Fans of Where Eagles Dare and Bond should certainly check out the 1963 episode of The Saint called The Sporting Chance. It features Darren Nesbitt who is most famous for playing the SS Officer in Eagles. He is seriously so great! It was such a treat to see him in another role. I am surprised he was not a bigger star because he has so much charisma and charm as a villain.
Before I ever saw Where Eagles Dare I knew Derren Nesbitt from his role as Fabian in the WWI dogfighting drama The Blue Max. He plays a thoroughly likeable German fighter pilot in that film, who sadly snuffs it early on in the film. I saw Where Eagles Dare several times before realising that it was the same actor playing the SS fiend Von Hapen.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,746Chief of Staff
All of which are currently being repeated on the Yesterday channel...and bloody good they are too -{
YNWA 97
Thunderbird 2East of Cardiff, Wales.Posts: 2,816MI6 Agent
Where Eagles Dare is a great film... but it goes on for a year and a day! They don't make them like that anymore. Pity.
Derren Nesbit has a sad distinction, he is the last surviving No 2 from The Prisoner.
A great performance, he played one of the more machiavellian leaders in 'The Village!'
This is Thunderbird 2, how can I be of assistance?
Fans of Where Eagles Dare and Bond should certainly check out the 1963 episode of The Saint called The Sporting Chance. It features Darren Nesbitt who is most famous for playing the SS Officer in Eagles. He is seriously so great! It was such a treat to see him in another role. I am surprised he was not a bigger star because he has so much charisma and charm as a villain.
Before I ever saw Where Eagles Dare I knew Derren Nesbitt from his role as Fabian in the WWI dogfighting drama The Blue Max. He plays a thoroughly likeable German fighter pilot in that film, who sadly snuffs it early on in the film. I saw Where Eagles Dare several times before realising that it was the same actor playing the SS fiend Von Hapen.
In the 70s a film called Spy Story was released, featuring Derren Nesbitt as Colonel Stok:
I'm not knocking his acting, which was fine (and in a film with many problems- the budget was about £3.47- he wasn't one of them) but he was at least 30 years too young for the part: Colonel Stok is an old man- Homolka was 70'ish while Nesbitt was about 40. For anyone who's read the books (guilty as charged, and I'd ask for several similar offences to be taken into consideration) Oscar Homolka simply IS Colonel Stok- the 60s Harry Palmer movies were exceptionally well cast, from Caine downwards- and any actor would suffer in comparison.
By the way, as far as I'm aware this film has never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray (please, please advise if I'm wrong) and can't be viewed online. I think I may be one of the very few people who watched it in the cinema back in 1976.
PS- again as far as I know, this may be the only film that's been released without a screenwriter credit. It's possible that there wasn't a screenwriter and they simply filmed the book as written. This may be because of the low budget. I'd be happy to be corrected on this point.
I agree there is no replacing Oscar Homolka as Colonel Stok. I was unaware of the adaptation of Spy Story, and that Stok had been played by Derren Nesbitt. I've read a few Len Deighton novels, but Spy Story is not one of them.
Well here's a mad fact.. the blonde other than Ingrid Pitt - Mary Ure - played opposite Richard Burton earlier in the gritty down to earth film adaptation of the play Look Back in Anger, 1959.
Reference the Spy Story film - did this get a national release Barbel? I do not remember it at all and I used to see most movies released at the cinema in those days and living in London virtually every movie was shown somewhere or other - I imagine it played at a fringe cinema and I missed it - I do not remember reading any reviews of it either but then again my memory is probably playing tricks on me again )
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Reference the Spy Story film - did this get a national release Barbel? I do not remember it at all and I used to see most movies released at the cinema in those days and living in London virtually every movie was shown somewhere or other - I imagine it played at a fringe cinema and I missed it - I do not remember reading any reviews of it either but then again my memory is probably playing tricks on me again )
The only help I can give is that I saw it in a local cinema which was quite far down the cinema pecking order so unlikely to have a film until the bigger cinemas had shown it first. I do remember reading about it in at least one film mag at the time, probably Film Review.
I used to love these old war films and re enacted most of them with my team of Action Men in the garden. Reality is they were mainly 60’s escapism films (something in common with Bond) and you can throw the in The Great Escape, Battle of the Bulge and Battle of Britain etc as well. They were generally shown over Christmas in the UK and I fondly remember wastching Where Eagles Dare with all that snow and we had snow in the UK as well with the log fires burning at my grandparents place (was almost like actually being there) - good times.
All classics of their day, though had to laugh my grandad would always get this film confused with The Eagle Has Landed bless him!
Cheers
My name is Bond, Basildon Bond - I have letters after my name!
Back in the '70s, as a reader of Dennis Wheatley's Gregory Sallust novels, I was struck by the similarity of Richard Burton's character in WED to Sallust, who spent a great deal of the wartime years infiltrating the Nazi High Command in officer's uniform - and even managed to inveigle his way into Hitler's bunker.
