The Eagle Has Landed (1976) User Reviews (158)

Enjoyable adaptation of Jack Higgins' novel.

[KEVMC · 8/10 · 20 September 2003]

After the successful rescue of Mussolini by German Paratroopers, Col.Max Radl is asked to prepare a feasibility study on an attempt to kidnap Winston Churchill. At first this seems a preposterous idea, until a message arrives from an agent in Britain which reports that Churchill will spend a weekend in the picturesque Norfolk village of Studley Constable, which is only a few miles from a deserted stretch of coastline. A plan is formulated to drop Col.Kurt Steiner and his highly experienced unit into Norfolk to carry out the mission, aided by IRA man Liam Devlin and respected local figure Joanna Grey, who is a German agent and the source of the original message.

This film has been a personal favourite of mine since I first saw it on its TV premiere around 1979, aged 12. It is of course the screen adaptation of Jack Higgins bestseller. I must admit to never having read the book, so I can't testify how closely the film follows it. Produced by ITC in 1976, it boasts an impressive cast in Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasance and a pre-JR Larry Hagman. Veteran Hollywood Director John Sturges was at the helm - the man responsible for 'Bad Day At Black Rock', 'The Magnificent Seven' and 'The Great Escape' to name just three. The production values and technical credits are uniformally good.

As to the film itself, it remains an entertaining romp. Your interest is held throughout, and you find yourself half wanting the Germans to get away with it, as Michael Caine and his men are such decent chaps. Donald Sutherland is full of Irish charm as Devlin, Larry Hagman is intentionally funny as the incompetent Col.Clarence T.Pitts, Robert Duvall is convincing and sympathetic as Radl, and Donald Pleasance quite chilling as Himmler. Good though the film is, it might have been better. In his autobiography, Michael Caine talks about the fact that after shooting had wrapped, Sturges headed back to California and never returned for any of the editing or post production. Caine felt let down by this, for as he correctly states, a Director can do some of his most important work at this stage. However, he also remembers the shooting of the film as a very pleasurable experience. At that time he lived at Windsor, and much of the filming was done nearby on the beautiful Mapledurham Estate, during the longest, hottest summer that most of us remember.

I paid a visit to Mapledurham recently, during the fine summer that we've just enjoyed. It's instantly recognisible - the watermill, the church, the manor house, Joanna Grey's cottage - all as they appear in the film and well worth a visit. It always amuses me that the events are supposed to take place in November - a truly miserable month here - and yet its clearly mid-summer on screen.

I have one major gripe. Not with the film itself, but its availability on DVD. The UK version is to be avoided like the plague. Cursed with being distributed here by Carlton, its in 1.33:1 and worse is missing some 12 minutes of footage. The US version is at least in 2.35:1, but is still missing 3 to 4 minutes of the film. Thank heavens that I still have my complete version recorded from the BBC some 12 years ago, before they decided to cut some brief moments of violence. Its really annoying when a good film that did reasonable business at the box office gets such shoddy treatment on DVD. There really is no excuse for it.

When all is said and done, this is a good entertaining yarn and an intriguing idea (even if it does have echoes of 'Went The Day Well'). Maybe not a classic, but always good fun, professionally mounted and with some lovely locations. Give it a try if you haven't already seen it, just avoid that Region 2 DVD!

A Fine Good Bye for John Sturges

[ragosaal · 7/10 · 8 December 2006]

"The Eagle has Landed" is a fine World War II fiction film placed in England that deals with a German commando operation planned to kidnap (or kill) Winston Chruchill.

The pìcture is most entertaining right from the start -when the plan is designed- and keeps up all along when it comes to the operation's achieving. A good script, excellent British outdoor locations, well made action sequences and a most competent cast are highlights of the film. Its also interesting that the German commandos are shown as decent and even likable men, professional soldiers that just like the allies fight a war for their country even if they don't agree with the Nazi regime that rules it.

"The Eagle has Landed" is also a good farewell from movies for director John Sturges (this is his last work in direction) a prolific man that gave us movie and western fans very good titles of the genre such us "Gunfight at OK Corral", "The Magnificent Seven", "Last Train from Gun Hill" and the more contemporary "Bad Day at Black Rock".

A most entertaining and enjoyable film in the genre.

difficult to believe but great entertainment

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 23 June 2006]

This is an exceptional war movie about a supposed plot by the Nazis to kidnap Churchill. Michael Caine is a German officer who speaks perfect English and leads a team of paratroopers who are disguised as Poles. The cover story is that they are a Free Polish regiment on maneuvers in Britain. At the same time, IRA leader Donald Sutherland helps lay the groundwork for their arrival.

The story is very complex and the acting is first-rate. Provided you don't think too much, this is a highly entertaining film. Sure, the Nazis didn't attempt such a mission, but I enjoyed this alternative history movie.

Not a Bad Effort

[rglasby · 29 October 2004]

OK, to respond to the "review" from Richard WA.

The movie is of course based on Jack Higgins' bestseller of the same name and like many debut books, is by far the best book he wrote - being written over a period of years as Higgins worked as a schoolteacher. It is meticulously researched and a fine read.

Now the film.

First, Of course an historically illiterate US teen would barely comprehend that history existed pre World War II or understand that the USA doesn't have a monopoly of the eagle as a national symbol. I read the book back in the mid-70's and never even thought about moon landings. For war movies/books, "eagles" are forever associated with Germany & that the USA also uses an eagle as a national symbol is purely coincidental.

Richard WA can relax in the knowledge that few outside his peer group experienced his confusion.

Second, By telling the story from the German perspective, we get a new appreciation of the German fighting man's view. Just as "Das Boot" gave us an insight into the German mind, so too does this. A similar experience can be had watching the WWII POW camp movie "The McKenzie Break" where German POW's try to escape from a British camp - quite interesting really. But I guess if you're only interested in rooting for the Red, White and Blue, this is not your thing.

