Other Titles • Der Adler ist gelandet (1977) • La Notte dell'aquila (1976)
Synopses for The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
1.
John Sturges's adaptation of Jack Higgins's best-selling suspense novel stars Michael Caine as Nazi Col. Kurt Steiner. When the Nazi high command learns in late 1943 that Winston Churchill will be spending time at a country estate in Norfolk, it hatches an audacious scheme to kidnap the prime minister and spirit him to Germany for enforced negotiations with Der Führer. Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasence) assigns Col. Max Radl (Robert Duvall) to mastermind the operaton. He enlists the aid of Steiner, who has been imprisoned for subordination and is awaiting sentence, by offering him a chance to save his life. Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), an IRA lifer who hates the British, also signs on for the mission. Steiner and his commando team parachute into the small village of Sudley disguised as Polish soldiers and appear to the populace to be paratroopers running through exercises. As they await the arrival of Churchill, one of the commandos rescues a boy from drowning in a nearby river, inadvertently revealing his Nazi colors in the process. Steiner realizes that some changes will have to made in his timetable. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is an enjoyable Alistair MacLean-like mission impossible, ably served by Sturges and a stellar cast.
2.
Based on Jack Higgin's bestseller. In November 1943, Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasance) received a simple message, The Eagle Has Landed. It meant that a crack force of German paratroopers were safely in England, poised and ready to kidnap the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill. The force is under the command of Colonel Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine). All goes smoothly as the German forces, disguised in Polish uniforms, is accepted by the villagers. But one of the men is killed while rescuing a little girl, and his German uniform discovered. The entire village has to be taken hostage and hidden in the town church. Agents and counteragents work desperately to keep the scheme alive. Steiner himself takes a dangerous gamble. He overpowers an American general, commandeers his jeep and uniform and drives to the mansion where Churchill is relaxing. The action and suspense are nonstop in this WWII thriller.
3.
This 1976 adventure story set in World War II concerns a Nazi plot to kidnap Churchill from his retreat--or murder him if need be. The large, great cast and a director, John Sturges, who's been down this road of ensemble action before (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) make this project exciting if not as memorable as Sturges' more famous works. The weak ending doesn't help. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
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