Biggles (1986)

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

W.E. Johns (characters)
John Groves (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 January 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi | War

Tagline:

Meet Jim Ferguson. He lived a daring double-life with one foot in the 20th century and the other in World War I.

Plot:

One minute the New Yorker advertising expert Jim Ferguson is at a business party -- the next he finds...

Plot Keywords:

Disappearance | Fall From Height | Helicopter | 1980s | Bunker

Cast

Neil Dickson	...	James 'Biggles' Bigglesworth
Alex Hyde-White	...	Jim Ferguson
Fiona Hutchison	...	Debbie
Peter Cushing	...	Colonel William Raymond
Marcus Gilbert	...	Eric Von Stalhein
William Hootkins	...	Chuck
Alan Polonsky	...	Bill
Francesca Gonshaw	...	Marie
Michael Siberry	...	Algy
James Saxon	...	Bertie
Daniel Flynn	...	Ginger
Roy Boyd	...	German N.C.O
Samantha Bradshaw	...	Hotel Girl
Andrea Browne	...	Lady Buyer
David Butler	...	British Officer

Also Known As:

Biggles: Adventures in Time (USA)

Runtime:

France:92 min | Sweden:85 min | UK:108 min | Spain:88 min (DVD edition)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Spain:T | Australia:PG | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Germany:6 (TV rating) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Beckton Gasworks, Beckton, London, England, UK

Company:

Compact Yellowbill

Trivia:

Skysport Engineering was commissioned to build a replica Sopwith Pup which could be suspended from a crane and "flown" and crashed with a stuntman inside for the opening sequences of Biggles's rescue. Attention was given to every detail of its construction so that even when it was burnt the charred remains would look authentic. The wings and frame had to be selectively strengthened and weakened so that it would crumple and break to look as though it has fallen from 1000ft, not 10ft as in reality.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jim Ferguson first visits Colonel Raymond at Tower Bridge, Raymond hands Ferguson an antiquated 'Celebrity Dinners' card. When Raymond passes Jim the card, it is in a plastic sleeve, then the camera shows the card in detail without the sleeve, and then it returns when Jim hands it back.

Quotes:

[Biggles and Jim have returned to 1917 in the helicopter, and have been spotted by Von Stalhein]
Biggles: Let's show this sausage guzzler what this thing can do.
Jim Ferguson: Go for it.

Movie Connections:

References "Fantasy Island" (1978)

Soundtrack:

DO YOU WANT TO BE A HERO

A truly fun film

I first saw "Biggles" on HBO in 1987. I taped it, and still watch it at least once a year. It's a really fun movie. When Jim Ferguson is shooting at Germans and then suddenly finds himself firing at police still makes me laugh after the ump-teenth time. Outside of my family, however, I know of only 3 other people in the world who have seen "Biggles." A shame. It's a great movie. If you liked Alex Hyde-White (Jim Ferguson) in this, look for him in "Ishtar" and a relatively unknown part in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." During the opening scene with the young Indy, Hyde-White plays the young older Dr. Jones, later played by Sean Connery for the rest of the film.