Third, The accents are brilliantly done. It was decided for the movie that the comical Hollywood "German" accent would not be used. The "Ve haff vays of making you tork you schweinhund" is nowhere to be seen, instead the German characters use perfect accentless English to great effect.

Fourth, Sutherland's Irish character, Devlin, is not a Nazi sympathiser. He agrees to support the operation because the Germans offer to pay him a fortune to do so. Money for the cause etc.

Fifth, The pre-operation phase of the movie is actually too short - as the producers wanted more of an action flick than the book delivers. In the book, the planning of the operation is analysed to infinite detail, down to the uniform details and relative attributes of allied versus German parachutes. I guess if your experience is computer games, then exposure to any kind of pre-operation detail is not something you're used to.

Sixth, A newcomer in WWII Britain would certainly raise suspicion and Sutherland's character certainly does do that - not really a flaw of the book/movie but an operational problem that the Germans just had to accept given the timeframes involved.

Seventh, Jenny Agutter's character is completely unbelievable. Try to ignore that part of the movie - thankfully she's there for purely aesthetic purposes.

Eighth, The 5th columnist who already lives in the English village is actually a South African survivor of the British concentration camps - as explained in the movie. Perhaps Richard WA thought they were a German invention or more likely he's never heard of the Boer War and sleepwalked through that part of the movie.

Ninth, The "battle" scene is deliberately short to emphasise the gulf in class between German paratroops and National Guards. When the Germans are confronted by real soldiers, they're defeated in short order. Larry Hagman's character is a poor caricature and serves only to supply a comic element that's not needed - something the movie suffers from as if the producer was scared to make the movie too gritty. Richard WA's last point is most revealing. Why should Germans fight for Germany when everyone knew that they were going to lose and were on the wrong side anyway. Who ever heard of a brave German soldier fighting to the end anyway? Despite what many think, Americans don't have an monopoly on patriotism either - I doubt if he ever wonders why Steve McQueen never settled for a comfortable life in a German POW camp!

Tenth, Yeah, the tunnel is something of a contrived device...it's not in the book BTW.

Eleventh, The reason for not spiriting "Churchill" away after the attempt to kidnap him was precisely because the British wanted Germany to think he was there and not in Tehran! The whole point of a decoy is that it's visible and attracts the attention while the real principal is concealed.

In summery, the Eagle has Landed is a solid attempt to film a great book. I doubt, given the plot, that a universally appealing movie could've been made but the greatest movies ever are not universally appealing. Movies you love as children are not regarded in the same way in adulthood.

The Eagle has Landed is in many ways like "The Day of the Jackal". Most of the action goes on inside the principals' heads. Deception, mental thought processes and subterfuge don't make good cinema. However the movie has some very good points:

Great locations. Great actors doing good jobs (Jenny Agutter excepted) - especially Donald Pleasance doing the best ever spine-chilling portrayal of Himmler. Good twist at the end. Challenging portrayal of "the enemy".

I recommend it - it's not "A Bridge Too far" but it's pretty good.

It could make The Charge Of The Light Brigade look like military genius.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 9 October 2008]

A small Norfolk village in England is suddenly the focal point for a Polish regiment's training exercise. It would seem they are not all they are saying they are, so with Winston Churchill due to visit the village, there is something seriously afoot.

Written by Jack Higins, directed by John Sturges {The Great Escape} and starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall, The Eagle Has Landed is a different sort of war movie. Flipping the axis to a German point of view and having English and American actors playing the Germans, is a bold move that, fluctuating accents aside, makes for a totally engrossing picture. Offering a fair bit more than your standard film of men on a suicide mission for the war effort, the piece's pulp origins, and its idyllic country setting give it a quality that ensures the viewers attention stays firmly with the film's steadily paced first half. Also adding intrigue into this already interesting broth is that our main Nazi protagonist is not down with the whole killing Jews thing. It's very sly in how it pans out, its not asking the audience to feel sympathy with Steiner {Caine professionally impacting}, it's just proclaiming that not all people should be tarred with the same brush.

Mostly the cast are fine and boosted by a brilliant turn from Donald Sutherland as an IRA spy helping the Germans, Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasance, Anthony Quayle, Jenny Agutter and Jean Marsh all are solid within the picture's structure. Oddly the performance of Larry Hagman as the appropriately named Colonel Pitts sticks out like a sore thumb, buffoonery in bravado intent it's difficult to tell if it's meant to be comic relief or a statement of how the British viewed the yanks at this time? A young Treat Williams as Capt. Harry Clark ensures that not all American soldiers in the film come off as dunderheads. Playing out more as a mystery with it's various twists and turns, and seeping with tension amidst the village folk, The Eagle Has Landed is an odd sort of picture, but it certainly delivers enough to make it way above average. 6.5/10

Generally gets the thumbs-up, but has a couple of slightly disappointing features.

[barnabyrudge · 6/10 · 13 May 2004]

Based on a best-selling tall story by Jack Higgins, and featuring an all-star cast that must've cost half the budget just to get to sign up for the project, The Eagle Has Landed is an enjoyable but slightly overlong wartime actioner.

German soldier Max Radl (Robert Duvall) comes up with an audacious plot to deliver a devastating blow to the Allied forces by kidnapping Winston Churchill from a Norfolk village. A team of deadly German spies, led by Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine), are smuggled into England to carry out this sinister scheme. Aided by an Irish mercenary (Donald Sutherland), the German forces rapidly and ruthlessly close in on their target. Only an inexperienced American garrison, posted in a quiet corner of Norfolk, can stand in the way of a devastating German victory.

The Eagle Has Landed is one of the few films where the all-star cast doesn't have a detrimental effect. In films like A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day, the presence of so many stars actually results in a game of "star-spotting", and this diverts the audience's attention away from important plot developments. In The Eagle Has Landed, each actor brings depth and charisma to their strongly written roles (especially Sutherland as the devious Irish rogue, and Duvall as an eye-patch wearing Nazi). This film's faults lie elsewhere. The opening hour and a quarter goes on rather too much and ought to have been trimmed by at least fifteen minutes. Also, the plot rides its luck with increasingly less likely, less plausible developments (especially the unpersuasive "twist" ending). For these reasons, The Eagle Has Landed isn't quite the excellent film you might be hoping for. What it is, however, is an enjoyable, well-acted and very watchable slice of escapism.

