This was the first film that I saw that was better than the book!  The author comments on the film of "Where eagles dare" practically scene by scene.  Very funny analysing Richard Burton's performance, also Clint Eastwood's role as well as commenting on various members of the cast.
Pokes fun in a lighthearted but informative way.  Although he points out errors in the film, such as the aeroplane that takes seven men and one woman into enemy territory was not built until after the war!  Plenty of facts and anecdotes to keep you amused, but basically he loves the film and it comes over loud and clear, although he admits when he catches it on television, it's usually part way through and at one particular part.  If you haven't seen the film try your best to rectify this, and then read the book and enjoy the observations.  Highly recommended, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An amusing book but not quite what I was expecting. Well written however and if you have a fondness for the film 'Where Eagles Dare' then this is the book for you.

‘Broadsword calling Danny boy’ is a phrase imprinted on anyone who knows the film where Eagles Dare and I defy anyone catching those words not to do so without hearing Richard Burton’s distinctive resonant tones announcing it.

The intro sets the scene (literally) for the kind of read you are in for:

“Do the mountains and the blue Bavarian twilight cause the drum march to rattle into existence – is the music an emanation of the mountains? – or are the peaks and valleys hauled into view by the march of drums? Are these Heideggerian questions, or is it just that the Teutonic opening credits – as red as the background of a Nazi flag – could not be any redder against the mountainous blue of snow-clad mountains and the deep blue sky passing for night?”

This description of scenic majesty is followed with the more intimate exposition of the inside of the Junkers Ju-52 flying covertly into Nazi Germany. We are introduced to the inscrutable expression Clint Eastwood and the anxious one of Burton because according to Dyer he has money worries of the kind that people who aren’t weighted down by vast quantities of cash cannot begin to understand.”

It is these interjections, along with Dyer employing the type of zoom in/zoom out change of focus you normally associate with action films and their cousin the novel, which makes you realise this is not a cheap attempt to cash in on what is considered by many to be one of the greatest war films of all time. Instead it is something which lovingly takes a scene by scene approach, dissecting all its foibles and dwelling on why it is Burton should wish to linger in woodsheds with comely young female agents in the precursor to launching an impossible mission with an equally improbable amount of portable munitions. Like the ‘never empty sack’ in fairy tales.

It’s the kind of book you don’t read in public on account of the outburst of chuckles or sudden choking fits after swallowing food while laughing. When it strays into the arena of the pretentious it does so with a hilarious knowing.

Dyer reveals a broad reading palette, along with the ability worthy of the most adept quilter to blend a patchwork of references with the outrageous Alistair Maclean plot into something to warm a reader by a roaring great fire. So grab your milk and cookies (or a large glass of expensive spirit) to sustain you and curl up with a read which is a sit down and consume in one go. Then switch on the TV and glory in every highlighted detail.

Oh dear.  Slapped wrists to all the blurb-writers who mention this as being funny; it's patently not.  Instead it's a sugar rush of observations noted down while a film was playing in the background – but with this level of frenetic detail it must have taken multiple viewings, either that or the pause button was pressed every ten seconds.  The panoply of detail and forensic "analysis" comes at you in page-long sentences, with far too many clauses, and far too little editing, meaning I tired of the 'style' really quickly.  A shame, as I wanted something esoteric along the lines of the 33-and-a-third books about music records – just not this esoteric.

