MovieChat Forums > Where Eagles Dare (1969) Discussion > Far WORSE than 'Dirty Dozens'!!!!!!

Far WORSE than 'Dirty Dozens'!!!!!!


At least "Dirty Dozens", bad as it was, made some "sense": most convicts trained were killed by the Nazis, and they showed no remorse in killing German Nazi officers and their civilian family members. We all know how war is brutal and unforgiving. Anyway, this one, with "Dirty Harry" Eastwood, and Elizabeth Taylor's "boy", Richard Burton, is the pits. Since when you can fly into Nazi Germany-Austria undetected? No Nazi patrolling the snowy forest? Mixing with regular German soldiers and civilians and not being discovered? Spies among the group [was British Intelligence that dope?]? The American officer who sent them another spy? Two guys killing hundreds of Nazi Germans so "easily" [Clint Eastwood killed less as "Dirty Harry" flicks!]? Who wrote the script? If they are going to make a movie where the Nazi Germans are the "bad guys" make it more intelligently, even if bad. "Guns of Navarone" made more sense. This one I can't believe some call it the "finest war movie made" ["Go For Broke" of 1951 was much better!]. I call it STUPID in capital letters.

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Very true, one of the most ridiculous movies ever made.

Don't forget -

Clint Eastwood just casually shooting everyone in sight with a silenced pistol which didn't even have a silencer on it.

Clint Eastwood using an MP40 sub machine gun which never ran out of bullets (perhaps it was capable of manufacturing its own bullets)

British Intelligence being riddled with German agents (despite the fact that in real life virtually every German agent was captured within days of landing in Britain)

Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton masquerading as Nazi officers whilst having ridiculous looking 1960's hairstyles (which would have not have been permitted in the British or American army let alone the Nazi army.

That they were able to bring in all of those ridiculous trip-wire time bombs (which never existed in real life) and set them up all over the place without ever being seen

And there are many more

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Thanks. Anyway these movies where our "heroes" seem so "easy" dispatching Nazi Germans fool people in thinking "defeating" Nazi Germany, and I am a reader of Hitler's Germany and World War II, was so "easy and clean", It wasn't. The war we had with Hitler's Germany was brutal and low. And we had to air firebomb the country to defeat it once and for all. And so many "revisionist" idiots want to change the history on both sides: one side denies Nazis were merciless killers, and blame the Allies for it, and another side [does the name Benjamin Netanyahu sounds familiar?]claimed not enough was done to "save" the victims of the Nazis. Balony! That's what I criticize these movies.

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Clint Eastwood just casually shooting everyone in sight with a silenced pistol which didn't even have a silencer on it.


What...? It totally did have a silencer.

British Intelligence being riddled with German agents (despite the fact that in real life virtually every German agent was captured within days of landing in Britain)


While they do mention "German agents," it's never suggested that Christiansen, Berkeley and Thomas, let alone Turner, are actually Germans; merely British traitors. Whether that is more believable than planted Germans posing as Brits is debatable.

Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton masquerading as Nazi officers whilst having ridiculous looking 1960's hairstyles


This was a particular issue with most WWII movies of the period, so I'm unsure what makes Where Eagles Dare so special in this regard.

And at least the movie is consistent; even the Germans have distinctly un-military-looking haircuts (especially von Hapen with that huge blonde curly mop), so Smith and Schaffer fit right in.

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"

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dirty dozens and where eagles dare are great films. maybe you're just a meany head.

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Want a better war movie? Watch "Patton", "The Bridge too Far", "Saving Private Ryan" or the German-Russian "Stalingrad". They show war is not some "game" to play around. The ones you mentioned are quite fantasy movies [I admit, though, "Dirty Dozen" do have some merits] where Allies are the "good guys" always "winning", and German Nazis the "bad guys" always "losing". I can include another really stupid one war movie, "Kelly Heroes". If WWII was that "easy" I am wondering why Allies took six years to defeat Hitler and his gang!


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patton and saving private ryan are realer than real movies. I think where eagles dare is meant to be more cinematic. there are realistic westerns like the searchers and then then there's more cinematic westerns like the good, the bad and the ugly. eagles is the type of movie where the hero's never gets shot and they take out an army of men along the way.

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Well, I thought also.

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lol well I like cinematic films is what I'm saying, I also like realer than real.

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I think the quote you refer to 'finest War Movies ever made' is certainly not correct, but in my opinion it is one of the finest action adventure movies ever made. I would not refer to WED as a war film it is an action adventure movie which is set in WWII. Of course it's not realistic to think that Smith & Shaffer could just parachute in to the alps & between the 2 of the destroy a whole battalion of Alpine troops. It's boys own escapism and i'm not ashamed to say I love it.

If the makers wanted to produce a genuine War movie then Smith & Shaffer would have been captured and tortured very slowly until they died, which would have been far less fun to watch and would have left the film with next to no commercial appeal. War is horrible and depressing and there are plenty of great real war movies which depict this. What WED does is take the audience on a thrilling adventure and i'm sorry you didn't enjoy it but I feel your criticism is misplaced.

