The Eagle Has Landed (1976)

¬This never happened.It dit not occur¬

TEHL/ The Eagle Has Landed (1976) is the last film directed by the Magificent Seven's John Sturges, as a fare to get more fishing money. That's what I've read now and I am sad about this-he didn't care about the post production at all, but the film still stands up, and it's a joyride!

The plot to kidnap Winston Churchill by a band of condamned German paratroopers in England in 1943...wow! Solid script by Tom Mankiewicz, based on a novel by Brtish writer Jack Higgins. 

It is one of my guilty pleasures:  faved ww tales of what if (Where Eagles Dare, Eye of the Needle,  Kelly's Heroes)  and the multi million studio bound all star cast  A Bridge too Far was made at the same time)

Rober Duvall pulls a lookalike heavy Stauftenberg, how the F*** the got him?, grand accent), reddish Donald Sutherland as Devlin, an Irish IRA member seems to have much fuun,

It stars also Donlad Pleasence as Himmler, and Anthony Quayle has a cameo as adimral Canaris, we dont get the fuhrer but we get his signature :)

and Jenny Agutter, yes:)

Michael Caine as colonel  Karl Steiner, the same Steiner that shows up in The Iron Cross and Steiner Iron Cross Part 2, played by James Coburn (great in Peckinph's only war movie), and Richard Burton in a gimme gin gig, how the heck the only German name is Steiner for all these?

and Larry Hagman, well J.r. as a commaning American officer with a moustache...

I bet Tarantino loves this...

Sir Micharel Caine said it and I was shattered..BS

In his autobiography, Sir Michael Caine confessed to being somewhat disappointed with the end product: "The picture was being directed by the Hollywood old-timer John Sturges, and we were all very pleased that this illustrious veteran had agreed to direct our film. That is, until one day when I was talking to him between set-ups and he informed me that, now that he was older, he only ever worked to get the money to go fishing, which was his passion. Deep-sea fishing off Baja, California, he added, which was very expensive. The moment the picture finished, he took the money and went. Producer Jack S. Wiener later told me that he never came back for the editing nor for any of the other post-production sessions that are where a director does some of his most important work. The picture wasn't bad, but I still get angry when I think of what it could have been with the right director. We had committed the old European sin of being impressed by someone, just because he came from Hollywood."

I was too, to find out this in 2022 :(

so Anne Coates (the editor) did the movie...

I also love the Lalo Schifrin score and

this gets better every time i revisit it.

It's now on you tube , you can watch it here -until it vanishes :)

Why the plot failed? 

¬I thought my plot failed cos' one of my man died saving the little girl over there¬

Steiner

I still think it's a great fun film and they don't do them like that anymore :( Caine, Duvall,Sutherland, Lalo, Sturges all in one, you gotta treasure that, it was 44 years ago...The Eagle had landed all right (remember the Saxon live album cover as well).

7 out ot 10, 3 1/2 out of five (would be a six but, hey :)