|
|
Post by Popeye Doyle on Feb 19, 2022 0:55:52 GMT
Directed by John Sturges with a script from Tom Mankiewicz. I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies in the tradition of Where Eagles Dare and The Guns of Navarone. I was mistaken this being adapted from an Alistair MacLean novel. The difference here being the Third Reich are the primary characters with a plot to kidnap Winston Churchill. They include Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, and Donald Sutherland (sporting a cheeky Irish accent). As I type this, all three leads still kicking. In what is mostly played serious, the comic relief unfortunately comes from Larry Hagman's character being dangerously inept. Donald Pleasance, possibly as a favour to Sturges, plays Himmler. Coincidentally, Pleasance would also play a Nazi in The Great Escape II. It seems to go on for a bit too long but kept my attention throughout. Less successful is the romance between Jenny Agutter and Sutherland's character; it just seems out of place.
|
|
Hurdy Gurdy Man
Junior Member
@hurdygurdyman
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 981
Member is Online
|
Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 19, 2022 3:01:29 GMT
It is an enjoyable yarn. Pleasence's performance has to be one of the scariest depictions of a real-life Nazi. Without revealing anything directly, I will say that Duvall's fate in the film is more realistic than in the novel.
It's also a surprise to see you writing about something that was made before the 80s. I say this with appreciation. Do read the novel by Jack Higgins, you won't regret it. It even has a sequel The Eagle Has Flown, haven't read that yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Feb 19, 2022 3:22:53 GMT
The difference here being the Third Reich are the primary characters with a plot to kidnap Winston Churchill. Yes having all the main characters being from Nazi Germany makes this quite different from the usual WWII action film. They do attempt to make Michael Caine's character sympathetic by having him save a Jewish woman at the beginning of the movie. This act gets him sent to military prison, and the mission is his chance at redemption. But since they're out to get Churchill, you can't root for them. This is a movie that I watched for the first time two years ago as research for its quote thread.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jep Gambardella on Feb 19, 2022 3:45:10 GMT
I thought I had seen it in theatres when it came out, but if it is from 1976 that is unlikely - I was too young for it. I guess I must have watched it in a rerun a few years later, on TV, or on VHS.
I remember little about it other than the basic premise.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Feb 19, 2022 14:03:16 GMT
I thought it was MacLean too, but it was actually Jack Higgins.
|
|
Hurdy Gurdy Man
Junior Member
@hurdygurdyman
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 981
Member is Online
|
Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 19, 2022 15:48:46 GMT
I thought it was MacLean too, but it was actually Jack Higgins. MacLean would never waste time on a pointless romance.
|
|
