Eye of the Needle (1981)

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.

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writers:

Ken Follett (novel), Stanley Mann (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A German spy carrying information that will reveal the target of Operation Overlord becomes involved with the wife of a crippled man on an isolated island off the Scottish coast while he waits to be picked up.

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Plot Keywords:

german | love | spy | murder | island | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Romance | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

24 July 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Eye of the Needle

Filming Locations:

Blackbush Airport, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 5,742,895 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kings Road Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The false army that Faber finds in this film is based on historical fact. Germany knew that the D-Day invasion (known as Operation Overlord) was coming, that it was likely to be in early June, and even that the likely points of attack were Normandy and the Pas de Calais. Operation Fortitude was designed to convince the Germans that the Allies' major strength would be focused on attacking Calais, so that most of the German forces would be defending that spot instead of Normandy. It worked so well that, even after June 6, the Germans kept many forces stationed at Calais, in anticipation of a second wave attack there.

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Goofs

The submarine that is going to pick up the needle is U53. U53 was sunk on the 23 of feb. 1940 In the North sea by the British destroyer HMS Gurkha.

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Quotes

Faber: [calling on radio to submarine] Singvogel. Hier ist die Nadel. Kommen.
["Songbird. This is the Needle. Come."]

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Connections

Referenced in A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Roses and Moonlight"
(uncredited)
Music by Alan Moorhouse
KPM Music Ltd

User Reviews

Thrilling, tightly-wound WW2 love story

Sutherland was never darker or slicker, Kate Nelligan was never more heroic or attractive, and the outcome of World War Two was never so thoroughly in doubt. Suspenseful all the way, this movie convinces us that the Allied-Axis struggle was determined by the violent, romantic interplay among five people on a storm-tossed British isle. See it!