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Eye of the Needle

Year:

1981

Duration:

112 min

Genres:

Romance | Thriller | War

IMDB rate:

7.1

Director:

Richard Marquand

Awards:

1 nomination

Details

Country: UK

Release Date: 1981-07-24

Filming Locations: Blackbush Airport, Hampshire, England, UK

Earnings

Gross: $17,583,634 (USA)SEK 5,742,895 (Sweden)

Cast

Actor

Character

Rory Edwards

Eye of the Needle

Kate Nelligan

Eye of the Needle

Donald Sutherland

Faber

Stephen MacKenna

Lieutenant

Philip Martin Brown

Billy Parkin

Christopher Cazenove

David

George Belbin

Lucy's Father

Faith Brook

Lucy's Mother

Barbara Graley

David's Mother

George Lee

Constable

Arthur Lovegrove

Peterson

Colin Rix

Oliphant

Barbara Ewing

Mrs. Garden

Chris Jenkinson

German SS Officer

William Merrow

German Radio Operator

Patrick Connor

Inspector Harris

David Hayman

Canter

Ian Bannen

Godliman

Rupert Frazer

Muller

Jonathan Nicholas Haley

Alex McCrindle

Tom

John Bennett

Kleinmann

Sam Kydd

Lock Keeper

John Paul

Home Guard Captain

Stephen Phillips

Home Guard Corporal

Richard Graydon

Home Guard Private

Michael Mellinger

Portuguese Man

Allan Surtees

Colonel Terry

Don Fellows

American Colonel

Stewart Harwood

Sailor

Rik Mayall

Sailor

Ellis Dale

Station Master

Bill Fraser

Mr. Porter

Michael Josephs

German Naval Captain

John Rees

German Naval Operator

John Grieve

Inspector Kincaid

Bruce White

Oban Policeman

David Ashton

Oban Radio Operator

Bill Nighy

Squadron Leader Blenkinsop

Sean Barry-Weske

U-Boat Officer

Rochelle Rose

Young Girl on Train (uncredited)

Rita Tobin-Weske

Landlady

Did you know?

Trivia

Philip Martin Brown receives an "introducing" credit.

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This World War II movie is set during the Blitz when it opens.

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Apparently, a number of story elements from this movie were re-worked into the Bollywood film Fanaa (2006) where an Indian woman replaces the English woman and the German spy is replaced with an Indian Army Officer who is really a Kashmiri terrorist.

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Goofs

When Lucy finds her dead husband in the surf, she wades into the water to get his body. A few minutes later when she's back at the farm house, she's completely dry.

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The submarine that is going to pick up the needle is U53. U53 was sunk on the 23 of feb. 1940 In the North sea by the British destroyer HMS Gurkha.

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The opening credits roll over scenes of British soldiers at a train station and in the background is a truck with US Army markings. After the credits, there is a title card marked "London 1940". However, the US wouldn't enter the war for another year so there shouldn't be any US military vehicles present.

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Quotes

Faber: The war has come down to the two of us.

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Faber: [calling on radio to submarine] Singvogel. Hier ist die Nadel. Kommen.

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