''Eye of the Needle'' is a 1981 British

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

directed by

Richard Marquand Richard Alfred Marquand (22 September 1937 – 4 September 1987) was a British film and television director active in both US and UK film productions, best known for directing 1983's ''Return of the Jedi''. He also directed the critically accla ...

and starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

and

Kate Nelligan Patricia Colleen Nelligan (born March 16, 1950), known professionally as Kate Nelligan, is a Canadian stage, film and television actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tide ...

. Written by

Stanley Mann Stanley Mann (August 8, 1928 – January 11, 2016) was a Canadian screenwriter. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he began his writing career in 1951 at CBC Radio, and was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the 1965 film '' The Collector'', based on ...

, it is based on the 1978 novel of the same title by

Ken Follett Kenneth Martin Follett, (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works. Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the ...

. The film is about a German

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

who discovers vital information about the upcoming D-Day invasion and his attempt to return to Germany while he is stranded with a family on the isolated (fictional) Storm Island, off the coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Plot

Henry Faber is a cold and emotionless

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

sleeper agent nicknamed "the Needle" because he prefers to kill with a stiletto. While spying in England, he obtains critical information about the Allies' plans for the Invasion of Normandy but is unable to transmit the information. After narrowly escaping

British intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and d ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, who have come to realize he has vital military intelligence about D-Day and so are hounding his every move, Faber heads to Scotland for a rendezvous with a German U Boat. But fierce weather strands him on Storm Island. On the island he meets Lucy, a beautiful young wife, her disabled husband, David, their little son and an elderly, alcoholic shepherd named Tom, the only other person on the island, who runs the lighthouse, with the island's only two-way radio. A passionate romance develops overnight between Faber and Lucy because of the estrangement she has with her husband after a car crash on their honeymoon which left him confined to a wheelchair, embittered and legless. David becomes suspicious of Faber when he discovers he is carrying military information. When challenged about the documents, Faber ruthlessly kills David by throwing him off a cliff. Faber lies to Lucy to explain David's absence, claiming David has been drinking with Tom, as is often the case. However, Lucy soon finds her husband's body on the rocky shoreline and, lying to Faber, manages to flee with her child in their jeep. When Faber realizes she knows, he pursues her. Lucy drives with her little boy in lashing rain to the only radio on the island at Tom's lighthouse - only to find the old shepherd's murdered body. She radios the mainland and is told that help will be sent immediately, but in the meantime, it is vital for her to destroy the island's only radio transmitter - without telling her why. Lucy, alone and terrified, can't imagine why she needs to do this and refuses. Faber appears - Lucy has bashed his hand reaching through the door with an axe, wounding him badly, but Faber finds her beloved little boy sleeping in a cot and threatens to kill him if she does not do as he says, which is to allow him access to the radio. He begins using the radio to report to the Nazi U-boat which has been waiting for him off the coast of Storm Island. But just as he is about to impart the information that Patton's supposed invasion-strength army set for Pas de Calais is, in fact, an elaborate ruse of fake airplanes and tanks (a true-life deception to fool the Nazis of the real location of D-Day at Normandy, which succeeded), Lucy overhears this and grasps why the radio needs to be destroyed; she blows the lighthouse's fuse using her own hand in a light socket, hurting herself but rendering the transmitter useless and Faber's vital information unheard. Faber expresses admiration for what Lucy has done, telling her that the war has come down to the two of them. This poignant, brief affair between two lonely strangers has been supplanted by their higher loyalty to their own nations. Considering Lucy no longer a threat, and possibly because he really has fallen in love, Faber doesn't murder her, as he has done so unhesitatingly to anyone else in his path, but strides towards the shoreline cliffs to reach the previously-arranged U-boat, now visible off-shore. Lucy, now fully aware of the stakes involved, runs out after Faber with her husband's pistol. She shoots and misses. Shocked, Faber begins to race down the cliffs when her third shot hits him in the leg. Bleeding and in pain, Faber still makes it to shore and pushes the boat into the water, while Lucy begs him to stop. When he doesn't, Lucy takes one last aim and hits him square in the chest. The spy, determined to complete his mission to the end, manages to clamber into the boat, but has no strength left to row. The two lovers stare hopelessly at each other until Faber falls dead, face forward in the boat, before Lucy's horrified gaze.

Alternative ending

Having been unable to transmit his information or reach the U-boat to get away safely, Faber's mission has been thwarted. Soon afterward, the British intelligence agent who was chasing Faber before he fled London arrives with the police. He encounters a despondent Lucy, Faber's body, and the fleeing German submarine.

Cast

as Henry Faber *

as Lucy Rose *

Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...

as Inspector Godliman * Christopher Cazenove as David Rose * Stephen MacKenna as Lieutenant * Philip Martin Brown as Billy Parkin * George Belbin as Lucy's Father * Faith Brook as Lucy's Mother * Barbara Graley as David's Mother *

Arthur Lovegrove Arthur Lovegrove (15 July 1913 – 7 November 1981) was a British actor and playwright. His comedy ''Goodnight Mrs Puffin'' starring Irene Handl, ran for 3 years in London's West End, from 1961. Filmography * '' Noose'' (1948) - Drummer ...

as Peterson * Barbara Ewing as Mrs. Garden * Patrick Connor as Inspector Harris *

David Hayman David Hayman (born 9 February 1948) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor and director, known for his role as DCS Mike Walker in ITV drama ''Trial & Retribution'', as Jonas Franks in BBC period drama '' The Paradise'' and as Brace i ...

as Canter *

Alex McCrindle Alex McCrindle (3 August 1911 – 20 April 1990) was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his role as General Jan Dodonna in ''Star Wars''. Biography McCrindle was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He began his acting career in 1937 starring in ...

as Tom * John Bennett as Kleinmann *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Lock Keeper * John Paul as Home Guard Captain *

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ...

as Squadron Leader Blenkinsop * Jonathan and Nicholas Haley (twins) as Joe (David and Lucy's son) *

Allan Surtees Allan Joseph Surtees (31 December 1924 – 1 November 2000) was an English actor who appeared in many television productions and films over a 30-year period. Television appearances His television appearances included roles on '' Coronation ...

as Colonel Terry *

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...

as Sailor On Train *

Rupert Frazer Rupert Frazer (born 12 March 1947) is a British actor. Career His work in theatre includes performances at the Citizens Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre. In 1975, he played the title role in the first British st ...

as Muller

Production

The Storm Island scenes were shot over eight weeks on the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides. The distinctive Connel Bridge appears in the film, and some of the location filming was shot at

Blackbushe Airport Blackbushe Airport is an operational general aviation airport in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire. Built during the Second World War, Blackbushe is north of the A30 road between Camberley ...

Yateley Yateley () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council area. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green to the east. It had a population of 21,011 at ...

, and also in

Reception

Roger Ebert "admired the movie" and stated that it "resembles nothing so much as one of those downbeat, plodding, quietly horrifying, and sometimes grimly funny war movies that used to be made by the British film industry, back when there was a British film industry." George Lucas was impressed by the film and hired director

to helm 1983’s ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

''. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 83% out of 18 critics gave the film positive reviews.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eye Of The Needle 1981 films British spy thriller films Films based on British novels Films based on thriller novels Films directed by Richard Marquand Films set in the 1940s Films set in England Films set in Scotland Films set on fictional islands Films shot in Argyll and Bute Films shot in Hampshire Films shot in London Films shot in Surrey Operation Overlord films 1980s spy thriller films United Artists films World War II spy films Films scored by Miklós Rózsa Adaptations of works by Ken Follett Films with screenplays by Stanley Mann British World War II films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films