Eye of the Needle

19811981
RR
1h 52min

Eye of the Needle (1981)

Romance Thriller War

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.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.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(based on the novel by)
- Stanley Mann(screenplay)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Videos1

Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 39

Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 39

Donald Sutherland in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Christopher Cazenove and Kate Nelligan in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Donald Sutherland and John Paul in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Kate Nelligan in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Christopher Cazenove in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Donald Sutherland in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Donald Sutherland, Christopher Cazenove, Kate Nelligan, and Jonathan Nicholas Haley in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Donald Sutherland in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Kate Nelligan and Jonathan Nicholas Haley in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Christopher Cazenove and Kate Nelligan in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Kate Nelligan in Eye of the Needle (1981)

Director
- Richard Marquand
Writers
- Ken Follett(based on the novel by)
- Stanley Mann(screenplay)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

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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. —Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>

spy evil lead character body part in title four word title german 86 more

Taglines
- Codename: "The Needle". Only one person can stop him: The woman who loves him !
Genres
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
A cottage and lighthouse were constructed on the The Isle of Mull for the production of this movie. The set building utilized the skills of a seventy-two year old master thatcher, a local of the island.

Goofs
Other then in Burma, and a bit of Coast Guard work, Helicopters were not around in Military use (or few others for that matter) in 1944. That model was not flown by the RAF until 1953.

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

Alternate versions
NTSC DVD R1 and PAL DVD R2, have different endings. European PAL DVD version ending is approx. 1.5 minutes longer. In the last scene, the helicopter arrives and lands, there is a conversation with the commander about the radio transmission being interrupted and finally the child arrives and reunites with his mother. it's sort of a happy end. This ending was cut from NTSC DVD version.

Connections
Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Donald Sutherland/Martin Mull (1983)

Soundtracks
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by wedding guests with modified lyrics ("For They Are Jolly Good Fellows")

Top review

7/10

The war has come down to the two of us.

I saw this film many years ago and have watched it more than once. The opportunity presented itself for me to see it again and it was just as good as I recalled it being.

This is probably the best performance of Donald Sutherland's career. You can argue for Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or Human Trafficking, or MASH, or even Space Cowboys, or many other great performances, but this is the film I will always remember him for.

As a German spy who has discovered the best kept secret regarding the Allied invasion on DDay, he had to be prevented from getting home to report to Hitlar. It was just an accident that he was discovered. The suspense of his job and discovery were heart-pounding. Oscar nominated Kate Nelligan (The Prince of Tides) gave an outstanding performance as a neglected wife who accidentally uncovered Sutherland's identity.

Worth watch over and over.

helpful•7

0

lastliberal
Aug 31, 2007

Release date
- July 24, 1981 (United States)
Country of origin
- United Kingdom
Official site
- MGM
Languages
- English
- German
Also known as
- The Eye of the Needle
Filming locations
- Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK
Production company
- Kings Road Entertainment
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Gross US & Canada
- $17,583,634
Gross worldwide
- $17,583,634

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 52min
Sound mix
- Mono
Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1

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