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Where Eagles Dare on DVD Alistair MacLean’s action yarn is a gripping adventure in his grand tradition, though not without its warts. Richard Burton stars as the leader of a British commando raid deep behind enemy lines in World War II. Their mission is to sneak into an isolated and nearly impregnable castle where an American general with sensitive information is being held, rescue the guy, and get back out again. Naturally, all doesn’t go as planned - and not all is how it’s presented. Clint Eastwood co-stars as an American Ranger who finds himself along for the ride, but who doesn’t really know why. It’s classic “strong and silent” Eastwood, from the days shortly after his leap to stardom in the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. They parachute into wintery Germany, a gorgeous mountain area that were it not for the war would probably be a really neat place to hang out. They’re disguised as German soldiers, the better to sneak into the castle, but of course, as mentioned, all doesn’t go as planned or we wouldn’t’ have much of a movie. There are some great stunts, particularly those involving a gondola used to get people to and from the castle, and plenty of action scenes. And lots of violence, though for the most part it’s the kind of comic book stuff you’d expect to see in a Star Wars or Indiana Jones movie: the good guys rarely miss, their guns never run out of ammo (which is awfully convenient), while the bad guys couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn door unless the dramatic action calls for a cast member to take a bullet. Still, it’s a neat story, with plenty of twists and turns and enough action to keep fans of such very happy. Warner Brothers has released Where Eagles Dare as part of their Clint Eastwood collection, which is fine - but it should really be part of a Richard Burton collection, if there were such a thing, because while Eastwood shares top billing, it’s really Burton’s movie. And, as usual, he turns in a fine performance. Eastwood and the rest of the cast are fine; it’s really the adventure that’s the star here. The DVD’s very good. Warners has given the film a nrformance. Eastwood and the rest of the cast are fine; it’s really the adventure that’s the star here. The DVD’s very good. Warners has given the film a new digital transfer and the anamorphic widescreen picture (16x9 TV compatible), is very good. The image is sharp and clean, with very good color. Unfortunately, most of the exterior shots are at night, so you’ll want to keep the room lighting under control lest you miss something. Audio has been reworked into Dolby Digital 5.1 and though there’s little surround they’ve actually done a pretty good job of the audio and make good use of the front three channels. Digital it ain’t, which you’ll notice when all the explosions don’t make the same use of your subwoofer as some of today’s more dynamic soundtracks, but what can you do? Extras include a “Making of” featurette which is pretty interesting in a promotional kind of way, and the theatrical trailer. You also get a listing of Eastwood films. Where Eagles Dare, from Warner Home Video 
White Hunter, Black Heart on DVD Eastwood does his best John Huston impression - and it’s pretty good - in this fictionalized account of the late director’s adventures getting “The African Queen” onto the silver screen in the early 1950’s. Eastwood plays John Wilson, larger than life director and adventurer, who’s bound and determined to hunt himself an elephant while in Africa to shoot his next epic. It appears that while he’s there to shoot the movie, he’s really there to hunt - and get someone else to pay for the adventure. Eastwood puts on a Huston drawl that can be a tad distracting, but which in fact helps us try to forget that it’s Eastwood and pretend it’s Huston/Wilson. The drawl helps Eastwood become larger than life, and in the end it works because we do tend to see him as Wilson and not Eastwood. Perhaps a DeNiro could have turned in a more nuanced performance, but one can’t fault Eastwood - a legend in his own right - and his performance does convince. We also get to see some terrific locations, beautifully captured on film, and some outrageous situations that have become the stuff of Huston legend - for instance his picking of fights. Wilson’s a boozer and a brawler - but also a man of intense magnetism and charm. The last scene of the movie, where Eastwood/Wilson/Huston is sitting in his director’s chair ready to shoot the first scene of African Queen, is simply marvelous. We had expected to see more of the filming recounted, but discovered as the movie unfolded that The African Queen (also fictionalized here) is merely the backdrop to Huston/Wilson’s personal story and adventure. And in the end, we’re satisfied with that because the movie works. We also get a fascinating look at Huston/Wilson, the man, and the conflicting sides of his personality that forces him to balance his desires to be both a man living life to the utmost and the artist who crafts classic motion pictures. So we see him forced to dance a fine line between catering to studio executives who want control and his desire for personal and artistic freedom. His battles with the studio “suits” are quite n way, but they do manage some bonding - and some adventuring. In a great scene, a blonde socialite makes some anti-Semitic remarks, unaware that Pete is Jewish - and Huston leaps to his screenwriter’s defence, telling the woman a long and rambling story about another blonde socialite he knew. This recounting doesn’t’ do the scene justice - nor another one later in the film when he’s faced with racial prejudice and stands up against it and general hypocrisy. In the end, White Hunter Black Heart is a fascinating character study, a wonderful drama, and another producing/directing/starring tour de force for Mr. Eastwood. The DVD is presented in anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, with an all-new digital transfer, and the picture quality is very good. Colors are bright, images are sharp, and this helps the locations look positively glorious. Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and it’s fine. There isn’t a lot of surround use and the movie won’t give your audio system the best workout, but it’s okay. Extras include the trailer and a listing of Eastwood’s films. White Hunter, Black Heart, from Warner Home Video
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