The eagle has landed (1976)
June 23, 2024 8:50 PM - Subscribe
1943, The war is entering its final stages and Germany is teetering on the brink of defeat. An increasingly unhinged Hitler orders a mission to have British Prime Minister Winston Churchill kidnapped and brought to Germany. The plan seems ludicrous in the extreme, but a message sent from a German spy in the Norfolk countryside makes one German officer realize that such a mission may just be feasible.
Sutherland plays a member of the IRA who is in cahoots with the Nazis.
Wikipedia rabbit hole on the IRA during WWII.
posted by bunderful at 9:26 PM on June 23
Wikipedia rabbit hole on the IRA during WWII.
posted by bunderful at 9:26 PM on June 23
I don't remember a lot about this movie, but the scene with the waterwheel where the German cross is revealed left a lasting impression on tween me.
posted by Gorgik at 9:50 PM on June 23
posted by Gorgik at 9:50 PM on June 23
it seems timely to observe Donald Sutherland's recent passing
posted by elkevelvet at 1:17 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
posted by elkevelvet at 1:17 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
I always feel the urge to compare this with "Where Eagles Dare" which is nowhere near as good. This is easier to follow, has Michael Caine, is nicely directed, has Larry Hagman as an incompetent US army officer, iirc Treat Williams as a competent US army officer and Donald Sutherland with a good dog training trick. It references Went the Day Well and precedes Tarantino style WW2 war fantasies with a nice twist.
posted by biffa at 1:53 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 1:53 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
Elkevelvet - Yes, Eye of the Needle gave me a fresh appreciation for Sutherland, and with his passing I’ve been looking for his movies.
posted by bunderful at 4:10 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
posted by bunderful at 4:10 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
Didn't realize this was streaming everywhere now, but just watched it on Plex. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid and it was on TV and I'm pretty sure there were numerous scenes cut from the tV version.
Anyway, it's kind of an odd film. Donald Sutherland is pretty great, Michael Caine does some Michael Caine things but is sort of a non-entity, somehow- even though he's a major player as a crack German paratroop officer. He doesn't do much beyond putting on a beautiful cut-glass accent to fool the locals. Larry Hagman is unbelievably cartoonish. And somehow there are no English military personnel in England, even though Winston Churchill is supposedly turning up in a hush-hush rendezvous of some sort in the nearby countryside.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:52 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
Anyway, it's kind of an odd film. Donald Sutherland is pretty great, Michael Caine does some Michael Caine things but is sort of a non-entity, somehow- even though he's a major player as a crack German paratroop officer. He doesn't do much beyond putting on a beautiful cut-glass accent to fool the locals. Larry Hagman is unbelievably cartoonish. And somehow there are no English military personnel in England, even though Winston Churchill is supposedly turning up in a hush-hush rendezvous of some sort in the nearby countryside.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:52 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]
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posted by bunderful at 9:21 PM on June 23