It’s rather remarkable that only a few years after the end of World War II,Hollywood instantly began taking an interest in developing projects about the conflict. Whether it was a means of coping with the tremendous loss of life or to help assert the importance of the Allied victory to an international audience, the sheer number of films about World War II made in the mid-20th century created a unique subgenre that was just as popular as Westerns had been. Occasionally, these films would be Best Picture winners like From Here to Eternity or Bridge on the River Kwai, but a majority of them were more straightforward works of populist entertainment. The 1976 World War II adventure film The Eagle Has Landed served as the last entry in this “classical” era of the subgenre, which would reach a new level of prominence in the 1990s thanks to the success of modern masterpieces like The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan.
The Eagle Has Landed is certainly not a work of technical innovation on the level of The Battle of Britain, nor is it creatively positioned as a supernatural story in the vein of The Final Countdown. What the film did have was a very impressive supporting cast, including Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, and Robert Duvall. Caine was already one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, and had proven himself as a serious action star in classics like The Ipcress File and the neo-noir revenge thriller Get Carter; Sutherland may have mostly appealed in cult films, but he was a reliable character actor who helped challenge the more traditionalist qualities that Caine brought to the film. Excellent performances, a unique narrative approach, and taught moments of suspense and intrigue make The Eagle Has Landed an underrated gem that any fan of World War II cinema owes it to themselves to check out.
What Is ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ About?
Based on the popular novel of the same name by Jack Higgins, The Eagle Has Landed centers on a fictional plot by various German commandos to kidnap Winston Churchill while he is visiting a Norfolk village on the coast of Great Britain. At this stage in the war, the Axis forces are having to deal with the overwhelming power of the British Navy at sea and the emergence of the American military as a worthy opponent in trench warfare; secret missions are designed exclusively to bring a swift end to the war by taking out some of the key leaders. The decorated aerial officer Kurt Steiner (Caine) and the IRA commando Liam Devlin (Sutherland) are approached by Colonel Max Radl (Duvall) to infiltrate the enemy lines and lead a team of spies into England. However, the situation grows more complicated when they are cut off from communication, leaving themselves exposed to all sorts of dangers whilst deep in enemy territory.
The Eagle Has Landed differentiates itself from other war films because it is mostly about spycraft. Although there is some time dedicated to showing Steiner’s previous experiences, a majority of the tension revolves around whether his team will be able to survive in enemy territory without being detected. In traditionalist World War II movies, the viewer may be rooting for the heroes to take down their opponents in some sort of grandiose action sequence. Comparatively, The Eagle Has Landed implies that the British commoners that Steiner’s team interacts with whilst in Norfolk have no knowledge of the larger conspiracy that is going on; any sort of violence committed by either side would have serious repercussions. Although it is a classical film in the strictest definition, The Eagle Has Landed has stronger anti-war themes than many of the World War II films that preceded it.
‘The Eagle Has Landed’ Is Refreshingly Non-Political
Given that The Eagle Has Landed presents the story from the perspective of German officers, there was always going to be some sort of controversy attached to the film. However, politics and motivations for combat are almost never discussed in The Eagle Has Landed. There’s never a suggestion that either Steiner or Devlin have strong nationalistic views or believe in the hallmarks of the Nazi party; however, a brief subplot involving Steiner’s relationship with a Jewish girl that he falls in love with seems to indicate that he is entirely divorced from the hatred that is driving his nation’s path of war. The Eagle Has Landed doesn’t necessarily go out of its way to suggest that what Steiner or Devlin is doing is heroic, but it does make it clear that their motivations are entirely to end the war and prevent future bloodshed.
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The Eagle Has Landed also introduced a new way for World War II films to develop original stories that weren’t necessarily based on true events. Although nothing in the film would technically contradict history, the main characters and events are entirely fictitious. This allows for a greater level of suspense, as audiences are not worried about how accurate or respectful the film is to those who were actually involved. It also aids in turning the World War II era into the premise of an action film; for better or worse, the conflict has joined genres like Westerns, swashbuckling movies, and sword-and-sandals epics as something that can be drawn on for any sort of classical adventure story.
John Sturges Is an Underrated Filmmaker
The Eagle Has Landed ended up being the final film directed by John Sturges, an underrated filmmaker who deserved to be heralded for his ability to create high-quality populist entertainment. Sturges was never going to be mentioned in the same breath as John Ford or John Huston, but classics like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Ice Station Zebra proved that he was a quintessential figure in the Golden Age of Hollywood.The Eagle Has Landed isn’t necessarily the best of Sturges’ work, but it is the type of easygoing, “they don’t make them like this anymore,” adventure film that represents why he was such a unique voice in the industry.
In World War II, German commandos embark on a daring mission to kidnap Winston Churchill in England. As the plan unfolds, the commandos face unexpected challenges in a small English village, highlighting the complexities and risks of wartime espionage and military strategy.
- Release Date
- April 2, 1977
- Director
- John Sturges
- Cast
- Michael Caine , Donald Sutherland , Robert Duvall , Jenny Agutter , Donald Pleasence , Anthony Quayle , Jean Marsh , Sven-Bertil Taube , John Standing , Judy Geeson , Treat Williams , Larry Hagman , Alexei Jawdokimov , Richard Wren , Michael Byrne , Joachim Hansen , Denis Lill , Rick Parsé , Léonie Thelen , Keith Buckley , Terence Plummer , Tim Barlow , John Barrett , Kate Binchy , Maurice Roëves , David Gilliam
- Runtime
- 135 Minutes
- Main Genre
- War
The Eagle Has Landed is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
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