Biggles (1986)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

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 | Cult Favorite | Convent | London | SWAT Team

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:

The scene where the helicopter lands and then takes off again from a flat wagon on a train traveling at over 40mph had never been attempt before this film and had to be repeated 15 times over two days before the directors were satisfied that it looked just right.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Some scenes supposedly in New York are obviously filmed in the UK, evidenced by the visible UK road markings.

Quotes:

[Biggles and the others have reached the area used for testing the weapon]
Jim Ferguson: [looking around] Looks like this place was nuked!
Biggles: [Looks at Ferguson] Nuked? What's that?
Jim Ferguson: American slang word. It means... to overeact.

Movie Connections:

References "Fantasy Island" (1978)

Soundtrack:

KNOCKING AT YOUR BACK DOOR

Entertaining movie suitable for boys of all ages.

'Biggles', taken as an SF-Adventure movie, is great fun. It bears little resemblance to the 'Biggles' books of W E Johns, though. Excellent performances, costuming and production values and sure to entertain boys from 8 to 80!