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 (based on the novel by), Stanley Mann (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Stephen MacKenna

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:

spy | german | woman | love | u boat | 

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Taglines:

To love a stranger is easy... To kill a lover is not.

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Genres:

Romance | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

24 July 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

El ojo de la aguja

Filming Locations:

Blackbush Airport, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$17,583,634

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

Donald Surherland's German dialog is noticeably dubbed by a voice actor.

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Goofs

1981 Juniper Films version on MGM DVD copyright 2000. The final, aerial scene edited onto this version must have been not-too-carefully reversed: one is flying away from the beach and up and around the lighthouse, and smoke is going *down* the chimney!

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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

When My Little Pomeranian Met Your Little Pekinese
(1933) (uncredited)
Written by Jack Little, Ira Schuster and Dave Oppenheim

User Reviews

Donald Sutherland at his best in one of the most fascinating spy films ever!

Director Richard Marquand and all the crew involved brought us a memorable film that keeps us on the edge of our seat from the beginning to the very last minute. The story follows a Nazi spy named Henry Faber (an extremely vicious Donald Sutherland), also known by his code name "The Needle", who is on to an important information about the Allies invasion plan to Europe during WW2 and might cause a disaster if he gets with that information to Berlin. Kate Nelligan gives a perfect performance as the naive Lucy who gets involved with the dangerous Henry Faber. Adopted from Ken Follet's novel, The film successfully keeps the tension on high level in just about every scene. The film is shot in a remarkably beautiful locations in Europe and really captures the alienated atmosphere during WW2. All in all this is a perfect film that shouldn't be missed by anyone who is looking for a powerful and memorable experience. This one is highly recommended 10/10.