Eye of the Needle (film)
| Eye of the Needle | |
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 Original poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Marquand |
| Produced by | Stephen J. Friedman |
| Written by | Stanley Mann |
| Starring | Donald Sutherland Kate Nelligan |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Studio | Kings Road Entertainment |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | July 24, 1981 |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Eye of the Needle is a 1981 film directed by Richard Marquand, based on the novel of the same title by Ken Follett, and starring Donald Sutherland. The Storm Island scenes were shot over eight weeks on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides.[1]
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[edit] Plot
A man calling himself Henry Faber is actually "the Needle," a German spy in England bearing critical information on Allied invasion plans that he must deliver personally to the Führer. He's so named because of his preferred method of assassination, the stiletto. He is a coldly calculating psychopath, emotionlessly focused on the task at hand, whether the task is to signal a U-boat or to gut a witness to avoid exposure.
On his way back to Germany, a fierce storm strands him on Storm Island, occupied only by a woman named Lucy (Kate Nelligan), her disabled husband, their son, and their shepherd, Tom. A romance develops between the woman and the spy, due to an estrangement of affections between Lucy and her husband, whose accident has rendered him emotionally crippled as well.
The love affair suggests there's a sympathetic personality buried somewhere inside the Nazi spy, though he remains enigmatic. Early on, we discover that he may not enjoy the hand life has dealt him. When a courier asks him about the way he lives, and "What else can one do?" the Needle answers, "One can just stop."
Lucy realizes that her lover has been lying after she discovers her husband's dead body. "The Needle" must get to Tom's radio in time to report to his superiors the exact location of the D-Day invasion. Lucy is the Allies' last chance. He is reluctant to harm her, but she has no such qualms and shoots him as he tries to escape in a boat.
[edit] Cast
- Donald Sutherland as Henry Faber
- Kate Nelligan as Lucy Rose
- Stephen MacKenna as Lieutenant
- Christopher Cazenove as David Rose
- Philip Martin Brown as Billy Parkin
- George Belbin as Lucy's Father
- Faith Brook as Lucy's Mother
- Barbara Graley as David's Mother
- George Lee as Constable
- Arthur Lovegrove as Peterson
- Colin Rix as Oliphant
- Barbara Ewing as Mrs. Garden
- Patrick Connor as Inspector Harris
- David Hayman as Canter
- Ian Bannen as Inspector Godliman
- John Bennett as Kleinmann
- Sam Kydd as Lock Keeper
- John Paul as Home Guard Captain
- Bill Nighy as Squadron Leader Blenkinsop
- Jonathan and Nicholas Haley (twins) as Joe (David and Lucy's son)
[edit] References
- ^ A Life Through the Lens: Memoirs of a Film Cameraman by Alan Hume, Gareth Owen, Peter Rogers, Kevin Connor (page 130)
[edit] External links
- Eye of the Needle at the Internet Movie Database
- Eye of the Needle at the TCM Movie Database
- Eye of the Needle at AllRovi
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