Conflict of Wings

A number of comments have been made about the film being a sub-par knock-off of an Ealing comedy, despite a promising cast list. I have to agree but what has been overlooked is that this is the first film concerned about environmental issues that I can think of. Rather surprising considering that the primary audience for this film had only shed their ration cards months earlier.

Apparently there was an awareness that an ever expanding economy could impinge too much on the natural surroundings and people felt well off enough to forgo some of the advantages of progress. Maybe the writers and producers of films were better off than most so it is not surprising that they would be at this level of awareness in 1954 but for most of the paying filmgoers things were still a bit tight.