BROADSWORD CALLING DANNY BOY

BY

Geoff Dyer

	Fans of WW11 films and especially ‘Where Eagles Dare’ will be familiar with the title of this book,   Richard Burton’s code when contacting base in the film. 	
This extremely funny book analyses the film scene by scene and exposes many of the incongruous slip ups.  The action is centred on a remote Schloss high up in the Austrian mountains.
	I also loved that film and do remember passing the mountain while on holiday in Austria and the guide telling us that Elizabeth Taylor supplied Burton with liquid refreshment on a daily basis. The writer notes that Burton got the dialogue with little actual body movement called for, while Clint Eastwood did the acting which did not amount to much more than a twitch or a wry twist of the face, as in every film in which he has starred!
	To get the best out of the book I would suggest you read it before or while watching the film as there are many crazy things that most filmgoers would not have noticed.  
	There are items used in the film that were not produced until the late 40s.  Burton  and Eastwood carried two small backpacks (in the words of the writer - bottomless packs) on the mission.  Strangely they contained an endless supply of explosive devices and the wherewithal to tie to buildings and trees.  And the suitcase full of ammo? Eastwood lifted it as if it floated up filled with helium!
	Two men travelling up and down on the roof of the cable car unobserved by lookouts!  It was snowing!  Did no one see them or even notice footprints?
	Some great comments regarding all the British Actors who have played Nazis, and suggestions they may have relished the power and of course the dressing up.  Geoff Dyer lists the modes of transport used in such escape films.    Bicycles, motorbikes, trains, planes, helicopters, even buses and of course military vehicles.   Think about it.
	The writer has sharp eyes and an ironic sense of humour and the ridiculous.  I rather regret that he has slightly spoiled the enjoyment of a film I did enjoy and would watch again.  
	A fun and revealing read that I did enjoy written by someone with a gimlet eye.

I absolutely love this film and had no hesitation in downloading the book about it.  However I did not find it funny, really in any way, it was, as it says, a scene by scene analysis of the film.  Interesting and I enjoyed the book, but I did feel that the description of it was rather more enthusiastic than I was.
The film is great and it is wonderful that it is now almost 50 years old, however this book will not be around in 50 years for people to read the analysis.

I felt that it was a bit of a damp squib, which was a great shame.  I was very excited to see that it was on Netgalley.

Witty and alternative synopsis of a classic film that makes you question it's authenticity in a fun way.

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy is one long review of cult classic WW2 boys-own movie Where Eagles Dare. Written by acclaimed author Geoff Dyer, we are lead - scene by scene - through the movie by an unreserved fan, learning various tidbits about the production, actors, and some random insights into the authors childhood.
I must have watched Where Eagles Dare umpteen times over the years. It's not on as often as there are bank holidays (these are owned by The Great Escape, of course), but I must have caught the cable-car scene more times than I could shake a stick at. Weirdly, it wasn't on any channel when I started reading this book, and decided to pay the exorbitant fee of £3.49 to rent it from Amazon (I say exorbitant as it would have probably turned up on the telly within twenty minutes if I'd waited. But, impulsive as I am, I cast my cash wantonly to the winds and watched the film I only ever catch parts of from start to finish.
I'm not sure whether watching it made the book any better - I had already enjoyed a good twenty pages before being lured back to the movie - though it was good to follow the authors comments knowing exactly where he was coming from rather than some half-remembered mash up of several old war movies instead.
I'm not exactly sure who this book is intended for - it's written by an obvious fan, though the extra bumpf, the things that happened offscreen, or the infrequent biography, are too few and far between. This is literally a book version of Screen Rant's Everything Wrong With..., and while that's all well and good (there are some laugh out loud moments, even some lines I highlighted to perhaps try and drop as my own in some personal, fantasised, future dinner party) but that's all it is. A walk through every scene of a movie the author loves.
When I first began writing, I wrote a 150,000 word novel. It went unpublished as it was mostly tripe, but it was hard work, and by the end of it I was exhausted. Afterwards, when I picked up pen and paper again, I felt I needed to write something off the cuff and easy - and went about compiling a book of time waster letters and the responses they received. 
That's kind of what this book feels like - the easy aside after winning a score of literary awards; a nice little earner for the author in between slugging his soul out with his 'proper' works. I don't mind that - if that's what was intended (apologies if not) - it's a quick read, a day to plough through if you've got nothing else on, and some very well written quips and witticisms that made it all worthwhile.
I'd imagine (if you've already watched Where Eagles Dare) you've probably already lovingly pulled it apart for it's endless plot caverns, retches of ridiculous dialogue and of-the-era stilted acting (yes I'm pointing at you, namesless control tower German shot in the finale), but having Dyer point it all out again will probably make it unwatchable without Dyer's comments chuckling in the back of your mind. That's really what this book is: a mate watching the film with you as you both make jokes about the object you're fond of for all its failings.