Not the best example of WW II/action-movie making but it has some great moments.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 12 January 2006]

The concept of the movie is both great and original but however the execution of it is not exactly done in the best way possible.

The movie starts of very slow and even perhaps a bit boring. Thankfuly the second halve of the movie is much better once the action and story really start and take more pace and form. It might not be as entertaining and good as other WW II/action movies, meant as entertainment, such as "Where Eagles Dare", "Kelly's Heroes" and "The Guns of Navarone" but it does have some great moments in it which still helps to make "The Eagle Has Landed" a bit of a must see for the fans of the genre.

The story is just great and its interesting to see a movie for once from the perspective of the German side. For once the Germans are not portrayed as ruthless villains but as soldiers with valor and courage instead. The movie is perhaps a bit moralistic in the first halve of the movie (basicly every German soldier shown in the movie openly hates Hitler and is against the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps. It feels too forced all) but nevertheless the perspective the movie is told from is great and works good for the movie. It's too bad that the movie is told needlessly slow at times, while it could had been a great fast paced action-movie.

The movie has a great cast but this is not really an actors movie, meaning that the movie wouldn't had been any better or worse with some other lesser known names in it. It was weird to hear Donald Sutherland talking in an Irish accent and Robert Duvall with a German one. Also Treat Williams in one of his first movie roles was horrible as the American soldier Capt. Clark. On the other hand, it was great to see Donald Pleasance as Heinrich Himmler. Other big names in this movie are Michael Caine, Anthony Quayle and Jean Marsh.

The action sequences are good and definitely the best part of the movie. The movie is somewhat entertaining to watch and it does have some well placed humor at times but its not quite enough to truly uplift this movie to a level of greatness.

This last movie from director John Sturges is a memorable but not perfect one.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

It's not the best example of seventies war movies, but it works

[philip_vanderveken · 8/10 · 30 June 2005]

Partially thanks to my father I've always been a fan of war movies and that's how I already saw several of them as a kid. But of course as a kid I wasn't as critical towards them as I am today. Several of the war movies from the sixties and seventies now seem dated and very unbelievable (think for instance of "Where Eagles Dare" from 1968, which many people seem to like, but which lacks all realism as the Allies seem impenetrable by German bullets). But that doesn't mean that they all are bad. Take for instance "Cross of Iron", "All Quiet on the Western Front" (the TV remake), "A Bridge Too Far",... which are one by one excellent movies. If I have to give this movie a place in between these two categories, than I would say right in the middle. It isn't the best war movie from that time period, but it's far from bad.

Based on the novel by Jack Higgins, this movie tells the story of Colonel Steiner, a German parachute unit commander, who has been court-marshaled for opposing the SS in rounding up Jews. To avoid further imprisonment and certain death, he is offered the chance to go on an assignment in England. He and his unit will have to kidnap the British Prime Minister Winston Churchil on a covert mission. They decide to go for the seemingly impossible assignment and dressed as Polish soldiers on a training maneuver, they soon take over a small English town, waiting for the visit of the Prime Minister who will take his vacation there...

Even though I have read the book, I'm not really able to tell you whether the adaption to the movie has been a success or not. I read the book about ten years ago and it's impossible for me to remember all the details. However, as I already said, this certainly isn't a bad movie. The acting for instance is very nice. People like Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall,... all did a nice job. Especially Donald Sutherland stole the show playing the IRA militant and full time playboy Liam Devlin. What I also liked was that the 'Germans' didn't speak with some funny accent, but spoke fluent English. I prefer to hear the Germans speak German, but when that it isn't possible, this option is the best to go for. There is nothing more hateful than a well-known Hollywood actor who tries to make you believe that he speaks a language other than English (it never works and only brings down the quality of a movie).

Overall this is a good WWII movie that shows the war from a different perspective, namely from the German side. For some that will probably make it uninteresting as they see the Germans as the stupid bad guys, unable of doing some daring operations, but for me it works. I really liked this movie and all its aspects. The story is nice, the action scenes look more than OK, the acting is very good,... I really liked it all and that's why I give this movie a 7.5/10.

high adventure

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 13 May 2016]

Mussolini is rescued by German special forces. Hitler supported by Himmler (Donald Pleasence) has an idea to kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The one-eyed Max Radl (Robert Duvall) is ordered to command the operation. He recruits IRA member Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland) in Berlin. Churchill is visiting Studley Constable in Norfolk. Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine) leads a squad of experienced troops from the eastern front. He's weary of the Nazis and tries to save a girl from the cattle train. For that, they are forced to take part in the impossible mission. Devlin sneaks into the country and joins up with sleeper agent Joanna Grey (Jean Marsh). Local Molly Prior (Jenny Agutter) falls for charming Devlin. The squad parachutes in dressed as Polish troops. Opposing them is the pompous US Army Colonel Pitts (Larry Hagman) and his more competent second-in-command Captain Clark (Treat Williams).

This is a fun war high adventure. It's got funny scenes and some good action. The main thing holding it back is the reversal of roles. It's harder to root for the Germans in a WWII movie. It tries very hard to make Michael Caine a hero in this despite the German uniform. The story is highly unlikely but it's not really surreal. Plot believability goes out the window in this one.

A pitch-perfect novel adaptation

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 8 April 2017]

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is a great little 'what if?' WW2 movie, based on a novel by popular thriller writer Jack Higgins. The film features an all-star cast and a wonderfully gritty 1970s-era thriller atmosphere, in which the focus is on realism throughout rather than endless explosive action and the like. It's the final film in the career of MAGNIFICENT SEVEN director John Sturges, and it's a rather grand effort.

