directed by Brian G. Hutton
UK / USA 1968
A conscientiously large World War II adventure, drawn from the novel by Alastair MacLean, about a 7-man team parachuted into the Bavarian Alps to rescue a high-ranking Allied officer held prisoner by the Germans in an impregnable mountain Schloss. It may be devoid of significance of any sort, but it is nevertheless passably entertaining, and certainly better viewing than most MacLean adaptations. Its ability to sustain interest depends on fine cinematography (Arthur Ibbetson), and a handful of genuinely exciting action sequences, notably two extended scenes involving death-defying feats on a cable car slung between two snow-covered peaks.
Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
Posters
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Theatrical Release: December 4th 1968 (UK)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Warner (Clint Eastwood Collection) - Region 2, 5 - PAL
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Warner Region 2, 5 - PAL |
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| Runtime | 2:28:45 (4% PAL speedup) | |
| Video |
2.38:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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English DD 5.1 (384 kb/s), German DD 2.0 mono (192 kb/s), Spanish DD 2.0 mono (192 kb/s) MPS sample HERE |
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| Subtitles | Czech, Danish, English, English (Hoh), French, German, German (Hoh), Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish, none | |
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Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 42 |
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| Comments |
This is a PAL edition of the Clint Eastwood Collection feature of
Where Eagles Dare, that was released shortly before in NTSC. It is
not available on amazon.co.uk but the version on sale there probably
has the same transfer and extras. Image The image quality of this DVD from Warner is generally good, certainly quite watchable but has a couple of problems nonetheless. The image is sharp and clear, although edge enhancement occasionally rears its ugly head, although rather inconsistently. One of the worst examples I came across can be seen in the bottom capture. There is also some minor posterization at times, most notably on the blue nighttime skies. I also detected minor noise in scenes shot in dark rooms, possibly a problem of the original film stock. The colours were slightly pale, but consistent throughout. The aspect ratio measured 2.38:1 closely resmbling it's original ratio of 2.35:1 and looks correct to me, although I have nothing to base that on apart from my own judgment. These problems mentioned detract only slightly from the presentation of this film which will please most viewers accustomed to the tape or laserdisc transfers. Audio The 5.1 DD audio track is probably a port from the 70mm 6-track audio prepared for the film's release. Naturally the audio suffers slightly from being recorded on dated equipment but source element artifacts were not detected. The music has an impressive stereophonic soundfield. Extra Material The original trailer and one vintage feature is all we get here, but let us be grateful that they even bothered with that on this rather standard edition. Packaging Ugh, I hate those snapper cases, thank god Warner has got rid of them for good. Anyway, this film has probably been re-released in a standard casing by now. There's nothing wrong with the artwork, however. Where Eagles Dare is a top example of the spy film / action genre and the DVD version is recommended if offered at a reasonable price. - Finnur E |
DVD Menus
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Screen Captures
Subtitle sample
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Heavy edge enhancement
NOTE: I just wanted to point out that it's not edge enhancement in
the last capture, but rather an artifact introduced by duplication (it's
an optical or dupe negative replacement most likely).
HERE is an example from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, taken
from a shot with a dissolve optical. All of the opticals in the film
look like this. (Thanks Patrick)
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Warner Region 2, 5 - PAL |
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Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
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Gary Tooze
Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA |
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Thank You!
