The Eagle Has Landed
The film begins with captured World War II film footage of the rescue from Italy of Mussolini by German paratroopers in 1943 from his mountain top prison. Inspired by the rescue of Hitler's ally Benit…
The Eagle Has Landed
The film begins with captured World War II film footage of the rescue from Italy of Mussolini by German paratroopers in 1943 from his mountain top prison. Inspired by the rescue of Hitler's ally Benito Mussolini by Otto Skorzeny, a similar idea is considered by Hitler, with the support of Himmler (Donald Pleasence). Admiral Canaris (Anthony Quayle), head of the Abwehr (German military intelligence), is ordered to make a feasibility study of the seemingly impossible task of capturing the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and bringing him to Germany. Canaris considers the idea a joke but realizes that although Hitler will soon forget the matter, Himmler will not. Fearing Himmler may try to discredit him, Canaris orders one of his officers, Oberst Radl (Robert Duvall) to undertake the study, despite feeling that it is a waste of time. An Unteroffizier on Radl's staff finds that one of their spies, code named Starling, has provided tantalizing intelligence. Winston Churchill is to visit an airfield near the village of Studley Constable in Norfolk, where Joanna Grey (Jean Marsh), a German sleeper agent lives. Studley Constable is less than 7 miles away from a deserted coastline and Churchill will spend the weekend at the village after visiting a nearby bomber command Radl begins to see potential in the operation, which he code-names "Eagle". Radl is a believer in Synchronicity, the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. Radl comes up with a scheme that could work. Radl recruits Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), a member of the IRA lecturing at a Berlin university, to the mission. Devlin will an additional undercover operative, providing local intelligence for the mission. Canaris finds out that Radl is already recruiting a team for the mission and reprimands him for exceeding his authority as he was ordered only to prepare a feasibility study. Radl says that the mission is possible and should be executed. Churchill should be brought to Germany dead or alive. Canaris orders Radl to drop the mission and proceed no further. Radl looks for a suitable officer to lead the mission and chances upon the highly decorated and experienced, but conflicted and anti-Nazi, Fallschirmjager officer Oberst Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine). Steiner was educated in England and had led daring missions including in Russia, where he saved 2 units from complete annihilation from the advancing Soviet troops. While returning from the Eastern Front, Steiner intervened when SS soldiers rounded up Hebrews at a railway station in Poland and attempted to save the life of a teenage girl who was shot while trying to escape. Steiner stopped the soldiers who were trying to kill the woman and saves her by putting her on a cargo train which was passing by the railway station. The woman is still shot dead a short distance down. For this, he was court-martialed, along with a platoon of his men. Rather than face the firing squad, the men were allowed to transfer to a penal unit on the Channel Island of Alderney, where they made high risk attacks with torpedo boats against British channel convoys. Radl is summoned to a private meeting with Himmler, without Canaris' knowledge. Himmler reveals that he knows all about the operation, and gives Radl a letter of authority, apparently signed by Hitler, authorizing the operation and giving him all authority needed to use all means necessary to carry it out. Himmler unofficially tells him to proceed, without notifying Canaris. He then flies to Alderney, where he recruits Steiner and his surviving men. Radl travels to Alderney and, with the help of Devlin, recruits Steiner and his surviving men. The team will parachute into England from a captured C-47 with Allied markings. The commando's outfit themselves as Polish paratroopers, as few of them speak English. Their aim is to capture Churchill, with the help of Devlin, before making their escape by a captured motor torpedo boat. Once the operation is under way, Himmler retrieves the letter that he had given to Radl and destroys it. On arrival in the English village, the German paratroopers take up positions under the guise of conducting friendly military exercises. However, the ruse is discovered when one of Steiner's men rescues a young girl from certain death beneath the village waterwheel. The soldier dies and the wheel brings up his mangled corpse. The villagers then see that he is wearing a German uniform underneath his Polish one. Steiner's men round up the villagers and hold them captive in the village church. The locals are rounded up but Pamela Vereker (Judy Geeson), the sister of the village priest Father Vereker (John Standing), escapes to alert a unit of the United States Army Rangers stationed nearby. Inexperienced, glory-seeking Colonel Pitt (Larry Hagman) launches a poorly planned assault on the church that results in heavy American casualties. Pitts is later killed by the village's sleeper Abwehr agent, Joanna Grey. Pitt's young deputy, Captain Clark (Treat Williams) then organizes a second, successful attack. The attack overruns the positions of the Germans and traps them inside the church. Steiner's men sacrifice themselves to delay the Americans while Devlin, Steiner and his wounded second-in-command Neustadt (Sven-Bertil Taube) escape, with the aid of local girl Molly Prior (Jenny Agutter) who was romantically involved with Devlin. Instead of boarding the boat, Steiner makes one last attempt at Churchill. Steiner infiltrates the country house and apparently succeeds in shooting Churchill before being shot himself. However, when Captain Clark appears on the scene, he is informed that "Churchill" was actually an impersonator - the real Prime Minister is at the Tehran Conference. The torpedo boat is aground, at dead low tide, awaiting Steiner's return. Meanwhile Devlin, evading capture, leaves a love letter for the local girl, before slipping away. On Alderney, Radl receives news that the operation has failed. He realizes that Himmler had never really had Hitler's permission for the mission. In consequence, Radl is arrested and summarily executed by an SS firing squad under the pretext that he "exceeded his orders to the point of treason". In this way Himmler distances himself from the failed mission.