The plot is a little similar to that of WENT THE DAY WELL. Himmler decides on a plan to kidnap Winston Churchill from Norfolk, and a crack team of Nazi troops are sent in undercover to get the job done. The first hour is all set up but it's never less than engaging, but it's once the troops arrive in England that the fun and endless tension really starts. Michael Caine is a typically likable lead and Donald Sutherland and Jenny Agutter share an unusual romance. The action, when it hits, is quite electrifying, and the film is unpredictable enough to keep you on your toes throughout. I loved it.

Strong Second Half Saves Boring First Hour

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 10 January 2006]

I almost gave up on this film after the first hour. It was just too slow for me and I was having difficulty picking up some of dialog with the foreign accents (no subtitles are offered on the DVD).

However, once the "invasion" started the film was very interesting. The only ridiculous part was the role played by Larry Hagman. Liberal Hollywood loves to portray every Southerner as a gung-ho, out-of-control military freak. If I was from the South, I would have been highly offended at this stereotype.

What's really different about this film is that it's a World War II story told from the German side where the Germans are pictured as humane people. You don't see that too much from English-speaking filmmakers.

Michael Caine is the most likable of these people, one of those given the assignment of kidnapping Winston Churchill (interesting premise, off the best- selling book by Jack Higgins). Donald Sutherland plays an Irishman recruited to help in the kidnapping and he's fun to watch.

This is really a man's movie, something like "The Guns Of Navarone," but they inserted Jenny Agutter in here to give the viewers a pretty face and some romance, even though it has absolutely no bearing on the story.

Robert Duvall, Jean Marsh, Treat Williams, Donald Pleasance and Anthony Quayle are some of the other "name" actors who contribute. All in all, a pretty good movie if you can get by that first hour!

A Good Entertainment

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 11 April 2004]

In September of 1943, Col. Max Radl (Robert Duvall) develops a plan, approved by Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasance), to kidnap or kill Winston Churchill in England. The rebel Col. Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine),who is arrested with his men due to insubordination, is invited to participate, since he has had a British education. They would have clean records and recover their military patents again. The condition not negotiable of Col. Kurt to accept the mission is that his men wear the German uniform below their costumes, since they are soldiers and not spies. The group, dressed like Polish soldiers, together with the Irish Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), goes to a coastal town, where Churchill is supposed to pass through. An incident with a girl reveals their plot to the local civilians, jeopardizing their mission.

Having an outstanding cast and the direction of John Sturges, this movie is a great entertainment, having drama, suspense, action and some comedy in right doses. Fans of war movies will certainly like it. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): 'A Águia Pousou'(' The Eagle Has Landed')

Thrilling warlike movie about a Nazi commando attempting a risked operation in England

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 4 April 2008]

After Mussolini's valiant rescue by Scorzeny, Furher Hitler orders Winston Churchill to be kidnapped and taken to Germany and assigns Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (Anthony Quayle) to make a viability plot. Lieutenant Colonel (Robert Duvall) in charge the mission schemes an intelligent plan and reports to Himmler (Donald Pleasance). He commissions an Irish (Donald Sutherland), English hating, and a German officer named Steiner (Michael Caine) and his parachute team . Steiner is imprisoned for confronting about rounding up Jews . His mission concerns pose as Polish soldiers on a training maneuver in a small British town where simple citizens live , as a beautiful young girl (Jenny Agutter), a spinster (Jean Marsh) and the parish priest (John Standing), among others. When the Prime Minister Winston Churchill appears , the infiltrators bent on abducting him. But near encounter an American detachment, commanded by a colonel (Larry Hagman) and a captain(Treat Williams).

This memorable WWII action movie displays suspense, thrills, drama, shootouts and spectacular scenes. Based on Jack Higgings' best-seller novel with an interesting screenplay by Tom Mankiewicz, though weak on the silly relationship between Donald Sutherland and Jenny Agutter. Large casting with good performances, as a first rate acting from Michael Caine and Robert Duvall. Excellent plethora of secondaries actors as Anthony Quayle, Judy Geeson, John Standing and Treat Williams film debut. The film belongs to warlike commandos genre which in the 60s and 70s achieved splendor, as the picture takes parts , here and there from : ¨When the eagles dare" (Brian G Hutton) , "Dirty dozen" (Robert Aldrich) , "Navarone Guns" (J. Lee Thompson) and "Kelly's heroes" (Brian G Hutton)¨. Rousing and fitting to action musical score by Lalo Schifrin and atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Anthony Richmond. The motion picture was competently girected , thanks to capable hands of great filmmaker John Sturges. He's a warlike genre expert (Great escape, Never so few) and Western master (Gunfight OK Corral , Last train of Gun Hill , The law and Jake Wade). Well worth seeing, the movie will appeal to Michael Caine, Robert Duvall fans.

"By this time next year pigeons are going to be crapping on statues of you across the whole damn state of Nebraska."

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 17 November 2005]

The German's hatch a plan to kidnap Churchill. Using a local citizen sympathetic to the German cause and an IRA operative, the Nazis move a group of specially trained commandos into England disguised as Polish paratroopers. But their cover is quickly blown while on maneuvers when one of the German soldier's true identity is revealed after he jumps into a canal to save a little girl. It's up to some U. S. National Guard troops stationed nearby to root out the Nazis and save Churchill.

It's hard for me to put a finger on it, but there's just something about The Eagle Has Landed that's not quite right. I've narrowed it down to a couple of things that really distract from my overall enjoyment of the movie. The first is obvious - Larry Hagman's performance as Col. Pitts. To be blunt, he's terrible. For whatever reason, John Sturges had Hagman play his character as comic relief. It's completely out of place and really harms the mood of the movie. A "straight" performance would have been much more preferable.

The second thing I find distracting about the movie is very difficult to explain, but it has something to do with the overall look of the film. Other than a few shots of gore as the American soldiers are being hit by bullets, much of the movie has a cheap, made-for-TV look to it that also takes away from the tone of the movie. It's not as "gritty" looking (for lack of a better word) as it should be. The battle scene doesn't look as real as it should. The soldiers look like actors.

