Before Cliffhanger (but well after German Mountain films) and Matt Damon as Jason Bourne there was Eastwood’s The Eiger Sanction. Newly upgraded to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber.
The Film
Much like Eastwood’s later Spy Thriller Firefox, The Eiger Sanction is front-loaded with lots of plot before you get to the actual good stuff. The good stuff is the Mountain Climbing.
Professor Hemlock (Eastwood) is your average Art Professor. By Day he wows his college classes with his artfully dissection of art. By night marvels over his Black-Market collection of rare Paints and Sculptures. He financed his luxurious ill-gotten art by being a former government assassin. So, we know it’s only a matter of time before Hemlock is pushed back into duty. Which he is. Two Targets. One is easily done. Another that he’ll have to Sanction (a term for kill) atop the Swiss Eiger Mountain.
The Eiger Sanction spends the first 95 minutes of its 129-minute run time finally getting us to the mountain climbing. Eastwood slowly rolls this one, filling the narrative with leisurely walks, bedding all the women in the film, and training montages. Slow roll may not be accurate. The Eiger Sanction feels like spinning wheels until the actual reason we’re here: Climbing the Damn Mountain.
Though, it should be noted that it’s a fascinating lead-up to the actual climb. Enlightening as Eastwood fashions himself as some sort of James Bondian-type figure that’s both anti-authoritarian and pro-government. The first two-thirds are filled with scenes of Hemlock/Eastwood wooing and bedding women. If not bedding women or training in Zion’s National Park for his climb, he’s being slightly racist, homophobic, or just generally a malcontent.
By the time the protracted third act does occur, we are definitely not on board with Hemlock but are watching for the sheer spectacle. This is where Eastwood and Company deliver a truly harrowing experience. The climb looks every bit death-defying as one would expect when filmed in the Swiss Alps. The stunt crew should be commended for this truly amazing footage. The scenes of daring climbs look dangerous because they were. Unfortunately, one stunt climber actually lost his life during filming.
The ending is a confused bit of narrative hullabaloo with a character coming forward as the assassin but the realization that Hemlock’s mission was all for naught. If one looks too closely at the end of The Eiger Sanction, frustrations abound as if everything was for nothing. If one squints the patented Eastwood squint they will be able to overlook some truly baffling storytelling decisions in the first two thirds to find a truly well-executed adventure in the last third.
The Transfer
Note: that the new transfer is only on the 4K UHD disc.
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is another winner. The film looked good on Blu-ray when Kino Released it back in 2020. On 4K UHD, The Eiger Sanction looks every bit of the big-budget blockbuster shot on 35mm it is. The image is free of any digital artificing or crushed blacks. There is none of the dreaded DNR or other tricks to clean the image or color grading to take it away from the original 35mm presentation. The grain structure, contrast, and color reproduction all mimic the look of Cinematographer Bruce Surtees’s accomplished work as projected on 35mm. The transfer is also free of any scratches or dirt. One just needs to look at the expansive vista shots throughout the film or the tightly constructed action scenes to see the upgrade to the picture. The Eiger Sanction in this UHD iteration is reference quality, a true upgrade in every respect.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW Audio Commentary for by Author and Film Historian Justin Humphreys
- Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton
- Freytag’s Accent: Interview with Actor Reiner Schöne
- Archival Interview with Actress/Singer Heidi Brühl by Pepe Ludmir
- Vintage 8-Minute Promotional Reel
- Poster and Image Gallery
- 5 Radio Spots
- 4 TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
Note: The Humphreys Commentary track only appears on the 4K UHD disc. The Pinkerton commentary tracks appear on both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs.
