11/08.06 The Eagle Has Landed

The Eagle Has Landed (1976), directed by John Sturges

watched solo; VHS (borrowed from parents) @ home

Today is my father’s birthday, and it is a momentous one. The big 5-0! That’s right, my dad is fifty, and still looks like he could kick my ass at any moment. Not only is he a strong role model in my life, but he’s always taught me to persevere over adversity and never to sweat the small stuff. To put that little nugget of wisdom into perspective…I see even silly things like this year-long Challenge as a test of the will (even though it’s purely for entertainment value) which should remain in perspective because it’s not life & death. While he’s influenced my work ethic in my professional life, so goes the ethic for this Challenge. I will finish this, and I will have fun doing it damn it! A career military man as well, my dad has always had a fascination with war movies (particular those that have dealt with the extremely layered and globally complicated World War II). This is just one of the many films that he’s always had around the house growing up, most of which I’ve caught bits & pieces of all my life…all blurring into one large war epic in my adolescent brain. Now, as an adult and more a connoisseur of film than ever, I have grown to appreciate the impact of such sweeping historical adaptations. I still remember trying to wrap my head around some of the war board games that he would strategize with, representing both sides of the War, and never quite understanding. I still remember seeing the tragic stories unfold on screen and make some sense of who’s on what side & so forth. Now I have an acute awareness of much of what happened in that era of our country’s history, and this film is just one snippet of that awareness. Including a stellar cast of Hollywood heavyweights (Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasance), this story recounts a certain fictionalized version of a plot by the Nazis and Hitler to capture British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. When it is studied that Churchill could be captured, German parachute unit commander Steiner (Caine) is sent to England on the covert mission devised by veteran Col. Radl (Duvall). The impossible mission gains some momentum as Steiner and his men dress as Polish soldiers in order to overtake a small English town and successfully kidnap Churchill. It’s a complex a sensational plot, but will it come to fruition? Again, the powerful actors in the cast, as well as able director Sturges (“The Magnificent Seven”), make this a solid performance all around. It’s all based on the book of the same name from renowned military thriller author Jack Higgins…whom I remember doing a book report on in middle/high school for something called “Eye Of The Storm” I believe…it’s weird that I remember that, but again probably an influence from my father’s library. Whatever it is that now draws me to good war movies, I know I owe to my dad, so happy birthday old timer.

3 out of 5 stars