Eye of the Needle (1981)

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writers:

Ken Follett (novel)
Stanley Mann (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 July 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | War

Tagline:

Codename: "The Needle". Only one person can stop him: The woman who loves him !

Plot:

A ruthless German spy, trying to get out of Britain with vital information about D-Day, must spend time with a young woman and her crippled husband.

Plot Keywords:

German | D Day | Spy | Murder | WWII

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Jan. 9	9:00 PM	PBS
Sun. Jan. 10	12:30 AM	PBS

Cast

Donald Sutherland	...	Faber
Stephen MacKenna	...	Lieutenant
Philip Martin Brown	...	Billy Parkin
Kate Nelligan	...	Lucy
Christopher Cazenove	...	David
George Belbin	...	Lucy's Father
Faith Brook	...	Lucy's Mother
Barbara Graley	...	David's Mother
George Lee	...	Constable
Arthur Lovegrove	...	Peterson
Colin Rix	...	Oliphant
Barbara Ewing	...	Mrs. Garden
Chris Jenkinson	...	German SS Officer
William Merrow	...	German Radio Operator
Patrick Connor	...	Inspector Harris

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #26243) | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:16LV | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Blackbush Airport, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Kings Road Entertainment

Trivia:

First full length feature of Bill Nighy.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Several of the trains shown in the film are in British Railways livery but British Railways was not formed until 1948.

Quotes:

Faber: The war has come down to the two of us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Tight, kinetic suspenser

Donald Sutherland is superb as "The Needle", a Nazi spy pursued by the British government during World War II. Circumstances land him on Storm Island, a small, wind-swept patch of land off the English coast. There he falls in love with the sensual Kate Nelligan, the unhappy, lonely wife of a crippled war vet.

The late Richard Marquand's second feature film is a gripping, suspenseful wartime drama about doomed love. The blazing glow of this film is enhanced by sizzling yet subtle scenes of lovemaking and a stunning Miklos Rosza score.

The island vistas are breathtaking and Alan Hulme's pictures are rich and moody.