That's not to say that I don't find things enjoyable about The Eagle Has Landed. Other than Hagman, the acting is first-rate. Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, and Donald Pleasence give terrific performances. The plot is an interesting idea although I would have preferred more on the planning of the kidnapping. Not being much of a student of history I have no idea how much is true, but it certainly seems feasible as presented. And finally, I really enjoy the Nazi operative played by Jean Marsh. The look on her face after her cover is blown and the local priest confronts her is priceless. It's a nice moment of acting.

A decent war film with a twist

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 29 August 2012]

This film is unusual in that it is set during the Second World War but follows the actions of a German unit; Colonel Steiner and his men have been ordered to parachute into Norfolk and kidnap Winston Churchill during a visit to the county. To enable them to pass unnoticed by the locals the unit dress in the uniforms of Polish paratroopers. They aren't the only people working for their cause in the area; there is also an Irish spy, Liam Devlin, who arrived shortly before them and Joanna Grey, a South African woman who has lived in the area for some time. Everything is going according to plan until one of the village children falls into the mill pond; one of the Germans dives in and rescues her; he is drowned though and as he is caught up on the mill wheel the German uniform he was wearing under the Polish one is exposed. Now they must take the villagers hostage in the church until Churchill arrives. One of the villagers manages to escape and alerts the Americans stationed nearby... it looks as if it is all over for the Germans but Steiner manages to escape and makes a daring attempt to get to Churchill.

It made a refreshing change to see a war film from the side of German soldiers; we are clearly meant to think of them as 'Good Germans' we even see Steiner attempt to save the life of a Jewish woman and Admiral Canaris, the man ordered by Hitler to prepare the plan went to the trouble of listing just about every major Nazi and suggesting they were mad! The acting was solid; I particularly liked Michael Caine's portrayal of Steiner and while some might have disliked Larry Hagman's portrayal of US Colonel Pitts I thought it was an entertaining portrayal of a man desperate to see action before his war was over. The only real criticism of the acting is of Donald Sutherland's Irish accent which seemed doubly bad when the character claimed to come from Belfast! The action was fairly solid and looked believable to my non-expert eye. The romantic subplot between Devlin and local girl Molly, played by Jenny Agutter, wasn't really necessary although it did serve to show he had a caring side.

If you want to watch a slightly different war film I'd certainly recommend this; and if you enjoy this I'd recommend checking out the similarly themed 'Went the Day Well'; another film about Germans taking over an English village but this time made while the war was still very much on!

A random act of kindness by a Nazi

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 18 November 2017]

Because he's upset the hard line Nazis of the S.S., paratroop commander Michael Caine and his men are sent on a suicide mission, to go to Great Britain and bring about the capture or death of Winston Churchill. The Nazis have intelligence that the Prime Minister will be on the coast inspecting fortifications and will be spending one night at a particular coastal village.

The mission is to go in as Free Polish soldiers and take up residence in said coastal village. But ironically are given away by a random act of kindness by one of the Germans. After that Caine and his men are on their own.

Ironically it's in English history that one finds a parallel for the predicament Caine is in. Sir Walter Raleigh under a death sentence, but the warrant unexecuted spent some 15 years in the Tower Of London until James I sent him on a mission to South America to find gold in the Orinoco River country of what is now Venezuela. No gold and Raleigh came back to face the ax.

This was John Sturges's last action/adventure film and he put together a fine ensemble cast. English actors Anthony Quayle and Donald Pleasence play Admiral Carnaris and S.S. head Heinrich Himmler. John Standing is the village vicar, Treat Williams is American army captain, Jean Marsh is an enemy spy in the village and Judy Geeson is Standing's sister and a WREN.

Standing out however in the cast is Donald Sutherland as a former IRA man who has gone over to the Nazis and he also is an enemy agent who gets a chance to fall in love with local Jenny Agutter. And Larry Hagman is a thick as a brick army colonel who blunders into the situation and bungles badly. the Gomer Pyle of colonels.

Of course we know how this ends because history tells us Churchill was not assassinated. Or do you? You might be in for a surprise.

High adventure in Studley Constable...

[tigerman2001 · 28 June 2002]

There be spoilers ahead...

I tend to love movies like this -- high adventure and a ripping good yarn, especially when fact and fiction is blended (unfortunately, that's also a feature of most Hollywood films that purport to be factual) -- and the book upon which it was based was one of my favorites when I was in my early teens. This excellent and entertaining movie still holds up well and is a classic of its genre.

Actors like Michael Caine and others -- some known and some lesser-known to most -- anchor a simple but strong storyline that's nicely paced. The acting's good from all involved, and Donald Sutherland plays his role as the sardonic Irishman to the hilt, perfectly, but if there's one stand-out performance in this film my vote would go to Robert Duvall, whose Colonel Radl is the most complex and conflicted of all of the characters (most of the principals being similarly conflicted, one way or another) and his acting is paradoxically stunning yet subtle. A recent graduate of "The Godfather," Duvall would go on to ever-greater heights with his work in the magnificent "Apocalypse Now" and beyond. This movie's not quite the caliber of either of those two hallowed ventures, but it's well worth catching if you're a fan of Duvall, too.

The plot is entirely plausible in both its big picture and in its details. One of the most refreshing aspects of the film is that the German characters are not portrayed as Nazi fanatics. Indeed, all of the film's German characters are portrayed as being decent people, contemptuous of the Fuehrer and his Nazi hierarchy, except for Himmler and his SS men.

