Eye Of The Needle

From beginning to end this will pull you along the twists & turns of excitement & distress!

Mr. Sutherland plays a Nazi sympathising Irishman and is at times at his chilling best. Amply supported by a fine cast this thriller set mostly in Scotland will have you at the end of your seats, undoubtedly like Ken Follett's best-seller had millions of readers. The film looks and sounds fantastic and there's a commentary track by Music Historian Jon Burlingame and Film Historians Julie Redman & Nick Redman, well worth listening to. An 8-page booklet and a trailer rounds up the extras.

"Eye of the Needle" captured my attention when I first saw it in theatres and has remained a favorite. When I put in my antique video cassette only to find it had bitten the dust, I had to get a DVD. Despite his stellar performance in Redford's "Ordinary People" a year before, it was this film that made me a fan of Donald Sutherland. His acting is so subtle which is perhaps the reason he has amazingly never received an Oscar nomination, despite an incredible volume of work in his career. In my book, he is one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood. As German spy Faber, code named "The Needle," Sutherland flashes a disarming smile, much like a butcher who pets the animal before slaughter. One wonders at his isolation. In the moments when he reveals that "all parents do not love their children; some parents use their children," we get a glimpse of a past that might explain his drive in the solitary life of espionage to fight for Nazi Germany. Kate Nelligan, who was nominated for a supporting Oscar for "Prince of Tides," turns in an entrancing performance as Lucy, a woman trapped in a marriage that brings her no joy. Christopher Cazenove plays husband Dave who is disabled in a car accident and bitterly is unable to adjust to life. Alan Hume's cinematography makes the most of the broad Irish coast of remote Storm Island and is particularly good in the many close-quarters shots such as on the train, in the lighthouse and on the boat. The gritty action of this film had me on pins and needles, despite having seen it many times in the past. This is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Sutherland is the ultimate sleazy spy. A few corny parts but for the most part thoroughly engrossing.

This is a really nice film set during the early years of World War II.Donald Sutherland is so good in this role as a German spy in England. He is at once amiable and creepy. When he takes out his switchblade to stab someone, you are not sure if he enjoys killing or if he thinks of it as a necessary because of the circumstances at that moment. He walks that fine line -- although his character certainly turns out to be very dedicated to his mission.Kate Nelligan does a fine job as the long-suffering wife of a former soldier who is paralyzed from the waist down due to an auto accident on the way to their honeymoon. She married for better or worse and accepts her role -- even if her husband spends his time feeling sorry for himself. The setting of the meat of the story -- after Sutherland has discovered Allied deception which he needs to transmit to Germany -- takes place on an isolated island during a bad storm where the boat Sutherland stole crashes onto the island's beach.The cinematography, set design, and lighting really give one a feeling of isolation on the island.The climax of the film is outstanding. It puts one on the edge of one's seat. The viewer pulls for Nelligan's character but has also come to like Sutherland's character as well. He wants to radio his info and escape on a German submarine. Nelligan must stop him, even though she has fallen in love with him. They battle each other -- literally.Who wins? Watch the movie and find out.

Most spy stories get dated rather quickly as old antagonists become commercial partners and old issues become just so much former silliness. That Eye Of The Needle, clearly a spy story on the surface, has lasted longer than most is attributable to a number of factors, paramount among them being it is much more than a spy story.I think of it as a 'study in reluctance'. Faber (Sutherland) clearly does not want to have to kill people as he goes about his assigned spying duties, but darn it they keep putting his mission in jeopardy and he just has to... Similarly, Lucy (Nelligan) doesn't really want to cheat on her paraplegic and surly husband (Cazenove), but Faber is so attentive; nor, when she learns the truth of his life does she want to do what must be done, but...In lesser hands this story could turn to mush. But with Ken Follett's best-selling novel as a base, Richard Marquand's deft direction, and phenomenally excellent casting in not only the two starring roles, but across the board, it's one 'spy story' that holds up well. Of course, I've only watched it maybe two dozen times so far...perhaps it will get boring after the fourth or fifth dozen viewings. Probably not though. This is a classic movie I highly recommend to anyone.

