitation," we are left wondering  and maybe even imagining a little bit — great aspects of films in the past. But just a little bit, because the plot and action pick right up and carry us on.
The film moves very nicely — with a great mix of action, plot twists and turns, and suspense. In an on-camera interview late in his life, Gregory Peck (1916–2003) said that the quality and value of movies in his day was determined by good stories that have good acting and that entertain the audience. Of course, there are other values and qualities of films as well — to inspire, to inform and educate, to embolden and excite, to confirm or influence, to cause us to pause and reflect with gratitude. These can fall within the many types of film, from action adventures to wars and westerns. But in the analysis offered by the late Oscar-winning actor Peck, Where Eagles Dare fits solidly in the mainstream of great movies that entertain.
I don't watch commercial TV, and hadn't seen this movie but once after its first release — and that last time many years ago. So, it was a treat to watch it again and to add it now to my collection of outstanding films for my family's posterity.