Eye of the Needle

1981
R
1h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

13K

YOUR RATING

Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan in 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.

Play trailer1:50

1 Video

82 Photos

Period Drama Spy 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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

13K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Videos1

Trailer 1:50

Official Trailer

Photos82

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
This movie is what led George Lucas to hire Richard Marquand to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Lucas was mainly impressed how Marquand was able to finish a difficult production on time and on budget, a factor which was critical on a huge production like Star Wars. Lucas also had to hire someone who was not a member of the Hollywood director's union as he was having a dispute with the Director's Guild at the time.

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
Featured in Vintage Video: A Chronological 80's Film Rewatch Podcast: Eye of the Needle (1981) (2022)

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

User reviews107

Review

Featured review

Gripping stuff

This film really does deserve more merit than it seems to get.

Sutherland is a bit odd, with most of all a bizarre accent that almost seems to change from scene to scene. Whilst this is perhaps expected from an international spy in deep cover, it doesn't seem to sit well.

Nelligan steals the show with a wonderful performance, but the real surprise for me was Cazenove. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see him as the newly qualified, sparkling eyed flyboy, but his portrayal of the embittered, loveless amputee was a joy to watch - clearly a talented man.

The film wraps up a great story with wonderful acting, a great collection of WW2 military hardware and breathtaking scenery. Well worth a watch.