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Not even responding to some of your problems with the movie but you obviously can't have been paying much attention to the end in the plane.
The reason there were tonnes of spies in the group is because the British (not american) officer that sends them on this mission knows that they are spies and deliberately put that group together with the intention that they will FAIL. He himself as stated is Germany's top spy in Whitehall and is in a position to put a group together that will not only fail but also bring the information that the captured General Barnaby does in fact have vital information about the upcoming second front.

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Would you like to purchase some exclamation points?

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No Nazi patrolling the snowy forest?


While this does seem a little odd, it is mentioned that there's "Not a German within five miles." So the lack of patrols in the forest is mentioned and dealt with by the script.

Mixing with regular German soldiers and civilians and not being discovered?


Done in dozens of other war movies. We hear English, but in-story they're speaking German. They're in uniform, of sufficient rank that most enlisted men aren't really going to challenge them, and speaking the language. And as Smith says: "Training troops come and go all the time. What are six new faces among six-hundred new faces?" So, brought up and dealt with by the script.

And anyway, they are arrested very quickly after arriving because the Germans knew they were coming. After escaping custody, they're wanted men on the run pretty much until they get up to the castle. So the amount of time they spend undetected in Werfen is pretty short.

Spies among the group [was British Intelligence that dope?]?


Are all your complaints going to be things the movie brings up and then answers? Not only was one of the men who arranged the mission a traitor himself, but Admiral Rolland knew (or thought) he was, and wanted the team to be full of traitors so he could make them show their hand and put them in a position where they'd write down the names of all their contacts.

It was also about confirming his suspicions about Colonel Turner. While in the dining room Smith writes Turner's name down and shows it to Kramer, who nods. This is enough for him to directly accuse Turner on the plane later.

Smith and Rolland set them up. Rescuing General Carnaby was just a smokescreen. It wasn't even the real Carnaby.

The American officer who sent them another spy?


Of course. How else was the team to be comprised of so many traitors?

And, American? In a British Army uniform and speaking with an English accent? When they make such a big deal about Schaffer being the only American involved? Uh-huh. Now I'm positive you didn't actually watch the movie.

Who wrote the script?


Alistair MacLean, the author of the book.

Nearly everything you complained about is covered sufficiently by the movie's story. The movie isn't stupid; you just didn't pay attention when the characters were talking.

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"

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you do know its fiction don't you? which then should give the viewing public a chance to to take a break from reality sit back and enjoy the ride..as I do with this film and also great escape and the guns of navarone

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Geez it's supposed to be escapist adventure set in WW2. It's not supposed to be authentic documentation. In Britain we refer to these kind of adventures as 'Boys Own'. "In British popular culture, improbable or daring endeavours are often described as "real Boy's Own stuff", in reference to the heroic content of the magazine's stories"

NOBODY is supposed to take it SERIOUSLY. It's fun escapist entertainment. No more than that.

Since when you can fly into Nazi Germany-Austria undetected?


Are you kidding me? British reconnaissance planes did it all the time taking photos all over the place. Spitfires even flew to Berlin and back taking photos. This plane was German with German camouflage and markings. Even easier.

No Nazi patrolling the snowy forest?


Why would Nazi soldiers be patrolling deep snowy mountain forests in a quiet part of Germany in the Alps?? THAT would be as much far fetched nonsense as anything in the film.

Mixing with regular German soldiers and civilians and not being discovered?




They are all fluent in German without giveaway accents.

Spies among the group [was British Intelligence that dope?]? The American officer who sent them another spy?


Escapist entertainment and not meant to be a real life documentation of WW2.

Two guys killing hundreds of Nazi Germans so "easily"


Escapist entertainment, not meant to be taken seriously. Boy's Own again.

Who wrote the script?


Alistair MacLean, based on his book.

If they are going to make a movie where the Nazi Germans are the "bad guys" make it more intelligently, even if bad.


The twist was actually quite intelligently done, if far fetched.

"Guns of Navarone" made more sense.


But that isn't even half as much fun and entertaining.

I call it STUPID in capital letters.


Good for you.

Want a better war movie? Watch "Patton",


Inaccurate cherry picking and agenda driven.

"The Bridge too Far",


Often dull, and again agenda driven and sometimes inaccurate.

"Saving Private Ryan"


Cliched rubbish apart from the first half hour, with pedestrian pacing and a weak un-interesting script that is downright cringeworthy in some places

or the German-Russian "Stalingrad".


Mostly dull and slow paced.

I can include another really stupid one war movie, "Kelly Heroes".


Great knockabout entertainment with a wonderful script and great characters. Bares repeat watching.

If WWII was that "easy" I am wondering why Allies took six years to defeat Hitler and his gang!


Nobody declares WW2 to be as easy as in Where Eagles Dare and Kelly's Heroes. Neither film declared their stories to be real and factual. It's a given they are fun escapist entertainment.

I have more problems with films pretending to be authentic when they clearly aren't. You mention Patton? Where in Patton do they mention his complete cock up taking the Lorraine and Metz and since when did Patton ever speak with a gruff forceful voice as perpetuated by George C Scott? I'll answer.....never.

As for Saving Private Ryan, the last 2 hours of the film is absolute nonsense.

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totally agree with everything you say buddylove..except private ryan..I am one of the few people never to see it

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