Where Eagles Dare
All team (86)
Short description
During World War II, an American general whose aircraft is shot down over enemy territory falls into German hands and is taken to a fortress in the Alps. Because he knows the details of the planned Allied invasion of Normandy, a British-led commando team is sent to get him out before he can be made to talk. The unit is led by Major John Smith, and its members include an American ranger, Lieutenant Morris Schaffer, whose presence among the British ranks puzzles him. Soon after the parachute drop, members of the team are killed, and it begins to seem that someone inside the operation is working for the other side.
The film was directed by Brian G. Hutton and written by Alistair MacLean, and it was the first of the three features Hutton directed in the chronological order recorded here, ahead of Kelly's Heroes and Night Watch. Richard Burton plays Smith and Clint Eastwood plays Schaffer, with Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern and Donald Houston among the supporting cast. Elliott Kastner produced, and the credited crew numbers 86.
Made for about 8 million dollars, the film took roughly 21 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.6/10 from around 68,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.5/10 from about 1,030 votes, indicating a durable audience following across several decades. A critics' rating of 6.9/10 from 25 reviews places professional assessments a little below those viewer scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is set in 1944, six months before the opening of the Second Front. However, a German general arrives at the castle by helicopter. Yet, Germany's first and only helicopter unit (the 40th Transport Squadron) was formed in early 1945.
- The primary filming location for the film was Hohenwerfen Castle, located not in Bavaria, but in Austria, near the town of Werfen, 40 km from Salzburg, at an altitude of 155 m above the Salzach River valley.
- In scenes where the characters of Richard Burton (1925-1984) and Clint Eastwood climb the fortress’s sheer walls, Burton moves with practically no effort, while Eastwood struggles with the ascent, which is noticeable to the viewer. The fact is that Burton (who smoked like a locomotive, abused strong alcoholic beverages, and was generally out of shape) was lifted by a crane, which was removed from the frame during editing, while Eastwood, who took care of his own health, actually climbed the wall himself. And Burton had already been diagnosed with bursitis, likely complicated by improper treatment, arthritis, and dermatitis.
- The role of Lieutenant Sheffer, played by Clint Eastwood, was initially offered to Lee Marvin (1924-2022), but he declined, telling the producers that he should have been approached with such an offer four years earlier. Marvin had already starred in Robert Aldrich’s (1918-1983) war action film 'The Dirty Dozen' (1967), from which he had the most unpleasant memories. This role brought him success, but he vowed never to film in similar movies again.
- It was morally difficult for Ingrid Pitt (1937-2010), who played Heidi, a Holocaust survivor, to film, because many members of the acting ensemble around her wore the uniforms of Wehrmacht soldiers.
- Filming in Austria had to be interrupted due to weather conditions. The filming took place in winter and early spring of 1968, so the film crew and actors had to contend with both blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, as well as the risk of avalanches. In addition, filming was delayed for several days because Richard Burton, never missing an opportunity to have a drink, once disappeared with close friends Peter O’Toole (1932-2013) and Richard Harris (1930-2002).
- The film largely came about thanks to Richard Burton's stepson, who always wanted to see his stepfather in some kind of adventure film. Burton turned to producer Elliott Kastner (1930-2010) with this request, who in turn turned to screenwriter Alistair MacLean (1922-1987). At that time, films had either already been made based on all of MacLean's novels, or films were being made, and Kastner persuaded MacLean to write something new. He provided Kastner with a script for the future film within just 6 weeks.
- Darren Nesbitt insisted on portraying his character as accurately as possible (he played von Hapen), so he demanded that a former Gestapo officer be invited directly to the set to better understand how to play his character and correctly display the decorations on his uniform.
- During the filming of the scene depicting his character's death, Darren Nesbitt nearly went blind when the fireworks attached to his chest fired upwards instead of away from his body. They filmed bullets hitting von Hapen in the head and chest, but after editing, only the shots of bullets hitting the head remained in the film.
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