|
|
|
|
When it comes to War Movies, it has to be said that in general I’m not a fan. While of
course I enjoy the obvious Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter or Full Metal Jacket -
Vietnam set movies, despite being heavily interested in 1930’s and 40’s culture, WWII set
movies have never held that much appeal for me.
So while never being that enthralled with The Great Escape, The Dam Busters or Ice Cold
in Alex style films, it’s much to my shame that aside from the obvious Inglorious Bastards, I’
ve pretty much over looked the “Macoroni Combat” sub-genre - a phrase coined by the
Japanese to describe Italian WWII movies of the 1960’s and 70’s.
Nine years before Inglorious Bastards hit cinema screens, director Enzo Castellari unleashed
Eagles Over London (aka Battle Squadron, Battle Command or La battaglia d’
Inghilterra), a war time epic that has drawn my attention to the genre and left me wanting
more.
The film follows the story of a British Armed Forces regiment in war torn France, led by
Captain Paul Stevens (Frederick Stafford of Hitchcock’s Topaz). While evacuating Allied
forces from the beaches of Dunkirk, the British troops are infiltrated by German officers
masquerading as fellow Englishmen after having ambushed and wiping out a group of British
soldiers. The Nazi objective is simply to create the downfall of England by destroying its early
warning radar system from the inside.
More glossy and less exploitation orientated than Inglorious, Eagles Over London is an
impressive concoction of plot driven espionage-thriller and high impact wartime action film.
Packed with incredibly well shot dogfights, tank battles and shootouts (including impressive
recreations of the evacuation of Dunkirk and The Battle of Britain) alongside the double-
dealing, the film is a visual treat that far exceeds its budget. Of course, there’s the
noticeable use of stock footage and scale models in places, but nothing that ever detracts
from the proceedings.
A further strength of the film is its great cast with notable appearances from war movie
regular Van Johnson (The Caine Mutiny), Francisco Rabal (Nightmare City), Eduardo
Fajardo (Django), Luigi Pistilli (The Good, The Bad & the Ugly), Renzo Plamer (The Big
Racket) and Ida Galli (The Psychic, Case of the Scorpions Tail).
All in all, despite some minor flaws Eagles Over London is a fun outing that is likely to
please both exploitation fans and those of more serious war-time dramas.
|
| |
|
|
Severin Films should be congratulated on the quality of this release - a 25 GB single layer
disc, presented in a 1080 progressive anamorphic widescreen, with strong, crisp and
accurate colours throughout. There’s a healthy amount of natural grain and the source
material used looks to be in fantastic shape, especially given its age.
|
| |
|
|
The single audio option of English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo is more than satisfactory. Clear
throughout, there’s no problems with distortions or dropouts.
|
| |
|
|
An interesting little interview with Castellari is slightly marred by the fact that it’s conducted
by Quentin Tarantino, who as per usual comes across as a know-it-all fan boy who doesn’t
quite know when to keep his mouth closed.
This is backed up with footage from “Eagles Over Los Angeles” - a rare screening of the
film at
L.A.’s Silent Movie Theatre, presented by Castellari and Tarantino.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
If, like myself, you haven’t delved too far into the realm of “Macaroni Combat”, this would
seem a great starting point. Eagles Over London is an enjoyable film that is likely to go
down well with quite a wide ranging audience and this is great quality disc. It would’ve been
interesting if a Castellari commentary track was included, rather than Tarantino’s gushing
interview… this man has too much coverage as it is!
|
|
