The
1968 WWII film Where Eagles Dare is the model of a no-nonsense
military
adventure, with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood leading an Allied
rescue mission into an impregnable German fortress high atop a
mountain. Scripted by Alistair MacLean (The Guns of Navarone,
Ice Station Zebra), who provides gripping plot twists, the film
has become a virtual institution in Britain, beloved for its straight-faced
depiction of machine-gun-wielding good guys blowing up everything
in sight.
Composer Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) was an equally beloved British
composer
who contributed a number of popular scores, such as Of Human Bondage
(1964), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965),
and four Miss Marple films. But Goodwin was best-known for his
war efforts, such as 633 Squadron (1963) and Battle of Britain
(1969), of which Where Eagles Dare was unusual in that it eschewed
major-key pomp in favor of gritty, minor-mode determination. The
title music embodies the single-minded
ambition of the protagonists to infiltrate the mountain fortress
and complete their mission, and becomes the basis for the entire
score, which is full of hard-nosed suspense and pounding symphonic
action.
This release also features another of Goodwin's WWII scores, for
Operation
Crossbow, the 1965 procedural adventure about German efforts to
develop long-range rocket weapons, and the Allied mission to counter
them. George Peppard stars as an American agent going undercover,
with Sophia Loren top-billed in a brief appearance as a beleaguered
widow, and a large multinational cast (including Richard Johnson,
Patrick Wymark, John Mills, Trevor Howard, Barbara Rueting, Paul
Henreid, Jeremy Kemp and Tom Courtenay) speaking their native
languages with subtitles -- rare for the period.
Goodwin's score to Operation Crossbow features a main theme more
in line with his work on the genre -- evoking optimistic British
patriotism -- with churning, dynamic music for the German war
efforts, and flavorful suspense for the unfolding mission. The
lengthy interlude with Loren features sympathetic, melodic music
for the woman's allure -- rare, romantic work for the genre, and
a highlight of the release. The complete underscore to Where Eagles
Dare comprises disc one of this release -- the first-ever release
of the film soundtrack, as the LP was a re-recording. This has
been newly mixed and mastered from 1/2" three-track tapes
in the Turner archives. The score to Operation Crossbow can be
found on disc two (complete except for one short cue); this part
of the album has been mastered from 1/4" two-track tapes
possessed by the composer, as studio masters no longer exist.
Complete source music from Where Eagles Dare -- plus earlier,
alternate versions of the Eagles cable car cues -- rounds out
disc two. The entire release is in stereo.
DISC ONE:
Where Eagles Dare
1. Main Title
2. Before Jump/Death of Harrod
3. Mary and Smith Meet/Sting on Castle/Parade Ground
4. Preparation in Luggage Office/
Fight in Car
5. The Booby Trap
6. Ascent on the Cable Car
7. Death of Radio Engineer
and Helicopter Pilot
8. Checking on Smith/Names in Notebook
9. Smith Triumphs Over Nazis
10. Intermission Playout
11. Entr'Acte
12. Encounter in the Castle
13. Journey Through the Castle, Part 1
14. Journey Through the Castle, Part 2
15. Descent and Fight on the Cable Car
16. Escape From the Cable Car
17. Chase, Part 1 and 2
18. The Chase to the Airfield
19. The Real Traitor
20. End Playout
Total Disc Time: 74:07
DISC TWO:
Operation Crossbow
1. Main Title
2. Flying Bomb
3. Funeral/Spitfire/Photograph
4. Peenemunde
5. Reitsch's Flight
6. Parachute Training
7. Up the Rhine/Air Raid
8. Nora/Frieda
9. Erik/Promises
10. Confession/Execution
11. Farewell/Nora's Death
12. Secret Base
13. Research/Rocket Launch
14. The V-2
15. Launching Section
16. Power House/One Minute
17. Countdown/Switch R-9
18. End Title
Where Eagles Dare
Source Music
19. Waltz
20. Polka
21. Accordion Band
22. More Accordion
23. March
24. Tango
25. Beguine
26. Slow Waltz
27. Fox Trot
28. Polka
Alternate
Score
29. Ascent on the Cable Car
(original version)
30. Descent and Fight on the Cable Car
(original
version)
Total Disc Time: 78:37