Steiner, Michael Caine's character, is a paratrooper decorated with a Knights Cross (and subsequent honors), and his men are a collection of combat veterans. The contrast between these 'good' Germans and the 'bad' Germans is established from the start, with the showdown between Steiner's group and SS who were 'liquidating' a Polish ghetto and shipping Jews off to the death camps. Steiner's stand results in he and his team being assigned to a penal unit for which life expectancies were very low. The planned kidnapping of Churchill, at first dismissed by Duvall's Radl and his superior, Admiral Canaris (a historical figure, chief of German intelligence, played well by Anthony Quayle, who even looks like the Abwehr head), begins to seem possible in light of a random intelligence note regarding the British Prime Minister's impending visit to a remote, seaside town. A special team would be needed, and herein lay the road to salvation for British-educated Steiner and his crew. The actors who play Steiner's men are believable as elite forces who have seen it all yet still have retained their humanity. Included among Steiner's men is a face, briefly shown clearly, familiar to viewers of 1978's "Grease" -- Jeff Conaway.

The ubiquitous Donald Pleasance (whose lack of discrimination in film projects is rivaled perhaps only by that of Michael Caine) wallows in the role of Himmler, perfectly capturing the former failed chicken-farmer's look and unnerving normality, a normality that barely concealed a seriously-disturbed megalomaniac. He's perfect as Himmler, turning the small role that the Reichsfuhrer-SS has in this film into a freaky and haunting performance. A gray little man with no personal charisma or physical ability, Pleasance's Himmler is ruthless and emboldened by the power that he wields and it shows. Scary.

Larry Hagman is great (if greatly annoying, albeit intentionally) as the aptly-named Colonel Pitts, a gung-ho but combat-green US Ranger officer who injects a bit of comic relief amidst the serious action of combat. I think that Pitts has seen too many John Wayne movies. He also plays to certain stereotypes about the Ugly American that have become firmly entrenched in the UK and elsewhere -- our sympathies lie more with the Germans of Steiner's unit than with him. His foil -- antidote, really -- is the All-American Treat Williams, playing a junior Ranger officer who does actually appear to know what he's doing. Still, the firefight between the relatively raw Rangers and their seasoned opposition -- Steiner's men are veterans of the Eastern Front, Crete, Norway, and may other nasty war zones -- is something of a study in contrasts.

Michael Caine, who gets to wear the cool leather jacket, is really the main character in the movie but the piece is such an ensemble effort that he is far from the movie's focus in terms of time. I wouldn't be surprised to find that Donald Sutherland's sly character actually gets more screen time. Donald Sutherland's always excellent and this film's no exception. He's also got some of the film's best lines and his character progresses the most as the film goes on.

Michael Caine's always a pleasure to watch, even in his most dire films (and several have been pretty dire). He's well cast as Steiner and embodies his war-weariness, style, knowing humor, and gentlemanly conduct very well. Colonel Steiner is the calm in the center of the storm in this film and is the kind of leader that most soldiers would probably love to serve with.

If you want to see a movie that's not too heavy and not too cerebral but still not lacking intelligence in combination with a good, rollicking storyline that includes a few satisfying twists, this one's a good one to sit back and enjoy. It's a tribute to the film-makers' breaking away from the stereotyped Nazi that the viewing audience and the German characters' American and British adversaries feel sadness at the film's end, with the decimation of what remained of Steiner's men. Ultimately, the film's further testimony to the futility of war, even more directly in this case because of the ersatz Churchill -- a nice, sad twist to the tale.

They don't make movies like this any more, and that's a pity.

Worth Watching But Only Because Of The Fine Cast

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 25 June 2005]

Jack Higgins ? Surely one the most clichéd commercial writers there has ever been . Maybe he's not the worst writer to make millionaire status since there's a lot of competition for that tag like Harold Robbins , Jackie Collins or even that dreadful hack called Rowling who has conned a lot of children out of their pocket money by publishing the same mediocre book year after year , but certainly as a writer Higgins is rather poor and it's no surprise that for many years film producers are totally disinterested in buying the movie rights to his stories

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is a typical Higgins story - Clichéd and with a ludicrous plot . What's it about ? A bunch of German paratroopers disguised as Poles drop into Norfolk in 1943 on a mission to kidnap Winston Churchill thereby bring about a negotiated settlement with the Western allies ? Can anyone see a flaw with this plot ? If you wonder what I'm talking about please read a history book on the second world war . Found it yet ? You might notice that Churchill was never kidnapped by German paratroopers which leads even the most ignorant audience member to have a rough idea of how the movie will end . On top of all that you find yourself comparing the movie to the far more superior Graham Greene adaptation of WENT THE DAY WELL which features a very similar plot

But it's the clichés that really get me with this movie . I don't doubt that from 1939-45 many Germans disliked Nazism and were disgusted by the genocidal policies of the party , but watching this movie you'd think EVERYONE was physically opposed to Nazism . Kurt Stiener ( A banal German name but better that Schmidt I guess ) assaults a totenkopf officer and vainly tries to save a Jewish woman from a death squad in Poland . Yup happened all the time I imagine , while Liam Devlin is mistaken as a gestapo member in a bar , has whisky poured over him and thrown through a window . Yes I'm sure if someone has the power of life and death over you and your family and you slightly disagreed with their racial politics you too would want to give them a piece of your mind . Oh I've just looked up a history book called History Of The Second World War And Why Germany Lost by Jack Higgins that fails to mention the lack of resources Germany had , or the slow degradation of its industrial power by allied bombing or massive loss of manpower suffered on the Eastern front , instead he states Germany lost the war because the average German hated the Nazis more than they hated the countries they were at war with !

