The Eiger Sanction (1975)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Hal Dresner (screenplay) &
Warren Murphy (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 May 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

HIS LIFELINE - held by the assassin he hunted.

Plot:

An classical art professor and collector, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Climbing | Mountain Climbing | Art | Professional Assassin

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Jonathan Hemlock
George Kennedy	...	Ben Bowman
Vonetta McGee	...	Jemima Brown
Jack Cassidy	...	Miles Mellough
Heidi Brühl	...	Mrs. Montaigne (as Heidi Bruhl)
Thayer David	...	Dragon
Reiner Schöne	...	Freytag (as Reiner Schoene)
Michael A. Grimm	...	Meyer (as Michael Grimm)
Jean-Pierre Bernard	...	Montaigne
Brenda Venus	...	George
Gregory Walcott	...	Pope
Candice Rialson	...	Art Student
Elaine Shore	...	Miss Cerberus
Dan Howard	...	Dewayne
Jack Kosslyn	...	Reporter
Walter Kraus	...	Kruger
Frank Redmond	...	Wormwood
Siegfried Wallach	...	Hotel Manager
Susan Morgan Cooper	...	Buns (as Susan Morgan)
Jack Frey	...	Cab Driver

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits
Hal Dresner		(screenplay) &
Warren Murphy		(screenplay) (as Warren B. Murphy) &
Rod Whitaker		(screenplay)
Rod Whitaker		(novel) (as Trevanian)

Produced by
David Brown	....	executive producer
Robert Daley	....	producer
Richard D. Zanuck	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Frank Stanley		(director of photography)
William N. Clark		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Makeup Department
Janis Clark	....	hairstylist: United States (as Janice Clark)
Joe McKinney	....	makeup artist
Agnese Panarotto	....	hairstylist: Switzerland

Production Management
Mario Pisani	....	unit manager: Switzerland
Fred R. Simpson	....	unit production manager: United States (as Fred Simpson)
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	unit production manager: Switzerland (as Wallace Worsley)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Fargo	....	first assistant director (as Jim Fargo)
Craig Huston	....	second assistant director: United States
Victor Tourjansky	....	second assistant director: Switzerland

Art Department
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master: United States (as Larry Bird)
Joe Chevalier	....	property master: Switzerland
Aurelio Crugnola	....	art director: Switzerland
John M. Dwyer	....	set decorator: United States (as John Dwyer)
George C. Webb	....	art director: United States (as George Webb)

Sound Department
James R. Alexander	....	sound
Robert L. Hoyt	....	sound rerecordist (as Robert Hoyt)
Roger Heman Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Earl Madery	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Dennis C. Salcedo	....	optical sound recordist (uncredited)
Roger Sword	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ben McMahan	....	special effects

Stunts
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Dial	....	stunts (uncredited)
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunt double: Clint Eastwood (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Buddy Bowles	....	gaffer (as Bud Bowles)
Bruce Catlin	....	camera assistant
Don Christie	....	stillman: United States
William N. Clark	....	camera operator (as Bill Clark)
John Cleare	....	photographer: mountain sequences
Mike Hoover	....	photographer: mountain sequences
Bud Howell	....	key grip
Peter Pilafian	....	photographer: mountain sequences
Jim Porter	....	best boy
J.J. Rayman	....	stillman: Switzerland
Frank Redmond	....	camera assistant
Tim Ryan	....	second grip
Jeff Schoolfield	....	photographer: mountain sequences
Pete White	....	photographer: mountain sequences

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frank Balchus	....	wardrobe man: Switzerland
Sheila Mason	....	wardrobe woman: United States
Bona Nasalli-Rocca	....	wardrobe woman: Switzerland
Neffe Ricco	....	seamstress (as Nefte Ricco)
Charles Waldo	....	wardrobe designer
Glenn Wright	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Richard C. Meyer	....	assistant editor: United States (as Richard Meyer)
Roberto Silvi	....	assistant editor: Switzerland

Transportation Department
Art Rimdzius	....	transportation captain: United States

Other crew
Martin Boysen	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland
Bev Clark	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland
Laura Fattori	....	production secretary: Switzerland
Dougal Haston	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland
David Knowles	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland
Jack Kosslyn	....	dialog coach
Hamish McInnes	....	climber: from Scotland
Tom Moore	....	script supervisor
Guy Neithardt	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland
Carol Rydall	....	secretary: The Malpaso Company
Charles Scott	....	climber: from the Dougal Haston International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland

Thanks
Norman Dyhrenfurth	....	our grateful appreciation to the climber: leader of expedition
Mike Hoover	....	our grateful appreciation to the climber: climbing advisor

Production Companies

• Malpaso Company, The (as a Malpaso Company Film)
• Jennings Lang
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1975) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Universal Home Video (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes (uncredited)
• Cinematique  cosmetics
• Deluxe Digital Studios  transfer (uncredited)
• MCA Soundtracks  soundtrack (uncredited)
• Navajo Nation, The  acknowledgment: Monument Valley, Arizona location through the courtesy of
• Panavision  filmed in
• Technicolor  color
• Universal Title  titles and optical effects
• Wallach-Sabatini  european production organization

Also Known As:

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1975) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) (2000) | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Brazil:14 | Norway:15 (TV rating) | UK:15 (tv rating) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Carmel, California, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

Novelist Rod Whitaker (Trevanian) scorned the film as "vapid" and blamed the production for "the death of a promising young climber" (see above).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Hemlock meets Dragon, Dragon's right contact lens has moved to the bottom right of his eye in one shot.

Quotes:

Dr. Jonathan Hemlock:Are you busy this evening?
Art Student:No.
Dr. Jonathan Hemlock:You live alone?
Art Student:My roommate's gone for the week.
Dr. Jonathan Hemlock:Good. Then... go on home, break out the books and study your little ass off. That's the best way to maintain a "B" average. Dont't study it all off.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)

Not the most memorable Eastwood movie but still splendid

The fourth movie Clint Eastwood directed was called "The Eiger sanction". Man had already practiced directing with a fabulous jealousy thriller "Play Misty for me", eccentric western "High plains drifter" and "Breezy" - his first film only behind the camera. "The Eiger sanction" is definitely a fine, entertaining and effective classic, no doubt, but it has never been Clint's most memorable movies. It usually lefts unmentioned in all of the documentaries about the man and people don't usually consider it to be all that important work when it comes to his long and sensational career. I just bought the Dvd and all I can say is these facts don't make it a bad film, hell no. "The Eiger sanction" most definitely works, but I guess it especially works if you're a true Eastwood fan. I am so I guess it's hell of a lot easier to love it. "The Eiger sanction" is a little slow-paced thriller but the idea is interesting enough to make the film exciting and stylish. John Williams composed the fabulous score and Clint himself did lot of the mountain climbing stunts. It's also true that "The Eiger sanction" really has that tiny James Bond -feeling in it. All I can say is, watch the film if you get your chance to do so.