From Captain America: The First Avenger to Dunkirk and from Fury to The Imitation Game, war films come in different shapes and forms. Some attempt to show the real events, while others offer a fictionalized version that’s mainly aimed to serve as a form of escapism. Where Eagles Dare tends to lean towards the latter a lot.
The British-American 1968 war film was helmed by Brian G. Hutton and starred stalwarts like Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton, and Mary Ure. It followed a British-American team of Special Operations paratroopers being tasked with raiding a castle. The classic film grossed $21 million at the box office back then and had a budget between $6 million to $7 million.
It has been more than 50 years since the movie premiered. Over time, it became a cult classic with impeccable re-watch value, especially during Christmas. Famed directors like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg have also sung its praises. In fact, reportedly, the film served as an inspiration for the 2009 film- Inglourious Basterds.
But, still, a question pops up in one’s mind- where are the cast now? Clint Eastwood is still making films at 93 years of age. But other leading cast members have sadly passed away. Richard Burton breathed his last in 1984, while Mary Ure died of an overdose in 1975. Patrick Wymark bid goodbye to the world in 1970, while Ingrid Pitt died in 2010.
Richard Burton as Major John Smith
Led by Richard Burton, Where Eagles Dare is a formidable film. His character, Major Smith, fronts the German Alps castle raid mission to rescue an American General kidnapped there. But the film has an interesting twist at the end that reveals the actual mission of Smith was to expose all the MI6 traitors. The castle raid is mostly a ruse.
In his generation, Burton was regarded as an acclaimed performer and star. Half a century later, he is probably more known for his collaborations with Elizabeth Taylor, his wife, for films like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Apparently, Burton did the war film because Taylor’s kids wanted him to star in an action film. Overall he starred in at least 38 films, including 1963’s Cleopatra. Burton breathed his last in 1984 when a cerebral hemorrhage claimed his life.
Clint Eastwood as Lieutenant Morris Schaffer
Clint Eastwood needs no introduction. In Where Eagles Dare, he played Lieutenant Morris Schaffer, an Army Ranger who gets loaned to the British for a mission. If Burton’s Smith is the brain of the operation, Eastwood’s Schaffer is the brawn of it. The film has a special place in his filmography because it features the highest on-screen kills by the star.
Eastwood is mostly popular for his westerns, and apparently, he wasn’t too interested in Alistair MacLean’s screenplay when he first read it. But his agent encouraged him to star in it as it would do his career good to star alongside a seasoned actor like Richard Burton. However, Eastwood still requested that much of his character’s dialogues be shaved off. So a lot of Schaffer’s lines went to Smith.
Today, Clint Eastwood is 93 years old and has starred in around 82 films. He has won two Oscars for the Best Director category. After 2008’s Gran Turismo, he generally prefers directing rather than acting. Reportedly, he is looking to direct the final film of his career soon.
Mary Ure as Mary Ellison
Mary Ure’s Mary Ellison had quite a meaty role in Where Eagles Dare. She played the love interest of Richard Burton’s Major John Smith, who secretly helps him in the mission. In the climactic ending, she helps Schaffer and Smith destroy the castle. Ellison is best known for Sons and Lovers (1960), for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
She was a Scottish- British stage performer who died in 1975. Reportedly, she was found dead within hours of starring in the opening night of an adaptation of The Exorcism on stage in London. Ure was only 42 then. It was later discovered that she had died from an accidental overdose of barbiturates and alcohol.
Ingrid Pitt as Heidi
Ingrid Pitt played Heidi, a contact of Smith in Where Eagles Dare. In the film, she’s a barmaid who helps the secret mission. Back in the day, she was known for starring in horror films like The Vampire Lovers, The Wicker Man, and Countess Dracula. In fact, she was known as the Vampire Queen of the 70s.
Reportedly, she had trouble working on Where Eagles Dare because multiple characters were dressed in full Nazi uniforms. It was because she had spent three years captured as a child in one of the concentration camps. She died in 2010 due to congestive heart failure only two days after her 73rd birthday.
Patrick Wymark as Colonel Turner
In Where Eagles Dare, Patrick Wymark played Colonel Turner, an MI6 officer who puts the team on a mission. In the film, it’s later revealed that he was a German agent.
The whole operation by Burton’s Smith was undertaken to find out what his actual agenda was. Wymark was known for films like Witchfinder and Repulsion. He passed away in 1970 due to a heart attack.
Where Eagles Dare is available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
So what are your thoughts on the film half a century after it was released? Does it hold up even now, or would you like to change something?
Let us know in the comments below.
