Great fun - witty and perceptive

Wonderful observations on a very good bad film that has become part of our culture.

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Hugely Entertaining

A marvellous entertaining analysis of a great film. Almost poetic in nature. Have listened to this repeatedly.

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A witty set of refections on an iconic movie

The literary equivalent of one of those film commentaries you now get on DVDs. But sharper, funnier and much more engaging. Beautifully read by Mr McMillan.

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One the most pleasant two hours I have ever spent

When as a mature student I was studying for my degree, I was fortunate to meet Geoff Dyer, when he delivered a lecture at Manchester's Cheethams Library. His Ongoing moment became a set text for my speciality. I became a fan.

This scene by scene review of a film I love as much as Dyer clearly does is a pleasure. It is written and delivered with great humour. Dyer must be around my age because we both saw this film at around the same age. at a cinema. I doubt the cotton wool society we live in now would allow such young eyes to view this. It reflects his life and maps out the way he was influenced, and I felt in a lot of ways it mirrored my own early years.

It was one the most pleasant two hours I have ever spent with an audiobook

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Perfect companion piece

If you know the film, and who doesn't, then this is an affectionate treat.

Starting from the opening titles it describes, annotates and enlightens - sometimes with imagined internal monologues by the stars - what is happening on screen. Think of it as a great discussion down the pub with a mate who, like you, knows and loves every scene.

Not a film buff critique, rather it readily accepts this is one of the greatest movies ever made, celebrates it and knows the joy of watching and rewatching it.

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Eagles Dared!

If you are a fan of the movie Where Eagles Dare, then you no doubt will have seen it like me and the author of this book many many times! I came to it because of Clint Eastwood when I was a child and while revisiting often find myself drawn more to the Burton character now, probably because I now understand him more.
This is a very funny and critical look at the film, and the author is correct this is a classic movie and should be accepted as so, not all great movies need to be Citizen Kane, films can be great and classic for so many reasons and this is a good example.

The narration is engaging and well read. I found myself going back to re-listen to passages throughout. I will listen again after I have rewatched the movie (again!).

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Where Egos Dared

Where Eagles Dare is a tour de force war movie from the late 1960s, starring a rarely sober Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, leading a daring Allied rescue mission on a Nazi-held castle in the Bavarian Alps. It’s wall-to-wall carnage - and a brilliantly entertaining film, written by Alistair MacLean (there’s also a novel). Dyer was a MacLean aficionado as a child but in an afterword admits his books now seem fairly underwhelming now that he’s an adult - including Where Eagles Dare (Dyer has very little time for the novel these days). This harsh judgment of MacLean’s published work seemed a bit unfair to me - I am a fan! That said, this is a book about the movie, with only a short reflection on MacLean’s literary output. It’s an irreverent and indeed very funny analysis of Where Eagles Dare, almost scene by scene. The anachronisms and implausibilities are unpacked. Burton was frequently sozzled and even went AWOL while filming; he plainly thought the movie was beneath his usual standards. This is as much a love letter as a critique - fans will lap it up. The narration is really well done. Listen now!

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Very good niche product

As someone who grew up watching ‘Where Eagles Dare’, the unpacking of this film process was very interesting and it allows one to recall the visual specifics surprisingly clearly.

I enjoyed the process of the analysis, and because of this, was able to appreciate the film in greater detail.

It’s not a long listen, but it takes one on a chronological journey through the film with some particularly insightful commentary.

Some unusual moments of wholly unnecessary and inexplicable bad language do appear from time to time, which did surprise me. These were ill-advised and neither improved the book, nor were appropriate to the audience of a WW2 yarn that contained none of these expletives.
This aspect was a poor choice of the writer.

In summary though I enjoyed this listen.

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Great Read

I had to stop listening g on the train wearing ear buds as I kept giggling and sniggering.
Thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a short listen at just over 2 hours but perfect for a train ride in between biographies

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