Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986)

Daring British WWI fighter pilot James "Biggles" Bigglesworth and 1980s low-level business executive Jim Ferguson discover that they can time travel to each other's eras. They try to stop the Germans from changing the outcome of WWI.

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

W.E. Johns (characters) (as Capt. W.E. Johns), John Groves (screenplay)

Stars:

Neil Dickson, Alex Hyde-White, Fiona Hutchison

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Neil Dickson	...	James 'Biggles' Bigglesworth
Alex Hyde-White	...	Jim Ferguson
Fiona Hutchison	...	Debbie Stephens
Peter Cushing	...	Air Commodore Colonel William Raymond
Marcus Gilbert	...	Eric Von Stalhein
William Hootkins	...	Chuck Dinsmore
Alan Polonsky	...	Bill Kizitski
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

Storyline

One minute the New Yorker advertising expert Jim Ferguson is at a business party -- the next he finds himself way back in 1917 in a plane fight during World War I. Mr. Raymond explains to him that he has a time-twin, to whom he's relocated in space and time whenever one of them is in trouble. So he has to help his twin, biplane pilot Biggles, in his attempt to destroy a German super weapon, that could win their war. Of course it's hard for Jim to explain his sudden disappearances to his fiance, Debbie.

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Plot Keywords:

historical event | past | aviation | disappearance | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

Never has a time warp been quite as warped as this.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

29 January 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Biggles: Adventures in Time

Filming Locations:

Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$112,132

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compact Yellowbill, Tambarle

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The helicopter used in the film was a Bell Model 206BII JetRanger, registered G-BAKF with pop-out emergency floats fitted on the skids. Later on, it was involved in a thankfully non-fatal accident in 1989 after colliding with electrical wires when the pilot was preparing to land. The crew escaped with minor injuries, but the helicopter was written off and broken up for spare parts.

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Goofs

After the helicopter dogfight where Biggles says they are not armed after landing and asking for weapons he talks to Ferguson who has somehow finds a Sten gun.

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Quotes

Debbie: [Debbie and Jim have traveled back in time to 1917] Jim, this is all a big put on, isn't it? Like Fantasy Island, right?
Jim Ferguson: Come on, Debbie, it's not *that* bad. It's only World War I.

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Crazy Credits

In the end of the credits it says: Filmed on location in New York - London - and the Western Front 1917.

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Connections

Remade as Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four (2015)

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Soundtracks

KNOCKING AT YOUR BACK DOOR
Performed by Deep Purple
Music and Lyrics by Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover and Ian Gillan
Published by Blackmore Music/Rugged Music
administrated by Thames Talent Publishing/
Pussy Music administarted by Chappel Music
Courtesy of Polydor Records Inc.(New York)
from the album "Perfect Strangers"

User Reviews

Decent, but not great

"Biggles" aspired to be an adventure movie in the sense of the old serials and dime novels; it comes close to succeeding on some levels, but blows it where it matters. The story itself centers on a bland frozen food marketer who keeps finding himself transported back in time to help a pilot.

Some things worked out very well; the close up shots of biplanes dogfighting and streaking down to just graze the ground, the accuracy of the equipment and weapons for the time period. (For those who don't believe machine guns existed back then, the one they use is a Bergmann MP-18, which was correct for 1917-1918.) You also get to see Peter Cushing in one of his last roles.

Other things required some suspension of belief, namely the Germans developing secret weapons in World War ONE.

But what ruined the movie for me was the god awful eighties pop music soundtrack, and a lead actor who has as much charisma as a wooden door. You can tell they were thinking of making a TV series or move franchise from this one, with different music and a better lead, they might have.