As a massive Film Buff, Where Eagles Dare has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s not classic cinema, and the plot is a bit hokey, but it is grossly entertaining and just right for a wet Sunday afternoon.
Geoff Dyer, I think, feels the same as me about the film.
The problem with this book though, is that it takes us through, scene by scene, of the entire film. Now, for those readers, like Mr Dyer and I, who have seen this film countless times, WE KNOW THE STORY! We know exactly what happens. Yes, there are some funny quips about Burton only in it for the money, and Eastwood practising his squinting and glances that he will forever be known for in future films.
There were many moments that I found myself giggling through the book, but I did find the oft-repeated references to Brexit annoying.
This book is only 128 pages. Too short by far. Much more should have been included in the notes at the end.
I was a big fan of Geoff Dyer’s book Zona, about the Tarkovsky film, Stalker, which was longer and more informative. In my opinion anyway.
This is not a bad book. It is a gentle read for a couple of hours, but in this reviewers opinion it could have been so so much better.

Whilst this is short and entertaining, it should be required reading for anyone that is a fan of the film. The book outlines a variety of small continuity errors or other peculiarities, alongside possible motivations behind the main protagonists actions .. to hilarious effect. As noted, various acting styles were here first practiced to such great effect (Clint looks into the distance meaningfully, Burton wonders how he lucked out getting paid to do this lark) that then became familiar tropes in later films by the actors.
Great fun and hugely recommended for fans of the film.

I loved being able to own a film previously enjoyed at the movies on a DVD disc and play it whenever I want. This pleasure multiplied numerous times when it included cut scenes, alternative endings or most desired director's commentaries.
However, if I am honest my subsequent re-watching of these films does not justify the expense other than to have it to hand to show to someone who has never heard of the movie let alone seen it.
With the multiple channels and a desire to retreat into a book I don't watch much T.V. However, there are two war movies that I have watched countless times, and despite the time or the urge of sleep I will watch if I catch them ever on the box.
Kelly's Heroes is one and the other is Where Eagles Dare. Interestingly, Clint Eastwood features in both these classics.
So, when I saw a book devoted to the movie Where Eagles Dare along the lines of a commentary scene by scene I was in literary heaven. I had to read it as soon as possible and it is a pleasure to review it after enjoying it so much.
The author brings his youthful zeal for books and movies from his early teens into words that make the film live and project on my mind. Obviously, someone unfamiliar with the film could not appreciate the nuances of the writing or the descriptions used but I suggest they would also enjoy the rich humour. It is a special kind of wit that doesn't always resonate with an audience but in terms of zany, nonsense and logic taken to the nth degree it had me in suppressed laughter and wide grins.
If like me you are of an age to have shared a similar upbringing as the author, then many of the references to other actors and films of this time will be old favourites and in your knowledge. You will enjoy the book on a higher plane of appreciation.
If like me you have seen Where Eagles Dare countless times you will freak out and want to re-read this wonderful book again and find that DVD somewhere and try to remember how to press play.
This is a great idea for a book. Well written and filled with comedy asides and clever facts. It takes the film and makes fun of outrageous plotting and sends Burton up a great deal. The author is well read and although this project flows from his own love of the film he brings many attributed quotes from the stars or the world of film and literature to make his point.
The entire process is to lift the movie into real cult status. I don't mean to drag us all down to WW2 re-enactment conferences or start quoting from the film - "Sit Down!"
No, it simply enhances the whole experience of viewing the film. Agreeing with how did they carry all that equipment? Why didn't the German's spot the dangling legs or rope at the window? To why delay their escape to the point of failure by taking the prisoners with them.
This isn't a behind the scenes insight into how the film was made; shooting schedules or stars that turned the roles down. No, it is a knowledgeable account; not 'bigging himself up' but like a friend invited round who brings so much more to the screening than booze and popcorn. The author brings a comedic timing, shares your own comments and laughs with you along the way but ultimately leaves as happy as you since together your viewing experience has been magnified to a lasting pleasure and shared joy.