If the clichés aren't bad enough we also have to endure some ridiculous plot devices . IRA man Liam Devlin ( Who wants to overthrow the British empire without blowing up innocent passers by - Yawn ) embarks on a relationship with a local girl within five minutes of landing in Norfolk . I guess this is to lull a potential female audience into the story , but would any woman be interested in a Jack Higgins story ? Would anyone with any common sense be interested in a Higgins story ! Oh and not wanting to be shot as spies the German wear their Luftwaffe uniforms under their Polish uniforms . Let me see now , they don't want to be shot as spies so if they wear their own uniforms under their disguise this will protect them under the terms laid out by the Geneva convention ! Actually it won't because they're spies / assassins . Of course this is another plot device , another daft plot device

This is a really stupid movie but I have no hesitation in awarding it six out of ten simply because the cast go out of their way to rise above the material . Michael Caine was infamous in the mid to late 1970s to taking on roles that were obviously just to pay the rent but he manages to make Kurt Stiener as well rounded and as affable as a thinly written cypher can be . Donald Sutherland steals every scene he's in but it's Robert Duvall who gives the stand out performance as a German Oberst . It's a very subtle performance in which his body language says far more about his character than the written dialogue . Uanfortunately Larry Hagman gives a terrible performance as an American officer . Remember the sheriff in THE DUKES OF HAZZARD ? I'm sure that was inspired by Hagman's performance here

Great fun

[GusF · 9/10 · 22 August 2015]

Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Jack Higgins, this is an extremely enjoyable "Boy's Own"-type adventure thriller concerning a Nazi plot to kidnap Churchill in 1943. I first saw the film in 2006 and I did not particularly enjoy it. I think that the major problem that I had with it then was that I was expecting it to be on the same level as the director John Sturges' previous films "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape", my fourth and fifth favourite films respectively then and now, and it most certainly isn't. However, I was unfair to it on that occasion. On my second viewing of it today, I enjoyed it considerably more for what it was as opposed to disliking it for what it wasn't. There was a few rather silly moments but it has a cracking script by Tom Mankiewicz. I would praise Sturges' direction from what I saw on screen but, according to Mankiewicz and Michael Caine, most of the editing work was done by Anne V. Coates so it is a little hard to gauge it in the way that I normally would for such things. This was Sturges' final film, incidentally.

Michael Caine is characteristically excellent as the highly decorated but disgraced protagonist Oberst Kurt Steiner. He is introduced while trying to save a young Jewish woman from being rounded up by the SS in Poland, saying that he does not have any strong feelings about the Jews one way or the other but he has seen too many people die in the war already. Steiner is a comparatively honourable man who at times is even sympathetic in spite of the fact that he is leading the mission to kidnap the Prime Minister. In fact, most of his men are honourable as one of them gives his life to save a little English girl from being crushed by a waterwheel. He meets that unpleasant fate himself. His Free Polish uniform is torn and it is revealed that he is wearing a German one underneath and, consequently, that they are Germans. Steiner insisted that he and his men be allowed to wear their German uniforms, one of the aforementioned silly moments.

I said in my review of "Ordinary People" last week that Donald Sutherland is one of the best actors of his generation and I stand by that. However, he was badly miscast as the Germans' IRA accomplice Liam Devlin. He does the best that he can with the role but his Irish accent is not great and the character is a little clichéd, his second line being "Top o' the mornin' to ya." Bar one year in Edinburgh, I have lived all of my 28 years in Ireland and I have yet to hear anyone say that unless they were mocking Irish stereotypes! Richard Harris was strongly considered for the role and he would certainly have been more suited to it as, aside from his nationality, he often played rough and ready characters. However, perhaps he was too suited to it. The producers decided that it was a bad idea to cast him since he was known for making pro-IRA statements in real life. Considering that this was a British film made in the 1970s, I don't think that it was a great idea or a very tasteful one to make Devlin a lovable rogue, essentially. His love story with Molly, admittedly played very well by Jenny Agutter, is nice but it doesn't really add much to the film.

The film has a very strong supporting cast overall such as Robert Duvall as Oberst Radl, Anthony Quayle as the Cassandra-esque Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (who was executed for treason in 1945), a suitably creepy Donald Pleasence as Himmler, Jean Marsh as the sleeper agent Joanna Grey, Sven-Bertil Taube as Hans, John Standing as Father Verecker, a very young Treat Williams as Captain Clark, Michael Byrne as Karl, Siegfried Rauch (the most prominent German cast member) as Brandt and, last but not least, Larry Hagman as the blustering, buffoonish US Army Colonel Clarence E. Pitts. Interestingly, he played a somewhat similar character in his cameo in "Superman", likewise written by Mankiewicz. The film also features nice small appearances from Maurice Roëves, Judy Geeson, Jeff Conaway, Roy Marsden and Denis Lill.

Overall, this is not a heavy hitter when it comes to World War II films but it's great fun. Oh, and what a twist at the end!

the last film of John Sturges

[dromasca · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

'The Eagle Has Landed' concluded John Sturges' directing career in 1976. Over the course of 30 years, the American director has made 44 films, achieving some remarkable successes in the western genre ('The Magnificent Seven', 'Last Train from Gun Hill'). Action films, some of which were inspired by events during World War II, were another of his specialties, including 'The Great Escape'. 'The Eagle Has Landed' brings to screen a Jack Higgins novel depicting an imaginary behind-the-lines action in which a German commando allegedly tried to kidnap Winston Churchill. Benefiting from a select cast, the film manages to be even today, at a viewing after 45 years since its premiere, a reasonable entertainment, a more than honorable end of career and a kind of epilogue that makes visible the limits of a genre of productions very popular in the 60's and 70's.

We know from history that Winston Churchill was not abducted by the Germans during World War II. What is original in the script of this film is that, unlike most of the war films we know, 'The Eagle Has Landed' is told from the point of view of the Germans. The main hero, Colonel Kurt Steiner, played by the very British Michael Caine, is a hero paratrooper, a devotee military, decorated with the Iron Cross. Steiner does not adhere to Nazi ideology, he is even punished for trying to save the life of a Jewish woman in the occupied countries, but on the other hand he proudly carries the Iron Cross and proceeds without moral hesitation in an action that, if successful, could have changed the fate of the war. None of the Germans, except Heinrich Himler (played by Donald Pleasence), is a negative character. Steiner's ally in this action is the Irishman Liam Devlin, an IRA activist and an enemy of the British (played by Donald Sutherland) a picturesque character, who commits a few bad things before he falls in love with a young Englishwoman. This 'humanization' of the enemy would probably not have passed today without causing controversy, but in 1976 it seems to have been accepted without much dispute. The plot has quite a few unbelievable aspects, but we are in the territory of historical fiction and action movies, so the historical reality must be treated more like a pretext.