It was the last film my late husband and I viewed together before he suddenly passed away - we underpaid for the powerful effect it had. A happy normal couple viewing the film would not go home lukewarm.The constant play of love and death, like the film's music - the scenes are all variations on the theme. Intense - spectacular!Even after they are both wounded trying to kill one another, there is the attraction and passion between them, leaving the audience aghast - no more!The role of the villain as savior is there, too - the issues of all the main characters are well-resolved by the bad guy- before his own end. And our heroine wins her redemption for herself and her son for a happy future. As things should be for a cast of very troubled characters.Thank you to all onstage and backstage, who made this film - still grand and exciting.

Saw this film when it was first released - Enjoyable to watch

Molto fedele al libro, con tutti gli accorgimenti e tagli che un film è costretto a fare, ma molto fedele al capolavoro di Ken Follet

Todo OK. Buena película, casi tanto como la novela. Las actuaciones muy bien, así como la dirección y el montaje. Recomendable.

Ich bin ein begeisterter Leser der Bücher von KEN FOLLETT, ich habe sie wirklich alle gelesen. Zu Beginn seiner Karriere hat er überwiegend Spionageromane geschrieben, einer seiner besten ist definitiv „Die Nadel“.Nun ist es ja immer so eine Sache wenn Romane verfilmt werden, die einem in Buchform sehr gut gefallen haben. Das Ergebnis ist in den meisten Fällen ernüchternd, manchmal sehr enttäuschend.Im Fall von „Die Nadel“ ist das definitiv nicht so, RICHARD MARQUAND hat aus der Romanvorlage einen richtig spannenden Film gemacht.MARQUAND baut ganz langsam Spannung auf, er nimmt sich Zeit und führt den Zuschauer Schritt für Schritt zum Finale. GERORGE LUCAS war von MARQUANDS Regiearbeit so begeistert, dass er ihn sofort für „Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter“ verpflichtete.Der Film funktioniert aber nur so gut, weil mit DONALD SUTHERLAND ein erstklassiger und perfekt passender Darsteller für die Figur des Meisterspions „Die Nadel“ gefunden wurde. Es ist die ruhige und kontrollierte Art wie er den „Heinrich Faber“ spielt, die diese Figur so glaubwürdig erscheinen lässt. „Faber“ ist kaltblütig und brutal, er beseitigt emotionslos alle die ihm gefährlich werden könnten.Die Story dreht sich um den deutschen Spion HEINRICH FABER (Donald Sutherland), der im Zweiten Weltkrieg als deutscher Spion in England unterwegs ist. Seinen Decknamen „Die Nadel“ hat er bekommen, weil seine bevorzugte Mordwaffe ein Stilett ist.Eines Tages entdeckt FABER, dass die britische Invasionsarmee nur aus Attrappen von Kampfflugzeugen besteht, um vom geplanten Invasionsort in der Normandie abzulenken. Diese Nachricht soll er persönlich dem „Führer“ überbringen, doch die Briten kommen ihm auf die Spur. Auf seiner Flucht nach Schottland, wo vor der Küste ein deutsches U-Boot auf ihn wartet, zieht FABER eine blutige Spur hinter sich her, denn er hat alle ermordet, die für ihn gefährlich werden könnten.Doch die britische Spionageabwehr ist ihm dicht auf den Fersen, weswegen FABER gezwungen ist, immer größere Risiken einzugehen …..Mein Fazit: „Die Nadel“ ist ein erstklassiger Spionagethriller, der mit ganz wenig Aufwand gedreht wurde. Es ist vor allem der erstklassigen Regie und dem Hauptdarsteller zu verdanken, dass dieser Film zu keinem Zeitpunkt langweilig wird.Ich finde den Film einfach großartig und kann ihn bedenkenlos empfehlen, denn auch heute noch, fast vierzig Jahre später, hat er nichts von seiner Klasse eingebüßt!

Dans ce film, Donald Sutherland alias l' Aiguille est un espion allemand ( donc , ce n est pas un traître ) et non un SS !!!Cynique , impitoyable ,.et sur de lui ..l Aiguille va tomber amoureux de la belle Lucy .un super film dans la lignée de L AIGLE S EST ENVOLE ..A VOIR ABSOLUMENT