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:

The revolver which falls out of Hemlock's pack when he kicks it over at the end is a Smith & Wesson Model 40 Centennial .38 Special.

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:

Woman Journalist:Tell me, Mr. Bowman, in your opinion do these men climb to prove their manhood, or is it more a matter of compensating for inferiority feelings?
Ben Bowman:Lady, why don't you go get yourself screwed. It would do you a lot of good.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. B's Lost Shorts (2001) (V)

Great film

I absolutely love this movie. The only reason I cannot give it a 9 or 10 is because the premise is just a bit too unbelievable. Eastwood is a stud for doing his own stunts. The climbing sequences had a few minor errors, but all considered, the most accurate movie adaptation of climbing with the possible exception of "Storm and Sorrow". I felt like I was there with the climbers, cold and scared and forced to continue. The dialogue on the mountain is "rock" solid.

If you're looking for a well-developed action flick with a dash of spy stuff, watch this movie. Eastwood has done so many great movies that it's hard to rank this one- it's not his best, but it is wonderful.