The Eagle Has Landed (1977)

I saw this in the theaters when it first came out. I was bowled over by its ingenuity and originality. Also the daring of the producers and studios to present this film from the point of view of the Germans in a positive light. It is astounding in its execution and the even flow of plot and dialogue. The production values were excellent. This is a historical drama so you need some great actors to pull this off. The actors were the best in the business: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Agutter, Anthony Quayle and D0nald Pleasence to name a few. For those who don't already know.... Here is the story line: The Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) receives an erroneous report that Winston Churchill will be vacationing at a small coastal town almost directly across from the Pas De Calais in France. The report would be meaningless and unimportant except that it coincides with a request from Adolf Hitler for a feasibility study into the possibility of kidnapping Winston Churchill. The study is carried out by Colonel Radl (Duvall) and found to be feasible. Heinrich Himmler (Pleasence) gets a hold of the report and decides to execute the plan.There are a lot of twists and turns in this and the ending is a shocker.I saw a number of people were not happy with the transfer to Blu-Ray. I did not have any problems with this disc. I will admit that in certain places the disc was dark but overall the picture was bright and the contrast good. The sound was very good. If you are a WWII buff or you just like action films with ideas or if you are a fan of Michael Caine or Robert Duvall I highly recommend this movie and I recommend it in Blu-Ray format.

Jack Higgins Masterpiece brought to the screen by an excellent cast of actors! This movie is pure gold.

This film came out in late 1976, basically the day before I turned 13. My dad was a big Jack Higgins fan (the author of the book), and so we would have seen this movie early in its run. I loved it as a kid, and saw it a decade or so later on a rented VHS. So when I watched the blu ray just the other day, it had been roughly 35 years.But I remembered significant swaths of this film, and it was a great viewing experience. I remembered enough to get that bit of nostalgia fix, but had forgotten enough details to still have some sense of discovery. The blu ray looks and sounds great! There are a couple of blurry shots fairly early on, but otherwise, this movie hasn't looked better since it came out in theaters.A brief summary: in the waning days of WWII, a random remark by Hitler sparks a daring plan. To kidnap Winston Churchill and bring him to Germany. Under secret orders from Heinrich Himmler (the always fun Donald Pleasance), colonel Robert Duvall develops a plan to carry this off. Using an annoying Irish spy (Donald Sutherland) who is eager to strike a blow against the Brits and a paratrooper unit led by Michael Caine...the Germans disguise themselves and land in a small village in Britain where Churchill is planning to visit. That's all I'll say, except to note that plenty of twists and turns abound.It's somewhat daring for the fact that we cannot help but root for Caine and company to succeed. We meet Caine early on, and see that he and his men are soldiers with some honor amidst the darker proceedings in Germany. When battle scenes are waged later in the film, the viewer's loyalties may be torn.This is an old-fashioned movie in many ways. Yes, it's nearly 50 years old now, but beyond that, it's directed with solid craftsmanship by John Sturges (THE GREAT ESCAPE, a Top 10 all-time for me). It lets it's meaty plot and great cast just run with things. Unfussy. But also with a big, bombastic score and some sweeping establishing shots that you just don't get anymore. The plot is all, really, and the actors inhabit their characters in ways that keep loyalties easy to understand, intentions clear and the beats of the plot well covered. Although several surprising events happen, we never feel they are cheats or unearned.Michael Caine is great here. This is mid-career Caine at its most solid. It's a no-nonsense film and he gives it a no-nonsense performance. We see his determination, honor and dignity. He's a "good guy" even if he's on the wrong side. Robert Duvall, in a thankless role, really, because he's left behind in German and doesn't get to have any "fun", is solid and convincing. Jenny Agutter appears in a key role (I won't say more) and I had a pang of regret that for so many years, her career fizzled. She is a strong and likeable presence. Donald Sutherland is smarmy and snarky, with a slightly over-baked Irish accent, but he is the film's comic relief to a large extent. Well, except for the small but absolutely hilarious turn from Larry Hagman as an unskilled officer, who charges into the fray with no plan or forethought. I remembered enjoying his nutso performance decades ago, and it holds up very well. His character, it could be argued, really belongs in a different movie...but he's so darn enjoyable! Only Treat Williams fails to create any spark in his performance. Everyone else feels free to chew the scenery just a little bit, and Williams apparently didn't care to join in.The action sequences, though tame by today's standards, are still reasonably exciting. Overall, this is just a good, solid, entertaining film. I imagine it would put younger viewers (like under 40) to sleep; but I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to a different era of filmmaking.

Superior transfer for one terrific picture.The films of John Sturges were benchmarks in action cinema. Second only to Hitchcock in wringing suspense out of his material he was unsurpassed in his ability to stage action sequences. Starting with ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO he excelled at the American Western. BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK,GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL,THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and HOUR OF THE GUN followed in addition to other great adventure films like THE GREAT ESCAPE,ICE STATION ZEBRA, THE SATAN BUG and MAROONED. Sturges started out as a film editor at RKO where as many directors of his generation learned how to cut in the camera. His style was lean and economical. The comments that Michael Caine made about the shoot seemed inconsistent with statements that Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall made regarding Sturges’s working methods. I particularly enjoyed the extras on the disc with director and cast discussing the project. Most directors leave the business having gone to the well once too often. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is fully representative of John Sturges’s best work.

Well... the disc is nice. The features are good. However, the movie is not what I expected. Pacing could've been better for a story that lead up to this kind of conclusion. Characters were not engaging. Not much happens during the story and the ending seemed rushed.

Has anyone ever wondered what the Nazis would do if they ever tried to kidnap Winston Churchill at the high of the 2nd World War and try and bring back to Germany well this film answers that question starring Michael Caine as a German commander task with kidnapping the British prime minister and bringing him back to Germany This does have a Stella cast Michael Caine Robert Duvall Larry Hagman treat Williams Donald Sutherland if you like World War II epics then this film is for you

Underbart rolig.. när Donald Sutherland blir utslängd genom Pub-fönstret och nöjt tittar ut över folkmassan runt omkring.Och de hoppar fallskärm .. också m.m.

Rien à dire

La película Blu-ray no viene en audio espańol ni si quiera subtitulada en espańol para que se ofrece películas a latino america si no viene en audio latino ni subtitulada

I watch this and I enjoy watching it.