The Eiger Sanction (film)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 action thriller based on a 1972 novel of the same name by American author Dr. Rodney William Whitaker, under the pen name Trevanian. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood who also starred as Dr. Jonathan Hemlock.
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Plot
Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, professor of art and expert mountaineer, is a long retired government assassin called upon to return to work for two more sanctions, or assassinations. He has used the small fortune he made from previous sanctions to amass a small but impressive art collection, primarily made up of stolen pieces smuggled into the U.S. from Europe.
His boss is "Dragon", an albinistic ex-Nazi confined to semi-darkness and kept alive by blood transfusions. Dragon wants Hemlock to sanction two men responsible for the death of another government agent, a man who was also a friend of Hemlock's. But Hemlock refuses, insisting he is retired and uninterested in the work, regardless of the personal turn it has taken. Dragon will not be denied, however, and he says the IRS might be curious to know how he acquired his art collection with his professor's salary, in effect hinting that he will frame Hemlock for tax evasion. He is informed that the target is a member of an international climbing team about to ascend the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland, a treacherous route which has claimed many lives.
Hemlock goes to train in Arizona with his friend, Ben Bowman, then both proceed to Switzerland to join the climbing team. There is, of course, much conflict within the team, mainly due to clashing egos. The expedition eventually sets out, but encounters extremely bad conditions. Eventually rescued from the railroad that runs through the mountain, Hemlock finds the target of his mission, but it is not the one he had expected.
Production notes
This film has developed a cult following because of the authentic mountain-climbing sequences at the end of the film. Since the film was made in 1975, there were no CGI effects used — all the mountain climbing was real. Clint Eastwood did all his own stunts, saying that he couldn't expect a stuntman to risk his life if he wasn't ready to risk his own. Many rock climbers, mountaineers, and even critics who didn't like the film praise these scenes for their realism, and have said they make the film worth watching.
During the making of this film, a stunt man David Knowles, who was also a professional rock climber, was killed when a boulder hit him.
Cast
- Clint Eastwood as Dr. Jonathan Hemlock
- George Kennedy as Ben Bowman
- Vonetta McGee as Jemima Brown
- Jack Cassidy as Miles Mellough
- Heidi Brühl as Mrs. Anna Montaigne
- Thayer David as Dragon
- Reiner Schöne as Karl Freytag
- Michael Grimm as Anderl Meyer
- Jean-Pierre Bernard as Jean-Paul Montaigne
- Brenda Venus as George
- Gregory Walcott as Pope
- Candice Rialson as Art Student
- Elaine Shore as Miss Cerberus
- Dan Howard as Dewayne
- Jack Kosslyn as Reporter
- Walter Kraus as Kruger
- Frank Redmond as Wormwood and Henri Bach
- Siegfried Wallach as Hotel Manager
- Susan Morgan as Buns
- Jack Frey as Cab Driver
See also
