The Eagle Has Landed

"The daring World War II plot that changed the course of history."

1976 2h 15m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

71%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 399🍅71%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 26,204

AdventureDramaActionThrillerWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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 Hitler.

“The daring World War II plot that changed the course of history.”

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Cast

Michael Caine
Col. Kurt Steiner
Donald Sutherland
Liam Devlin
Robert Duvall
Col. Max Radl
Jenny Agutter
Molly Prior
Donald Pleasence
Himmler
Anthony Quayle
Admiral Canaris
Jean Marsh
Joanna Grey
Sven-Bertil Taube
Captain von Neustadt

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Sturges
Writers: Tom Mankiewicz
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Sturges, shot by Anthony B. Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The daring World War II plot that changed the course of history.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074452 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Sturges directs. Anthony B. Richmond behind the camera. Lalo Schifrin scores. Anne V. Coates cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by John Sturges, shot by Anthony B. Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The daring World War II plot that changed the course of history.".
7IMDB entry: tt0074452 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "nazi", "england", "world war ii".
9Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Anthony B. Richmond
Original score: Lalo Schifrin
Editing: Anne V. Coates
Production design: Peter Murton
Costume design: Yvonne Blake
Makeup / hair: Freddie Williamson
Stunt coordinator: Gerry Crampton
Runtime: 135 min · 2h 15m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 26,204 votes
MPAA: PG

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John Sturges

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-01-03
★ 7/10
Unconventional WW2 flick from 1977 Michael Caine is outstanding as Colonel Steiner, an untamed German paratroop commander, who's covert mission is to go to Britain and kidnap Winston Churchill whilst on a retreat. The Germans are helped by Irishman Liam Devlin, played by Donald Sutherland, who essentially paves the way for their operation at a coastal hamlet (shot in Cornwall and Berkshire, England). Jenny Agutter plays Devlin's near-jailbait romantic interest in the quaint village, while Larry Hagman and Treat Williams play American officers, the former foolishly gung-ho. Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence are also on hand as Nazi officers. As you can see from the plot, this is an unconventional WW2 picture. It doesn't feature the typical major battles or stereotypical characters and situations of most war flicks. Both Caine and Sutherland shine in their roles, especially Caine as the fearless Steiner. Memorable moments abound. The film runs 2 hours, 11 minutes, but feels shorter. GRADE: B+/A-
CinemaSerf2024-07-15
★ 6/10
Following an animated staff meeting with Hitler, there's a suggestion put forward that the Nazis try to kidnap Winston Churchill. Spymaster Admiral Canaris (Anthony Quayle) thinks it's a dangerous idea, but Himmler (Donald Pleasence) wants it investigated. To that end, the admiral recruits "Radl" (Robert Duvall) to find a man who might be able to lead a team to get the job done. We've already met "Col. Steiner" (Michael Caine) and know he's a bit of a maverick, so "Radl" does a deal with him that will accomplish the task and save "Steiner" from a lively firing squad. It seems the Prime Minister is soon to visit a quiet country manor house near the Norfolk coast so this is their chance. The soldiers adopt the identity of British soldiers and work with the nearby villagers whilst laying the groundworks for their plot. A chance accident, though, reveals their identity to the villagers and things turn decidedly dangerous. Can the villagers find a way to warn the outside world? Caine does fine with this drama, and Donald Sutherland also delivers quite well as the IRA man who will do just about anything to see the British lose the war, but the rest of the cast rather underwhelm - especially the rather soporific "Molly" (Jenny Agutter) and curiously cast Jean Marsh. Quayle, Duvall and Pleasence barely feature at all and the denouement, though not quite what we were expecting, still can't quite enliven this rather over-scripted and far-fetched story. It's watchable enough, though, Caine sees to that - but just not quite the sum of it's parts.