The all-new Audio Commentary by Author and Film Historian Justin Humphreys opens with where Star/Producer/Director Clint Eastwood was in his career when he made The Eiger Sanction – which leads to the previous three films he directed Play Misty For Me, Breezey, High Plains Drifter and this. Some of the details include Universal purchasing the film for Paul Newman to star and Richard Zanuck to produce – the reasons why Newman had passed on the film; the novelist Trevanian (aka Rodney William Whitaker) – the book itself, the book’s success, the work of Whitaker – including his working on Film Critical studies, his thoughts on the adaptation itself; the work of John Williams – and where it lands before Jaws is released, and the work he had done before; the influence here and throughout Eastwood’s directing career of Don Siegel; the film’s semi-failure – at least not what they were expecting; a discussion of Universal in the 1970s and their film unit vs the work they were doing with TV; a larger discussion of the Eiger and the various locations they used in the Swiss Alps and how they used them; a discussion of Mountain films and how they were not popular in America – a larger discussion of the Berg films of Germany of the 1920s; a larger discussion of the strengths and the weaknesses of the plot; a discussion and account of the death of mountain climber/stuntman David Knoll on the film; a larger discussion on the focus of the action, mountain climbing – how Eastwood did most of it himself, how he chose to film it and how it was accomplished, Eastwood’s training, the stunt work, and much more anecdotes about the action/mountain climbing; a larger discussion of how political incorrectness that is rampant throughout the film and a larger discussion of the 1970s as a whole – which include the treatment of LBGTQ, political leanings, treatment of women, et. al.; a discussion of the Eastwood stock company that appears here; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film and their work outside of The Eiger Sanction; and much more.
The archival audio commentary from the original KL Blu-ray release by Pinkerton does a great job of giving us production and critique of the film. The film critic dissects what Eastwood and screenwriters brought to the adaptation and what was left out of the Best-Selling Novel, the novelist Trevanian (aka Rodney William Whitaker) and his writing, wither or not the material was satire, Eastwood’s approach to film, his politics that come into the film (and specifically this film), his persona throughout his career, how the production came together and the details of Eastwood’s Universal years and how they transitioned into his Warner Brothers years (which is where he’s been for the last forty-five plus years), George Kennedy and his late age career bloom, the other actors that worked on the film, John Williams score and what Eastwood thought of working with the Composer, the shoot moving from Northern California, Monument Valley, Zions National Park, Zurich, tragedy during the production, one of the most wildest facts being an actress that’s apart of Eurovision, snippets of the American Cinematographer article on the production, and much more. Pinkerton’s commentary is very informative and highly entertaining as the man does give us context to what he feels Eastwood’s approach is (a satire).
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
Frytag’s Ascent – An Interview with Actor Reiner Schöne (13:15) – a new interview with the actor who plays Frytag one of the mountain climbers in the last third of the film. Beginning with part of the audition being that he had to perform like a professional mountain climber the actor’s discussion of the production is great. Tidbits include the production searching for specialized shoes for him (he wears a size 15), Eastwood’s directorial style, nicknames during the production, just how difficult the production was, the fatal accident that occurred on set, and more.
Archival Interview with Actress Heidi Brühl (9:29) – This archival interview from the time of production was performed by Pepe Ludmir (who hosted Charles del Cine, which this interview appears to be from). The German actress discusses her role in The Eiger Sanction, some of her personal life, and where she got her start. The interview is in Spanish/English/Italian with Subtitles.
Vintage 8-Minute Promotional Reel (8:19) – is an EPK making-of featurette. The piece put together during the time of release is a great old-fashioned look at the film itself. Intercutting film footage is a slick and polished old-school promo/extended trailer. Though there is a sheen of cheese to the whole proceedings with an omnipresent voiceover. This reviewer’s favorite voice-over line is [Of Eastwood’s character] “Glamourous women move in and out of his orbit… he loves them frequently and well”.
Poster and Image Gallery (3:15) – 43 posters (some truly beautiful foreign poster art), lobby cards, and production stills run automatically as John Williams score plays over.
The Eiger Sanction Radio Spots (2:45) – 5 Radio Spots play over a Production still from the film.
The Eiger Sanction TV Spots (2:16) – 4 TV Spots. Anyone who loves vintage trailers is going to love these overheated TV Ads.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Eiger Sanction (2:45); Coogan’s Bluff (2:12); Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (2:10)
The Final Thought
The Eiger Sanction’s 4K UHD upgrade from KL Studio Classics is filled to the mountain top with extra features. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS for the Eastwood fans!