The Eagle Has Landed [Blu-ray]

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.

Despite the impressive cast for the WW2 thriller The Eagle Has Landed I could not get passed the thought that Donald Sutherland was cast as a blunt Irishman! Really?! The curly thick red hair (wig?) did not help what appears/sounds to me like a weak Irish accent. Then there is the stupid, good ol’ boys throwing the big mouth (did I mention blunt) Irishman out of the Brit pub right before the mission starts. The Irishman proves his worth (I guess) by laughing, ludicrously, not a slice of glass leaving a mark. Luck of the Irish? Whatever.Also, the casting of Larry Hagman left me asking why. He’s a not so competent, scared(?), officer leading the men into battle. Hagman’s nervous in the face of battle acting made me think he’d just come from the set of I Dream Of Jeanie tv show (he was astronaut major Nelson) doing a manic, comic bit from the sitcom.‘Jeanie, get back in the bottle!’Robert Duvall seem a bit wasted as a German soldier who agrees on the verboten mission to assassinate Winston Churchill.Michael Caine portrays a loyal German soldier.It’s difficult to really care what happens to the main stars in The Eagle Has Landed (it’s a code word phrase). Originally released in 1976 this mediocre war thriller runs over two hours at 134 minutes…long.3.5 starsPicture is good. Widescreen in color DVD. 2000 Artisan Entertainment release

Movie arrived quickly and content was as described

It is very annoying to pay for an ok movie, not realizing it was not included. Boo.

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.

Rousing, action-packed espionage film based on the best-selling novel by Jack Higgins. Intriguing plot with several twists and turns. A German intelligence colonel (Robert Duval) is called upon to craft a plan to assassinate British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1943. He comes up with a creative plan involving Michael Caine, who portrays an intrepid but recently disgraced German paratroop officer (who's serving in a penal unit on suicide missions) to infiltrate a team into an English village near the estate where the Prime Minister will be resting. Caine's small unit will be assisted by a former IRA Volunteer soldier (Donald Sutherland), who recently took a cover job as a gamekeeper at the estate and is reluctantly serving the German SD (security service) until he can return to Ireland. Jenny Agutter plays one of the villagers. She falls for Sutherland's character, causing complications. Larry Hagman is an incompetent American colonel who gets caught up in the situation at the 11th hour. Treat Williams and Jeff Conaway portray American soldiers in Hagman's unit.Film was released in 1977.

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.

Though inevitably taking some not inconsiderable artistic liberties with Jack Higgins best selling novel ‘The Eagle Has Landed’, this 1976 cinematic adaption is nonetheless an engrossing thriller boasting a stellar cast and an evocative film score by the peerless Lalo Schifrin.However this review isn’t concerned with the merits of the film itself but rather ITV’s steel-book release of which, if you’re a longtime fan like me, has one overriding attraction: A high definition transfer of the film’s extended cut!Previously ITV had seen fit to release only the film’s theatrical cut on blu ray whilst the excellent extended version frustratingly remained in standard definition on DVD. This subsequent steel-book release was evidently meant to rectify this apparent oversight but sadly I have to report that ITV have done an abysmal job. In fact it’s no exaggeration to say that the extended version STILL looks SD/DVD quality, at best!It should therefore be noted that the included theatrical version in the package is identical to its previous blu ray outing and thus, visually at least, remains by far the superior version of the film. Such a wasted opportunity and one that smacks of laziness and complacency. Come on ITV, you’ve already got most of the film in good, restored HD nick, can you really not do the extended sequences justice too?!BOTTOM LINE: Make no mistake, this steel-book will look great on your shelf and comes with some good extras of which mitigate things somewhat but the release itself is NOT the definitive version of ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ it purports to be or should’ve been...

The Eagle has landed is a film that is still worth watch today. Michael Caine, Larry Hagman aka JR and Donald Pleasance make this film happen. Although it now feels like you are going back in time with the use of your own personal Tardis, but that's only because we are now living in the twenty first century and how we live today has radically changed. Never the less it is still a very strong film to watch and worth watching. To really do this film justice you now need to buy it on Blu ray not DVD as it will be fresher and feel much more like it would have been when it was originally released. Having said that if you don't own a Blu ray player which can bought cheaply now even on Amazon, buy the special edition DVD of this film and you will enjoy one of the twentieth century's cinema classic's which is where this film now neatly fits in.

Intended, under Hitler's directive as a feasibility study to see if Winston Churchill could indeed be captured, senior officer Canaris(Anthony Quayle)) passes the project onto Colonel (Oberst) Radl (Robert Duvall) to check out.When Radi learns that Churchill will be spending time in a Norfolk retreat just a few miles from the English east coast he begins to realise a real opportunity exists.The wheels are set in motion when Himmler (Donald Pleasence) hands Radi a letter of authorisation apparently signed by Hitler himself.Radi recruits a team which includes Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland) an IRA member who is a lecturer at a Berlin University and has nothing but hate for the English Occupancy of his country, along with the much-decorated Colonel (Oberst) Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine) who with his team of paratroopers has carried out many a successful mission, Steiner will after studying the plan consult his men before agreeing.Devlin will go onto the Norfolk location ahead of Steiner's team to prepare the ground as it were.Steiner and his team will arrive in the Norfolk village close to where Churchill will be staying posing as Polish troopers who hope to join the allied war effort.They agree with the locals to conduct a military exercise in the Village, for the villagers a spectacle for the disguised Germans preparation.However, when a young girl falls into the weir a German trooper dives in to save her from certain death from the water-mill, he does but loses his own life in the process, but in doing so exposes the German uniform worn below his Polish one.Steiner has the villagers rounded up to avoid being exposed locking them up in the local church, however, the vicar's sister escapes and alerts a Unit of U.S Rangers stationed close by.Steiner only agreed to accept the task if he and his men if detected could go down fighting dressed in their own uniforms so if captured would not be treated as spies.The Rangers launch an assault, Steiner along with an injured soldier with Devlin who'd learnt of a secret passageway in the church escape in the hope of completing the mission to capture or if necessary kill Churchill.Will any of Steiner's team or indeed Devlin survive?The film with its front-line cast-list still worthy of a viewing, though in truth it does feel quite dated.

Blu ray blown up to the size of wall player upscaling to what passes for 4k on my projector this is another on TV back in the day classic I never got to see in cinema.Dated but all the better for that Robert Duvall doing a curt German accent as Anthony Qual sails through on a suave English accent who does this now. Just sat back & enjoyed great ensemble cast chewing up the sets. An old favourite.Look out for JR & that woman from upstairs downstairs as German sleeper agent.