As an action movie, 'The Eagle Has Landed' largely meets expectations. He has a good sense of humor, and the action is fast-paced, although the situation is not very credible. The feeling is that we are watching a film written in the '50s but made in the' 70s. The characters are well defined, and some of the acting performances are remarkable. In addition to Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland, I enjoyed Robert Duvall's acting as the German officer planning the whole action, although he is aware that the war is lost. John Sturges avoids caricature and the choice is correct, at least from a cinematic point of view, the risk being that the approach will be considered too idealized. The soundtrack is composed by Lalo Schifrin, a composer whose music career spans nearly six decades, including the soundtracks and music themes of over a hundred movies and television series, some famous ('Mannix'! - does anyone remember? And 'Mission Impossible', among others). I recommend the movie, it's a more than acceptable entertainment, and a good starting point for discussions about 'action movies from another time'.

A superb colorful war movie

[leif-kjaer · 8/10 · 18 August 2001]

Usually I do not like war movies, but this one is excellent seen from different point of views.

The dialogue is fantastic and helps describing the characters. Every line is as written for the actors.

And what an incredible cast: Michael Caine as Nazi officer driven by duty and honor, Donald Sutherland as an amazing Irish dog and horse whisperer (there is always those sparkling glimpses in his eyes!), Robert Duval as colonel Radl (he does not play the character - he IS in fact the colonel), Donald Pleasance as a slimy and yet funny Himmler and not to forget the energic Larry Hagman as "home made" American red neck officer. Besides that a good supporting cast.

But what is more important in this well done movie is the complexity of the war combatants - e.g. Caine trying to save a jewish women from certain death, one of his soldiers saving a little English girl from drowning at the water mill, Hagman as an incompetent, but yet war loving officer, sacrificing of an actor who takes over Churchill's part. The conclusion is that when you cut down to basics you will find honorable men among the enemies (Nazis) and less sympathetic men among the Allied.

By the way - there is a lot of humor on both sides - and that is not too bad though!

Donald Sutherland as Liam Devlin???

[bdgwent · 6/10 · 30 April 2018]

Having read the book I just couldn't accept Donald Sutherland as Liam Devlin and that sort of was my problem. Jack Higgins made it very clear that Devlin was short (about 5 ft 6 in.) Sutherland is 6 ft 4 in.-to me this was not Ian Devlin. Jenny Agutter as Molly however was a pure delight

one of the best films ever made

[mombasa_pete · 10/10 · 28 February 2007]

Yes i cannot believe some of the negative comments I am reading here.

This is one of the best films ever made, period.

It fully captures the look and feel of 1940s wartime Britain, and has excellent locations, it is filmed in one of the most picturesque areas of the UK, I believe Herfordshire, and has plenty of local colour and humour.

It is also very exciting, with a powerful score by Lalo Schifrin.

It has a very fine cast too, all of whom give wonderful performances.

The action scenes are not cheap looking at all like one commentator below wrote, they are sweeping and thrilling, with authentic attention to detail.

The humour provided by Larry Hagman is a welcome relief from the intensity of the mission being portrayed and makes his bloody death scene where he gets shot through the helmet by Jean Marsh even more shocking.

He is also plausible as a an early day George Bush.

And the film also highlights one of the lesser known aspects of WW2 I don't think any other film has: the occupation of the Channel Islands by the Nazis! Watch it now!! I love this film!

Sent Me Back to the Book

[aramis-112-804880 · 6/10 · 12 July 2014]

Watch out for spoilers: It's a cliché to say "the book is better." Some books are, since they have more depth of character. This is not, however, universal. Many screenplays, for obvious reasons, streamline novels, cutting out extraneous characters and making the stories flow much more smoothly. I can point out lots of cases where the movie actually is better.

Not here. "The Eagle Has Landed" does streamline the story, naturally. The entire Preston subplot is excised. So is a lot of the back-and-forth yo-yoing of Radl to Himmler. In fact, Canaris has so little to do in this flick, I'm surprised they left him in at all. (Anthony Quayle is wasted as Canaris; Donald Pleasence has a field day as Himmler, and he lets us know what Hamlet means when he says one can smile and be a villain).

On the plus side, the screenplay telescopes the story nicely. The novel takes place over months, while the screenplay seems to cover just a few days.

Michael Caine is perfect as the German soldier with a conscience, while playing his cards close to his chest. Donald Sutherland is fine as the wry Devlin (replacing Richard Harris, and it's too bad we missed that performance). Larry Hagman, never the world's greatest actor, plays a character who was an idiot in the book and manages to be even more stupid in the movie (so although he did the part well enough as written, he can't help coming off looking unpleasantly like a buffoon; I'm surprised they didn't hire a comedic actor to play the part). I've never been a fan of Jean Marsh so I'm happy with her performance as the faux-British traitor. Jenny Agutter is pertly pretty; that's all that is required of her and that's all she does.

But when all the shooting is over, one has never really connected to the characters. In the book one is surprisingly drawn to the IRA assassin and all the men fighting for their German fatherland (or, in Steiner's case, his real father, who is in Himmler's clutches). Confronted, in the movie, with dumb Americans and Brits, angry churchmen, supposedly compassionate characters studded over with Nazi regalia, and a moonstruck girl who shoots an unwelcome suitor in the back with both barrels to keep him from betraying her hit-man lover, there is really no one here for the film-goer to sympathize with.

This is where the book's depth of character makes it superior. In the book you even feel disappointed when the Nazis lose, which shows the author's mastery. In many ways the screenplay and the editing improve on the story. But overall, once the shooting starts it's a bore, when that should be the exciting part.

A romantic view of the IRA

[davemellor · 3/10 · 9 May 2020]

Donald Sutherland plays a lovable rogue - playing into the romantic delusion that an independent Ireland is more important than defeating Nazi Germany.

I do not think so. This myth led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians - I find that despicable. So, make of the film what you will.