The Eagle Has Landed (1976)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Tom Mankiewicz (screenplay)
Jack Higgins (novel)

Release Date:

25 December 1976 (Finland)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

In 1943 sixteen German paratroopers landed in England. In three days they nearly won the War.

Plot:

Oberst Steiner, a German parachute unit commander, is sent to England on a covert mission to kidnap...

Plot Keywords:

Parachute | Winston Churchill | Magnifying Glass | Cigarette Smoking | Heinrich Himmler

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Colonel Kurt Steiner
Donald Sutherland	...	Liam Devlin
Robert Duvall	...	Colonel Max Radl
Jenny Agutter	...	Molly Prior
Donald Pleasence	...	Heinrich Himmler
Anthony Quayle	...	Admiral Canaris
Jean Marsh	...	Joanna Grey
Sven-Bertil Taube	...	Capt. Hans von Neustadt
John Standing	...	Philip Verecker
Judy Geeson	...	Pamela Verecker
Treat Williams	...	Capt. Harry Clark
Larry Hagman	...	Col. Clarence E. Pitts
Alexei Jawdokimov	...	Corpral Kuniski
Richard Wren
Michael Byrne	...	Karl
Joachim Hansen	...	SS-Obergruppenführer
Denis Lill
Rick Parsé		(as Rick Parse)
Léonie Thelen		(as Leonie Thelen)
Keith Buckley
Terence Plummer		(as Terry Plummer)
Tim Barlow	...	George Wilde (Publican)
John Barrett	...	Laker Armsby
Kate Binchy
Maurice Roëves	...	Maj. Corcoran (as Maurice Roeves)
David Gilliam
Jeff Conaway	...	Frazier
Asa Teeter
Rob Reece		(as Robert G. Reece)
Jack McCulloch
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Leech	...	Traumer
Patrick Allen	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Leigh Dilley	...	Winston Churchill / George Fowler (uncredited)
Harry Fielder	...	Motorbike outrider (uncredited)
Paul Finemore	...	Dead diver (uncredited)
Anthony Forrest	...	Sgt. Hayley (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (greets Mussolini after rescue) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Wolf Kahler	...	Hauptsturmführer Fleischer (uncredited)
Roy Marsden	...	Stormbandführer Toberg, SS (uncredited)
Ferdy Mayne	...	Radl's doctor (uncredited)
Peter Miles	...	Adolf Hitler (uncredited)
Benito Mussolini	...	Himself (rescued by Skorzeny) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Siegfried Rauch	...	Sgt. Brandt (uncredited)
Otto Skorzeny	...	Himself (rescues Mussolini, wears binoculars) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Joachim von Ribbentrop	...	Himself (greets Mussolini and Hitler, wears white lapels) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Kent Williams	...	Mallory (uncredited)

Directed by
John Sturges

Writing credits
Tom Mankiewicz		(screenplay)
Jack Higgins		(novel)

Produced by
David Niven Jr.	....	producer
Jack Wiener	....	producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Anthony B. Richmond		(director of photography) (as Anthony Richmond)

Film Editing by
Anne V. Coates

Production Design by
Peter Murton

Art Direction by
Charles Bishop

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist
Betty Glasow	....	hairdressing
Mike Jones	....	hairdressing (as Michael Jones)
Paul Rabiger	....	makeup artist
Freddie Williamson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Basil Rayburn	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David C. Anderson	....	assistant director (as David Anderson)
Terence Churcher	....	second assistant director (as Terry Churcher)
Michael Stevenson	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Peter James	....	set dresser
John Paterson	....	construction manager
John Chisholm	....	property master (uncredited)
Terry Wells	....	stand-by property master (uncredited)
Barry Wilkinson	....	stand-by props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	sound editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound recordist
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Terry Sharratt	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Roy Whybrow	....	special effects

Stunts
Gerry Crampton	....	stunt coordinator
Del Baker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Andy Bradford	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Dowdall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Hobbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Leech	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mark McBride	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ken Shepherd	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Stacey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	aerial photographer
James Bawden	....	camera operator
Martin Evans	....	electrical supervisor
Gordon Hayman	....	camera operator: second unit
George Whitear	....	stills
John Wilcox	....	director of photography: second unit
Harry Jackson	....	best boy (uncredited)
Mike Roberts	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Derek Suter	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Irene Lamb	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elsa Fennell	....	wardrobe supervisor
Mike Jarvis	....	wardrobe master (as Michael Jarvis)

Music Department
Peter Watson	....	music editor

Other crew
John Beharrell	....	production accountant
Douglas Bianci	....	aviation consultant
Edna Bianci	....	aviation consultant
Penelope Forrester	....	assistant to producer
Ray Freeborn	....	location manager
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist (as Geoffrey Freeman)
Ray Frift	....	location manager
Hubert Fröhlich	....	German adviser (as Hubert Froehlich)
Lew Grade	....	presenter (as Sir Lew Grade)
Bernard Hanson	....	location manager
Sally Jones	....	continuity
Åke Lindman	....	Finnish production consultant (as Ake Lindman)
Andrew Mollo	....	historical consultant
Paul Tivers	....	set runner (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Associated General Films (for) (presents)
• ITC Entertainment (from) (as ITC Entertainment An ATV Company)
• Incorporated Television Company (ITC) (uncredited)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-Stockholm Film Distribution (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corp. (1977) (UK) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere) (pan/scan)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• VCL Communications (1991) (Germany) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Live Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1995) (Sweden) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Artisan Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• VCL Communications (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Magna-Filmi (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Avid Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1984) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Rautakirja (????) (Finland) (video)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1994) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Board of Administration of the Finnish State Railways, The  the producers thank, for their co-operation (as the Board of Administration of the Finnish State Railways)
• Mapledurham Estate, Berks, The  the producers thank, for their co-operation (as the Mapledurham Estate, Berks)
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment (uncredited)

Runtime:

135 min | Germany:125 min (25 fps) (TV version) | UK:145 min (25 fps) (extended version) | USA:123 min | USA:131 min (DVD version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Polish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | 4-Track Stereo (some 35 mm prints) (London premiere print)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | UK:15 (tv rating) | UK:15 (video rating: extended version) (2004) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 (1977) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Associated General Films

Trivia:

Devlin's (Donald Sutherland) motorcycle is a 125cc Royal Enfield Flying Flea. Two Flying Fleas were on set but neither being very reliable, a 125cc Yamaha engine was fitted into the Royal Enfield frame and was used in some shots with the Flying Flea engine noise superimposed. For the viewer to tell them apart, when Sutherland uses the hand gear change, it's the Flying Flea engine; when he uses his foot to change gear, it's the Yamaha engine.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: There is a scene when one of the invading soldiers sits down to play a church's pipe organ. His hands are shown on the keys and it is blatantly obvious that he is not playing the technically challenging music that we hear.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: [WWII News Story] September 12, 1943, German paratroopers snatched Mussolini from his mountaintop prison in Italy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "I'm Alan Partridge: Basic Alan (#1.4)" (1997)

Enjoyable adaptation of Jack Higgins' novel.

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!