THE EIGER SANCTION (FILM)

'''The Eiger Sanction''' is a 1975 action thriller film based on a 1972 novel 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.

Contents

Plot

Production notes

Cast

See also

External links

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 ex-Nazi pure albino 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 threatens that Hemlock's illicit art collection will be seized by the IRS unless he cooperates. 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.

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

★ Assassinations in fiction

External links

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