WED is also a fine showcase for that doyen of screen Nazis, Anton Diffring. Particularly enjoyable is the battle-of-the-accents scene in which he argues with Derren Nesbitt's SS Major. Apparently he commended Nesbitt on sounding "more German than I do", or some such.
I recorded 'Escape From Athena' yesterday. I have not watched it all yet so do not know what happens, but from the 30 minutes I hace seen I think it will be an enjoyable comedy action romp! Roger Moore as a German officer - the man from Callan (I forget his character name) as the SS officer and David Niven (James Bond!) as a British officer.
) I too have ordered the Blu-ray , and by coincidence it
Arrives on Thursday the second anniversary of the passing
Of the late, great Roger Moore.
It's an easy going romp of a film. With a fantastic cast, {[]
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
My blu-ray of Escape to athena arrived early. Will watch it
Tonight with the commentary from Sir Roger etc {[]
Love it )
What do you reckon is old rogs best commentary from the bond films?
BIG TAMWrexham, North Wales, UK.Posts: 773MI6 Agent
I love all those '60s & '70s war adventures. WHERE EAGLES DARE is a film I watch every Christmas & never get bored of. Burton & Eastwood make a surprisingly good double-act. Originally Eastwood had more dialogue. He told them to cut it. To paraphrase: "Let Burton do the speaking, I'll handle the shooting." It works like a dream. Another Alistair MacLean war adventure I love which doesn't get much positive feedback is FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE. A tremendous adventure, unjustly compared to its predecessor, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE. Plenty of Bond alumni in it too! Another '60s adventure to recommend: OPERATION CROSSBOW. An all-star caper with George Peppard leading a mission to scupper Germany's V2 rocket plan.
Comments
Before I ever saw Where Eagles Dare I knew Derren Nesbitt from his role as Fabian in the WWI dogfighting drama The Blue Max. He plays a thoroughly likeable German fighter pilot in that film, who sadly snuffs it early on in the film. I saw Where Eagles Dare several times before realising that it was the same actor playing the SS fiend Von Hapen.
All of which are currently being repeated on the Yesterday channel...and bloody good they are too -{
Derren Nesbit has a sad distinction, he is the last surviving No 2 from The Prisoner.
A great performance, he played one of the more machiavellian leaders in 'The Village!'
Agreed 100%, loved those.
Bear with me...
If anyone has seen the Harry Palmer films Funeral In Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain (check out my thread https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/46150/the-60s-bond-rivals-2-harry-palmer/ for more info) then they will be familiar with the character of Colonel Stok as played by Oscar Homolka:
In the 70s a film called Spy Story was released, featuring Derren Nesbitt as Colonel Stok:
I'm not knocking his acting, which was fine (and in a film with many problems- the budget was about £3.47- he wasn't one of them) but he was at least 30 years too young for the part: Colonel Stok is an old man- Homolka was 70'ish while Nesbitt was about 40. For anyone who's read the books (guilty as charged, and I'd ask for several similar offences to be taken into consideration) Oscar Homolka simply IS Colonel Stok- the 60s Harry Palmer movies were exceptionally well cast, from Caine downwards- and any actor would suffer in comparison.
By the way, as far as I'm aware this film has never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray (please, please advise if I'm wrong) and can't be viewed online. I think I may be one of the very few people who watched it in the cinema back in 1976.
PS- again as far as I know, this may be the only film that's been released without a screenwriter credit. It's possible that there wasn't a screenwriter and they simply filmed the book as written. This may be because of the low budget. I'd be happy to be corrected on this point.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The only help I can give is that I saw it in a local cinema which was quite far down the cinema pecking order so unlikely to have a film until the bigger cinemas had shown it first. I do remember reading about it in at least one film mag at the time, probably Film Review.
Same here. And I still read Commando comics.
All classics of their day, though had to laugh my grandad would always get this film confused with The Eagle Has Landed bless him!
Cheers
WED is also a fine showcase for that doyen of screen Nazis, Anton Diffring. Particularly enjoyable is the battle-of-the-accents scene in which he argues with Derren Nesbitt's SS Major. Apparently he commended Nesbitt on sounding "more German than I do", or some such.
Arrives on Thursday the second anniversary of the passing
Of the late, great Roger Moore.
It's an easy going romp of a film. With a fantastic cast, {[]
Ii thought I saw Rebecca's Mrs Danvers as a Nazi secretary, but can't find her in the cast.
Do you all know of this book? Broadsword Calling Danny Boy
Or has all this been mentioned? Just dipping in to this thread.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Its scored by lalo schfrin who is known for the mission impossible theme, dirty harry & rush hour to name a few.
Great composer in my opinion would have been interesting to see him score a bond film in his day.
Tonight with the commentary from Sir Roger etc {[]
Love it
What do you reckon is old rogs best commentary from the bond films?