Houdi

I'm afraid you've been misinformed as regards to the village. I have been to Mapledurham several times and there is no question this is the village where the Eagle Has Landed was filmed. It is exactly as it appeared in the film. The house which Jean Marsh (Starling) lived in is on the hill before you go down into the village. There are several websites relating to the location sites for the film and they all refer to Mapledurham. None mention Wiveton. I watched the film again last night and I cannot see anywhere which I don't recognise. Charlestown harbour is obvious and every single village scene is Mapledurham. Incidentally, the pub was mocked up out of another building. Suggest you visit Mapledurham. You will be pleasantly surprised.

P.S. There is a Manor House in Mapledurham (the one used in the film) but I do not know which house they used for the American Headquarters. Perhaps that is near Wiveton?

Try these links if you are still not convinced:-

Where Did They Film That?

http://www.mapledurham.co.uk/private.htm

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_..._107041433/pg_5


Incidentally, the last link lists Mapledurham as being in Berkshire, although I believe it is just within Oxfordshire.

samkydd

I checked with one of my ex class mates and he is sure that some of the film was shot near Wiveton, but not necessarily the village scenes. Don't forget that more than one location can often be used by unit directors, and if something is unique to a particular area then it is possible that a unit was sent to that area to film those shots.

KevMc

The village used in 'The Eagle Has Landed' is definately Mapledurham in Berkshire/Oxfordshire (seems to be some debate as to which county it actually lies in). I too have visited it twice in recent summers.

Houdi is right about Jean Marsh's cottage on the lane down to the village. If you cross the stile opposite you are in the field that Donald Sutherland walks through upon his arrival. In the village itself the church, watermill & manor house are all instantly recognisable. However, the pub and the shops that get shot up in the battle were sets, as was the front section of the watermill which also gets blown up towards the end of the film.

Last year, the guide in the watermill reminisced about how the film crew descended on the village during the baking summer of 1976. According to him, the watermill had been in disrepair for some years, and it was ITC who stumped up the money for the restoration work, as the location was perfect and they needed a working mill for the film. He also informed us that a replica of St. Margaret's church was constructed in the grounds behind the mill (now a parking/picnic area), so that the internal scenes in the church could be properly lit and photographed.

If you do visit the manor house, the stables have been converted into tea rooms complete with a scale model of the village as it was in the film, a large film poster on the wall and the sign for the 'Spyglass & Kettle' pub hanging from the ceiling.

All that said, it is entirely possible that certain scenes were shot at Wiveton. Hope you found this information helpful.

Jim

Don't think much of 'wheredidtheyfilmthatco.uk/film. It didn't even know where 'Went the Day Well' was filmed! And even I know that!!!

Good morning boys.

cooleyn

I went to see this film in 1969 as a 7 year old and have been hooked on it ever since. Interesting to remember that before the film started, the national anthem was played and everyone stood up . . .

The opening credit music is "Aces High" with the Walton Score underpinning the rest of the movie. Never tire of hearing it, and still have the full score on a vinyl album - but can't get it on CD.

The movie was filmed in part at Duxford. The biggest controlled explosion in the UK since the war (at the time) was used to demolish a hangar in the Kenneth More/Susanna York scene. Now a new one stands in its place. The first "bombs" fell where the American Air Museum and the Land Forces Museum now stand. Walking around Duxford today (part of the Imperial War Museum) is like walking through the original set of the movie.

One of the great things about the movie is the use of so many "real" aircraft: Spitfires, Hurricanes, Messerchmitt 109's and Heinkel 111's. But one of the great ironies, is that the "german" aircraft were all Spanish licence-built versions of the Me109 and He111's and were all - amazingly - fitted with the same Rolls-Royce Merlin engines that the Spitfires and Hurricanes used.

Well, its amazing for me, anyway . . .

Maybe I should get a life.

cooleyn

christoph404

I think Mapledurham is just over the border into Oxfordshire. I know we have estatblsihed without doubt that most of the Eagle Has Landed was filmed there, The Pub was a set constructed for the film and I think a set of the Watermill was constructed as it gets blown up later. The proof of the pudding is in the very interesting documentary that is on the DVD extras, a period on location report that clearly mentions Mapledrham in Oxfordshire and has good interviews and behind the scenes glimpses, with Sturges (his last film?) and Michael Caine gameley trying to inject some enthusiasm into the notion of winning the audience over with a story where the outcome is known. Comparrisons to Day of The Jackal and so on. There may have been some scenes in Norfolk but I wonder which ones, I can't imagine they would have been key scenes with the principals.

christoph404

Not at all, to this day I and many others of my age group are experts on fighter planes and bombers of world war 1 and 2. I can easily spot the difference between a Spitfire and a Hurricane and Im always able to spot a mocked up plane pretending to be a messerchmitt. Im also an "expert" on WW2 tanks and battle ships! Why you may ask, well like many other schoolboys in the late sixties and seventies I was obsessed with spending hours constructing model kits, usually Airfix or Aurora. When you spend so much time and effort building and painting these kits and comparring them with your chums efforts you really get to know all the details and intricacies of what they really look like!! So when films like The Battle of Britain or 633 Squadron are on TV you really know what you aretalking about!!No other reason! Its a pity Airfix went out of business, I beleive a French Company bought the moulds. I still have my Avro Lancaster kit hanging in the loft at my parents house, had to have that kit after seeing The Dam Busters!! ......

Nick Dando

Airfix are alive and well, now owned by Humbrol. They did own Heller for a while, but have sold them again.

The Official Airfix Website

Heller-News


Nick

christoph404

Cheers for that Nick, thats good news that they are alive and well, I often wonder why their popularity decreased so much, maybe computer games and the like filled the spot.

NappieB

I could have written that post! Quite amazing! I too made the Lancaster model from Airfix and it hung in my bedroom for most of my teenage years. I lost track of what became of it when I started on (what was unexpectedly to become) very extensive world travels in 1969...

I made all the WWII battle tanks and most of the capital ships and destroyers too... Allies and Axis powers!

"The future is yet to come" - George W. Bush

Automotivehistorian

I was in the Third Year at Grammar School when we went on a coach trip one Saturday to Great Yarmouth organised by a chap in the year above. We passed by Duxford, and Mildenhall when several F100 Super Sabres landed over our coach! Duxford had numerous fighter planes and the two CASA 2-111s that had been imported parked up. The camera plane was a modified B-25 Mitchell bomber, French-registered I think.

wearysloth

Me too!
although its fighter escort was a somewhat incongruous Angel Interceptor...

christoph404

brilliant, thanks for that pic!

batman

I had one of these ...

Bats.

I wish I had claws.

Marky B

Did anyone after building their aircraft,do dogfights with a Spitfire in one hand,and a Messerschmitt in the other with kiddy style clipped English accents and a lame attempt at doing "Donner Und Blitzen you Schweinhund"?
Ta Ta
Marky B

PS I hope someone says yes to that one.

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know