Kelly’s Heroes/Where Eagles Dare (Blu-ray Double Feature)
Directed by Brian G. Hutton
Studio: Warner Bros.
Year: 1969-1970
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 1080p VC-1 codec
Running Time: 143/155 minutes
Rating: GP/PG
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 1.0 French, 2.0 Spanish, others
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish, French, others
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 24.99
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Review Date: May 25, 2010
The Films
Overview
By the late 1960s, Clint Eastwood was beginning a long string of appearances in the list of top ten box-office stars. The two films contained in this double feature Blu-ray package both contributed to his placements among the box-office elite during the years of their release. While neither can be said to be truly superlative in terms of plot or direction, Eastwood’s participation in these period war flicks afforded him ample opportunity to solidify his “king of cool” demeanor which had proven such a hit in his previous work, particularly his series of Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns.
Kelly's Heroes – 3/5
Tipped off by a drunken captured German officer that a fortune in gold bars is sitting in a bank in German-occupied France some thirty miles behind enemy lines, recently demoted Private Kelly (Clint Eastwood) takes advantage of his captain’s (Hal Buckley) absence and rounds up a motley crew of fellow grunts (among them, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Gavin MacLeod, Stuart Margolin, and Harry Dean Stanton) who want a share of the $16 million in gold. The trek is a hazardous one which takes the intrepid team through hostile territory facing squads of well armed German soldiers, treacherous mine fields, and associates who don’t seem to have all of their marbles. There’s also a fame-hungry general (Carroll O'Connor) who overhears the team’s reconnaissance efforts over the radio and wants in on the action, oblivious to the real purpose for the mission.
After the tremendous successes of the comedy-drama World War II caper films The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen, it’s no surprise that more war adventures in a similar vein would be forthcoming. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Troy Kennedy Martin’s screenplay that a little judicious cutting wouldn’t have solved. The film is entirely too long to support its story, and the exposition and long middle section could easily have been trimmed to make for a tighter epic. Added to this is the rather languid direction by Brian G. Hutton, and it’s little wonder the film runs on for almost two-and-a-half hours. Eastwood doesn’t break a sweat in his instigator role, but Telly Savalas goes all in as the master sergeant in charge, barking orders and insulting anyone who crosses his path. Don Rickles gets some moments to show his sarcastic and sentimental stuff, but Donald Sutherland’s anachronistic 1970s era-hipster seems about twenty-five years out of place, his spaced-out demeanor and laid back dialogue much more fitting for a Vietnam War film than this one. The subplot with Carroll O’Connor’s blowhard general could also have been extracted with little harm to the story. Hutton also allows a rather cheap and lazy tip-of-the-hat to Eastwood’s Leone pictures in a tongue-in-cheek encounter with a German tank and its operator. Yes, those films are still so renowned today that the moment gives the audience a nod of recognition, but such an allusion to his then recent past glories only makes us realize this film’s shortcomings in retrospect.
Where Eagles Dare – 4/5
A troupe of six MI-6 agents headed by Major Jonathan Smith (Richard Burton) along with an American army ranger (Clint Eastwood) are tasked with rescuing a captured general (Robert Beatty) who’s being held by the Germans in a near-impregnable castle in the Austrian Alps during World War II. Upon parachuting into the mountains, one of the spies is found dead leading Smith to suspect that there’s a traitor in their midst. What’s more, as the plot thickens, it becomes clear that the mission itself is more complicated than it first appeared and that quite a few people are not who they first seem to be. Getting in and out of this Alpine fortress will not be easy especially since there is so much untrustworthiness all around.
Alistair MacLean based his screenplay on his novel of the same name, and he’s piled on the twists and surprises in abundance. In addition, the film is also a standard action thriller still molded along the lines of a typical rescue and escape scenario. There are more explosions than one could care to count (even a backpack and a bulky suitcase filled with dynamite don’t seem enough for all of the charges that are exploded during this over two-and-a-half hour film), but director Brian G. Hutton keeps things moving along and even stages two really gripping sequences: a problem on a snowy rooftop and the very lengthy climactic escape which runs for more than half an hour but doesn’t let up for a moment. He’s successfully turned Richard Burton into an action star in the film, and Clint Eastwood lends sturdy support. Also memorable during the lengthy picture are Mary Ure and Ingrid Pitt as female double agents and Patrick Wymark as the colonel holding down the fort back home.
Video Quality
Kelly's Heroes – 4/5
The film’s 2.40:1 Panavision theatrical aspect ratio is presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec. There are some occasional issues with inadequate sharpness which may have been the fault with the original photography, but the inconsistency is still glaring. Saturation levels are very deep, but as is often typical with Metrocolor, skin hues can sometimes be overly bright and ruddy. Black levels are impressively deep making for some often striking images. The film has been divided into 37 chapters.
Where Eagles Dare – 4/5
The film’s 2.40:1 Panavision aspect ratio is faithfully delivered in a 1080p transfer using the VC-1 codec. The transfer has been printed fairly dark so color doesn’t really have a chance to pop (except for the near-blooming Metrocolor reds of the main titles). Flesh tones as in the previous film have a rather ruddy appearance, but sharpness is excellent and detail is solid throughout. Black levels are good without being great, but shadow detail can be impressive on occasion. The film has been divided into 42 chapters.
Audio Quality
Kelly's Heroes – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix can’t disguise the fact that this is not a modern surround audio track. There is occasional bleed into the rears with the music (especially vocals on the soundtrack), but most of the sound activity is generated across the front channels. The LFE channel gets to support some of the artillery that makes up a great part of the sound effects in the audio mix, but you’ll listen in vain for any panning or split surrounds across or through the soundstage. Dialogue has been well recorded and is always discernible.
Where Eagles Dare – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix, as with the previous film, stays mostly anchored in the front channels with good spread across them, but almost nothing is sent in the way of sound to the rears. An occasional music cue and one instance of a wind gust do generate some rear channel activity, but at other times during the film, those same cues find the rears notably silent. With all of the explosions and gunfire, one would expect more from the LFE channel, but it gets only sporadic use.
Special Features
Kelly's Heroes – 1/5
The film’s theatrical trailer is presented in a cropped 480i version and runs 2 ¾ minutes.
Where Eagles Dare – 1.5/5
“On Location: Where Eagles Dare” is a vintage featurette produced to publicize the upcoming film featuring very brief sound bites from Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton, Mary Ure, and Ingrid Pitt, and the narrator discusses for the most part the difficult location shoot in the Austrian Alps. The 480i featurette runs 12 ½ minutes.
The film’s theatrical trailer is presented in 480i and runs 2 ¼ minutes.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
These two vintage Clint Eastwood thrillers both set during World War II may not have stretched Eastwood’s talents to the max, but the films themselves are entertaining popcorn pictures that are well worth seeing. Despite only minor bonus features, the Blu-ray double feature release of Kelly’s Heroes/Where Eagles Dare is a bargain and comes with a hearty recommendation.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
