Eiger Sanction, The (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Nov 26, 2024
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Clint EastwoodRelease Date(s)
1975 (November 19, 2024)Studio(s)
The Malpaso Company/Universal Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
With three films under his belt, Clint Eastwood climbed (no pun intended) back into the director’s chair to adapt Trevanian’s 1972 novel The Eiger Sanction, choosing to shoot it on location in Switzerland despite the adverse conditions and the dangers of mountain climbing. Essentially a spy thriller of sorts, the film goes off the beaten path with a focus on character instead of plot, sometimes making for awkward but compelling moments between the cast members. The price of admission is the harrowing footage of climbers actually climbing the enormous titular rock face, considered in that era to be one of the most perilous to ascend. The film did decent business at the box office in 1975, but garnered an initially skeptical critical reaction. A favorite of many thanks to repeated TV airings and home video releases, it has grown in estimation critically since then, partly due to Clint Eastwood’s popularity and his continued success as a respected director.
Jonathan Hemlock (Eastwood) is a self-retired assassin and former mountain climber with a penchant for collecting fine art. He’s summoned back to the C2 agency by its leader Dragon (Thayer David), an albino forced to live in darkness in order to survive. Informed that a former agent and personal friend has been killed by two hit men, Hemlock is sanctioned to find them and take them out with a guarantee that it will be his final job, that he will be paid well, and that the IRS will declare his art collection one hundred percent legal. Along the way, he meets Jemima (Vonetta McGee), who keeps him informed of C2’s activities, while falling in love with her in the process. Since one of the potential targets is a mountain climber, he seeks the help of his old climbing buddy Ben (George Kennedy) to get in shape and scale the Eiger mountain in Switzerland, which he has attempted twice before and failed. However, going up the mountain’s north face with three men who could potentially be killers proves a difficult and deadly task in and of itself.
The Eiger Sanction was shot by cinematographer Frank Stanley on 35mm film (Eastman 100T 5254) using Panavision and Arriflex cameras and anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics brings the film to Ultra HD from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, newly-graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. It’s a vast improvement over Kino’s previous Blu-ray, which was a 2K scan of the interpositive and no slouch itself. The opening and closing titles are weaker than the rest, but the majority of the presentation is crisp with healthy and refined levels of grain and a bitrate that primarily sits between 70 and 80Mbps, dipping into the upper 60s at times. Minor speckling is apparent, more obvious in certain spots than others, but detail is high and everything appears clean with no artifacts. The color palette is also boosted thanks to the new HDR passes, soaking up detail in many of the greens and reds, while showcasing some natural flesh tones. Contrast is a tad problematic as blacks can be super deep, at times on the verge of crush, but since the cinematography leans toward shadows in specific areas, one can assume that this presentation is a little more accurate than the last. That said, it does seem to be a tad too dark sometimes, especially during scenes with Dragon. The image is otherwise stable from end to end, and while not perfect, it’s the finest yet available.
The audio is included in English 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English. The 5.1 is a new addition, which spaces out the original soundtrack without altering it. The original mono can be fairly narrow, though the John Williams score and other occasional uses of music have decent push to them. Dialogue exchanges are clear and precise while sound effects have a surprising amount of impact, particularly those recorded on location during the film’s climactic ascent up the Eiger. Both tracks are clean and free of any hiss or distortion.
The 4K Ultra HD of The Eiger Sanction sits in a standard black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray, which is the same Kino Blu-ray disc from 2020, sporting a 2K master taken from an interpositive. This UHD package contains reversible artwork, featuring the original US theatrical poster art on the front and the original German theatrical poster art on the back. Everything is housed inside a slipcover featuring the same US poster art. The following extras are also included, all in HD:
DISC ONE: UHD
- NEW Audio Commentary by Justin Humphreys
- Audio Commentary by Nick Pinkerton
DISC TWO: BD
- Audio Commentary by Nick Pinkerton
- Freytag’s Ascent With Reiner Schöne (13:15)
- Archival Interview With Heidi Brühl by Pepe Ludmir (9:26)
- Vintage 8-Minute Promotional Reel (8:19)
- Poster and Image Gallery (42 in all – 7:11)
- Radio Spots (5 in all – 2:45)
- TV Spots (4 in all – 2:16)
- Trailer (2:50)
- Coogan’s Bluff Trailer (2:12)
- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Trailer (2:10)
New to this release is an audio commentary by author and film historian Justin Humphreys. He speaks at length about the making of the film and its cast and crew, offering various facts about the actual filming. Note that this track is exclusive to the UHD. The audio commentary with film critic Nick Pinkerton is a tad stiff, but gives some nice background on the film, providing plenty of valuable information. In Freytag’s Ascent, Reiner Schöne is interviewed and discusses how he auditioned by attempting to be a convincing mountain climber, Eastwood making him feel comfortable to play the role as he wanted, the difficulties of the mountain climbing scenes, the death of professional climber David Knowles, an unexpected blizzard during filming, and his admiration for Eastwood. In the Archival Interview With Heidi Brühl by Pepe Ludmir, they discuss both her background and the film itself. The Promotional Reel highlights selected scenes from the film and discusses its plot. The Poster and Image Gallery contains 42 images of posters, lobby cards, home video artwork, publicity stills, and behind-the-scenes photos. The rest of the extras consist of five radio spots, four TV spots, and a trailer for the film, as well as two Clint Eastwood-related trailers for other releases by Kino Lorber.
This 4K Ultra HD release of The Eiger Sanction bests its 1080p counterpart, providing a much sharper and more detailed presentation with a nice selection of bonus materials, making it another essential purchase for fans of Clint Eastwood.
- Tim Salmons
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