Where Eagles Dare

A rescue operation in the Second World War, on a castle at the top of the Alps. The only way up is a cable car, and inside is the headquarters of the German high command. Its known peculiarity is that it was written as a screenplay first. Alistair MacLean wrote it directly for the screen and the novel came afterwards, the two appearing almost simultaneously; it is usually assumed to be adapted from the book, but the order is the other way round. The actual idea is not the rescue but who is working for whom. There is a traitor on the team, a second plan inside the plan, and characters change sides more than once. The film resolves this with a long explanatory scene in the middle. Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood lead. Eastwood's part is almost entirely physical; Burton talks, Eastwood kills. The cable car fight and the escape from the castle are among the best-cut action sequences of the period. A solid choice for anyone who likes classical war adventure. For a viewer wanting realism it is close to a comic book; it runs two hours forty and the weight of explanation slows the middle.