Eye of the Needle is the 1981 feature film adaptation of Ken Follett's 1978 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Richard Marquand (Jagged Edge) and stars Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan. To date, is it the only feature film adaptation of a Ken Follett novel, as all other adaptations of his work have been in the form of television miniseries. The success of the film brought director Richard Marquand to the attention of George Lucas, who hired Marquand to direct the third installment of the Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi.
The following weapons were used in the film Eye of the Needle:
One of Godliman's men is briefly seen with what appears to be a Sten Mk III.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSten Mk III - 9x19mmError creating thumbnail: File missingThe Sten circled. Note the helicopter, which is supposed to be a Sikorsky R-5, but is more likely the Westland Dragonfly, a licensed British copy. Either way, its presence is an anachronism, as the first prototypes weren't delivered to the US Army Air Force until months after this film was set.
Shotguns
Double Barreled Shotgun
David also has a Double Barreled Shotgun, which Henry Faber, aka, "the Needle" (Donald Sutherland) later gets ahold of David's shotgun. Lucy and the Needle also get ahold of Tom's (Alex McCrindle) shotgun later in the film.
An Alvis Saladin armored car is also seen in the opening scene at the railroad station fitted with a 76mm L5A1 main gun. As the scene is set in 1940 and the Alvis Saladin wasn't produced until 1958, this is an anachronism.
