At the beginning of the year. we stated our objective to start watching some of the epic studio releases from the 1960s. We haven't concentrated much on films from that decade, in part because I felt that - in it's latter half, at least - the inclusion of counterculture themes had "dated" many movies, and not in a good way (for the most part). But in reconsidering the subject, I began to recall some of the big budget studio releases I saw as a kid, often with my Dad at premiers, like "2001" or "Those Magnificent Men", or ones that I had never seen, like "Cleopatra". I realised that there were a number of great films made in the '60s, and thought we needed to take another look at those epics we have seen - albeit over fifty years ago - and a first look at the ones we'd never seen, because they were the last hurrah of the studio system, when the movie biz was trying to repel television with mega-budgeted films filled with big stars, shot in wide screen and usually running for well over two hours. Yes, we love short films, but we also have time for long ones provided they don't bore us, and most importantly when they are Epic. All of this is to say that we've begun to make progress on our goal; we did finally see "Cleopatra", which was everything we hoped for and then some. We also just watched "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines", which we'd only seen once, 56 years ago, and then tonight we watched a movie we hadn't seen since 1969 : "Where Eagles Dare", starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, the story of a British commando mission into the Austrian alps to rescue an American general.
I saw this movie with my Dad when it came out, perhaps at the Dome (not certain but it was definitely in Hollywood). It was so great he wanted to see it again, so we went back a couple weeks later. And in watching it for the third time tonight, over half a century later, I have to say that not only does it hold up, but it's one of the greatest action/adventure flicks ever. I suppose you could call it a war movie as well, though it isn't strictly that. But man, is it good.
Director Brian G. Hutton wastes no time getting the mission started. No sooner do Burton and his team leave a meeting, where they are given their instructions, than they're in the air and parachuting down onto a snowy Alpine mountainside. Their target - the General - is being held in a nearby castle, but before they can approach it, they'll have to make their way through a German military base at it's foot. They've prepared for this by bringing along SS uniforms, with which they will impersonate Nazi officers. They have a contact inside the adjacent village, a female British agent posing as a barmaid, and they all speak fluent German (though we never hear it, haha), but a suspicious Gestapo commandant will follow them around, trying to trip them up. He's prevented from arresting them by higher-ups in the SS, who believe Burton & Eastwood, et al, really are German officers. As an aside, I should mention that I wasn't aware of the differences, and even rivalries, between the Gestapo and the SS. I assumed they were more or less the same thing, but the movie shows that not to be true, and there is a fight for ultimate authority.
There are layers of deception to wade through before the actual rescue begins, so many that the only person who seems to know what's going on is Richard Burton. We sure don't, and director Hutton doesn't tip his hand as to "who is who"; we even think Burton may be a traitor at one point. This is three level chess in overdrive, courtesy of MI6 (the brains behind the mission), so you can't be certain who's loyal and who isn't. Eastwood doesn't know either, and just has to trust that Burton isn't gonna turn on him. The movie runs 155 minutes and the first 90 deal with the team's effort to get past the scrutiny at the base. Then the actual rescue begins, and so much hell breaks out that it looks like Burton and Eastwood are fighting the war all by themselves.
There's an epic machine-gun shootout and a white knuckle sequence involving cable cars, a popular cinematic device of the time. There are also enough explosions and chases to empty a large bowl of popcorn, so be sure to fill up before you watch.
Richard Burton is so freakin' good in this flick, it's a shame his career didn't become what it should've, nor truly reflect his talent. He's remembered more for his marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, but man, he's incredible as "Major Smith", who's able to fool everyone : the Nazis, his fellow commandos, Clint Eastwood, and even the audience! Eastwood is terrific in support, squinting his way through some tight situations, and an actress named Mary Ure is strong in a co-starring role as a fearless female commando.
A mention must be made of Alistair MacLean, who wrote both the script and the bestselling book from which it was adapted. Maclean was the Tom Clancy of his day, and authored many military and espionage oriented books, including "The Guns of Navaronne" and "Ice Station Zebra", both of which became huge motion pictures. Dad took us to see "Ice Station", which was Howard Hughes favorite movie. In an interesting note, I looked up MacLean and found that he and Richard Burton are buried just a few yards apart at the same cemetery in Switzerland. And MacLean's birthday is coincidentally today.
Really though, in addition to the stars and the all-out production values, the movie owes it's success to Brian Hutton (mostly a TV director), who knocks the action so far out of the park that they're still trying to catch it, 52 years later. He and his cinematographer Arthur Ibbetson create a foreboding mood, using a lot of dark blues and greys to evoke the frigid, remote landscape. The widescreen photography is tremendous - man, it would be awesome to see this movie in the theater! (Maybe if Tarantino buys the Dome and turns it into a retro house....)
"Where Eagles Dare" gets my highest rating : Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. Watch it and watch it again! ////
The previous night we went back to Youtube for an espionage thriller called "The Iron Curtain"(1948), starring Dana Andrews as a Russian cypher clerk stationed at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. In the course of his duties, "Igor Gouzenko" (Andrews) is recruited for a spy ring, run by "John Grubb", an alias used by the head of the Canadian communist underground. He discovers that several prominent political figures already belong to the ring, including a member of Parliament. Because he is already indoctrinated into party obedience, Andrews is at first quite willing to participate (and scared not to), even though it puts him at risk of arrest by the Royal Mounted Police.
His attitude changes, though, after the arrival of his wife (Gene Tierney, paired again with Andrews after the success of "Laura" four years earlier). She's pregnant, and once she's been settled in Canada for a few months and is ready to deliver their child, she tells Andrews that she likes the freedom of her new country. She doesn't want to return to Russia. "People are so nice here, they can say whatever they want". At first he argues with her, reiterating all the Communist talking points, but when he discovers that a Canadian scientist is involved in the plot, and is giving away atomic secrets, including the formula for enriched uranium, he draws the line.
With a theme similar to "High Treason"(viewed the other night), "The Iron Curtain" is based on a true story, complete with narration. The anti-communist message is front and center, and as we saw in "Treason", the Marxist philosophy is hive minded : The Party is more important than the individual, and any means are legitimate to achieve world domination, so that "the people" can be free.
I'm sorry, but I have to editorialize here for a second : "What an absolute bunch of baloney". Say what you will about capitalism, which is massively flawed to be sure, but it's still a damn sight better than Marxism, where everyone becomes a robot, or Fascism, where everyone becomes a slave. I'll take the American Way, thank you very much, though I'll take it without the encroaching Extreme Politics which are leading us towards the precipice of Communism vs. Fascism.
Haven't we learned anything from the Europeans, who've already been down this road?
End of editorial (and sorry for teeing off about politics).
Well at any rate, it's not a high-tension thriller. The story is presented as a docudrama, with much of the focus on Andrews' family life. The plot centers more around his moral awakening, when he contemplates his wife and new baby living in a world of nuclear terror, where it's always 2 minutes to Midnight.
"The Iron Curtain" doesn't have the plot twists of a fictional spy movie, but it's a gripping story all the same, with the feel and look of a Noir. It's always nice to see Gene Tierney, too. Though her role is not large, she injects some humanity into the proceedings, and vulnerability as well, in contrast to the grim, programmed certitude of the Commies.
Give it Two Solid Thumbs Up, with a near perfect Youtube print, and "Iron Curtain" comes highly recommended. /////
That's all for the moment. Have a great evening, and tons of love as always!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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