"Once an Eagle" (1976) TV mini-series 1976-1977

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Directors:

Richard Michaels
E.W. Swackhamer

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (writer)
Anton Myrer (novel)

Release Date:

2 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of two Army officers, one a ruthless, career-obsessed schemer, the other his exact opposite, and their personal and professional lives from the end of World War I to the beginning of Vietnam.

Plot Keywords:

Officer | Army | Military | TV Mini-Series | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Sam Elliott	...	Sam Damon
Cliff Potts	...	Courtenay Massengale
Darleen Carr	...	Tommy Caldwell
Amy Irving	...	Emily Pawlfrey Massengale
Glenn Ford	...	George Caldwell
Ralph Bellamy	...	Ed Caldwell
Dane Clark	...	Harry Sheppard
Andrew Duggan	...	Gen. McKelvey
Lynda Day George	...	Marge Krisler
Gary Grimes	...	Jack Devlin
Clu Gulager	...	Alvin Merrick
Robert Hogan	...	Ben Krisler
Kim Hunter	...	Kitty Damon
David Huddleston	...	Earl Preis
Juliet Mills	...	Joyce

Runtime:

540 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Napa Valley, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the World War One scenes (set in 1918), the German soldiers are shown wearing the 1914-style uniforms with spiked helmets, which were phased out in 1916.

Why has this not been released?

This is a stunning movie. I saw it when I was very young, with my Father. Sam Damon represented to me what it meant to be a man. Sam Elliot's performance is understated and nuanced, and is remarkable for its restraint... what he Doesn't say is shown in his eyes, and smoking under the surface. He is a man of few words but very powerful obligations which people can either understand or not, he doesn't care. He is not driven by what others think, but by what he knows is right.

I spoke to a gentleman a few years back who said there were political reasons why this series would "never" be released. Having seen it again recently, I think I understand why it won't be released at least for a few years. I would NOT call the movie anti-war, but I would call it anti-stupidity. I would say it stands for war as a last resort, showing the loss and reality of war, and how even when a cause is just, stupid men are put in positions of authority sometimes, and lo and behold, give stupid orders for good men to follow and be killed. Regardless of, and sometimes ignorant of, the big picture and rationale behind the war.

Good men understand their cause, and fight for that cause together. Through a common purpose they find strength and camaraderie. Weak men use the war to justify their own petty purposes, regardless of their attained rank, and sometimes this puts their men in direct contradiction to the more noble and publicy marketed reasons for the conflict. Good men must sometimes follow weak men and stupid orders, if they are to be considered good soldiers. That's a tough position to be in... and it kind of flies in the face of what the military pushes... you must follow orders or you risk your life, and the lives of everybody in your company. Where would the military be if people were allowed to question orders, or question the character and motivations of the people giving those orders? Yet, where would the world be if we all blindly followed leadership despite what we knew was right or wrong?

This contradiction is what this miniseries meant to me, then, as a 12 year old, and again to me today as I write this. From what I understand, the rights to this are still owned by a major network who is being told not to release it. I don't know if that is true or not... it might be just a fancy and/or self-serving lie. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it just might be true. If it is true, it's a damn shame. If it's not true, then, I tell you one thing:

It's pretty bizarre that given the quality of the mini-series, and the star power of some fine actors in their prime, that this has never been released, isn't it?