The Eagle Has Landed
Adventure,Drama,Thriller
Film Details
The film begins with captured World War II film footage of the rescue from Italy of Mussolini by German paratroopers in 1943 from his mountain top prison. Inspired by the rescue of Hitler's ally Benito Mussolini by Otto Skorzeny, a similar idea is considered by Hitler, with the support of Himmler (Donald Pleasence). Admiral Canaris (Anthony Quayle), head of the Abwehr (German military intelligence), is ordered to make a feasibility study of the seemingly impossible task of capturing the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and bringing him to Germany.
Canaris considers the idea a joke but realizes that although Hitler will soon forget the matter, Himmler will not. Fearing Himmler may try to discredit him, Canaris orders one of his officers, Oberst Radl (Robert Duvall) to undertake the study, despite feeling that it is a waste of time. An Unteroffizier on Radl's staff finds that one of their spies, code named Starling, has provided tantalizing intelligence.
Winston Churchill is to visit an airfield near the village of Studley Constable in Norfolk, where Joanna Grey (Jean Marsh), a German sleeper agent lives. Studley Constable is less than 7 miles away from a deserted coastline and Churchill will spend the weekend at the village after visiting a nearby bomber command Radl begins to see potential in the operation, which he code-names "Eagle". Radl is a believer in Synchronicity, the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.
Radl comes up with a scheme that could work. Radl recruits Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), a member of the IRA lecturing at a Berlin university, to the mission. Devlin will an additional undercover operative, providing local intelligence for the mission.
Canaris finds out that Radl is already recruiting a team for the mission and reprimands him for exceeding his authority as he was ordered only to prepare a feasibility study. Radl says that the mission is possible and should be executed. Churchill should be brought to Germany dead or alive.
Canaris orders Radl to drop the mission and proceed no further. Radl looks for a suitable officer to lead the mission and chances upon the highly decorated and experienced, but conflicted and anti-Nazi, Fallschirmjager officer Oberst Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine). Steiner was educated in England and had led daring missions including in Russia, where he saved 2 units from complete annihilation from the advancing Soviet troops.
While returning from the Eastern Front, Steiner intervened when SS soldiers rounded up Hebrews at a railway station in Poland and attempted to save the life of a teenage girl who was shot while trying to escape. Steiner stopped the soldiers who were trying to kill the woman and saves her by putting her on a cargo train which was passing by the railway station. The woman is still shot dead a short distance down.
For this, he was court-martialed, along with a platoon of his men. Rather than face the firing squad, the men were allowed to transfer to a penal unit on the Channel Island of Alderney, where they made high risk attacks with torpedo boats against British channel convoys. Radl is summoned to a private meeting with Himmler, without Canaris' knowledge.
Himmler reveals that he knows all about the operation, and gives Radl a letter of authority, apparently signed by Hitler, authorizing the operation and giving him all authority needed to use all means necessary to carry it out. Himmler unofficially tells him to proceed, without notifying Canaris. He then flies to Alderney, where he recruits Steiner and his surviving men.
Radl travels to Alderney and, with the help of Devlin, recruits Steiner and his surviving men. The team will parachute into England from a captured C-47 with Allied markings. The commando's outfit themselves as Polish paratroopers, as few of them speak English.
Their aim is to capture Churchill, with the help of Devlin, before making their escape by a captured motor torpedo boat. Once the operation is under way, Himmler retrieves the letter that he had given to Radl and destroys it. On arrival in the English village, the German paratroopers take up positions under the guise of conducting friendly military exercises.
However, the ruse is discovered when one of Steiner's men rescues a young girl from certain death beneath the village waterwheel. The soldier dies and the wheel brings up his mangled corpse. The villagers then see that he is wearing a German uniform underneath his Polish one.
Steiner's men round up the villagers and hold them captive in the village church. The locals are rounded up but Pamela Vereker (Judy Geeson), the sister of the village priest Father Vereker (John Standing), escapes to alert a unit of the United States Army Rangers stationed nearby. Inexperienced, glory-seeking Colonel Pitt (Larry Hagman) launches a poorly planned assault on the church that results in heavy American casualties.
Pitts is later killed by the village's sleeper Abwehr agent, Joanna Grey. Pitt's young deputy, Captain Clark (Treat Williams) then organizes a second, successful attack. The attack overruns the positions of the Germans and traps them inside the church.
Steiner's men sacrifice themselves to delay the Americans while Devlin, Steiner and his wounded second-in-command Neustadt (Sven-Bertil Taube) escape, with the aid of local girl Molly Prior (Jenny Agutter) who was romantically involved with Devlin. Instead of boarding the boat, Steiner makes one last attempt at Churchill. Steiner infiltrates the country house and apparently succeeds in shooting Churchill before being shot himself.
However, when Captain Clark appears on the scene, he is informed that "Churchill" was actually an impersonator - the real Prime Minister is at the Tehran Conference. The torpedo boat is aground, at dead low tide, awaiting Steiner's return. Meanwhile Devlin, evading capture, leaves a love letter for the local girl, before slipping away.
On Alderney, Radl receives news that the operation has failed. He realizes that Himmler had never really had Hitler's permission for the mission. In consequence, Radl is arrested and summarily executed by an SS firing squad under the pretext that he "exceeded his orders to the point of treason".
In this way Himmler distances himself from the failed mission..