Conflict of Wings

While I am a fan of British movies, particularly comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, I was not familiar with this movie. However I had warm expectations given the cast led by the usually dependable John Gregson and Muriel Pavlow. The movie concerns a British air force base that is activated as a training facility. Requiring a target range the government conscripts a nearby marsh, the Island of Children, for that purpose. The marsh is a wildlife habitat principally for birds (hence title Conflict of Wings between birds and aircraft). Obviously the local inhabitants, led by native daughter Muriel Pavlow and an assortment of colorful character actors (i.e. Niall MacGinnis, Frederick Piper), lead a fight to save the marsh. This leads to conflict with her boyfriend, airman John Gregson, as well as the base commander Kieron Moore. Combining comedy and drama is difficult and here it doesn't really succeed. There is almost a sub-genre of British comedies about colorful locals rising up (i.e. Passport To Pimlico, Titfield Thunderbolt). However, in all instances, the enemy are incompetent bureaucrats or buffoons. Here the air force is shown as capable, concerned but committed to their responsibilities. Periodically Kieron Moore is required to look out into mid-space and give a speech about the need for military preparedness, with appropriate references to just past crisises in Korea and Malaysia. The fact that decent people have to make difficult choices may be more representative of real life but it is less satisfying in reel life. Here the shifting between comic efforts and near tragic efforts by the the local population results in an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying cinema experience. Acting is generally good and technical credits, including color photography of the marsh, are also good.

It looks as if the producers of this film were borrowing liberally from Ealing films.The two that come to mind being Passport to Pimlico and The Titfield Thunderbolt.However those two films chose the comic route and are classics,this chose the dramatic route and is forgotten.Lots of reliable character actors .Muriel Pavlow and Johnn Gregson doing the sort of roles that were their forte in the fifties.Kieran Moore jutting his jaw out as far as it will go.Some fine Eastman colour cinematography,although the constant shots of aircraft and flocks of birds is strictly for the enthusiast.Not a memorable film or an awful one either.

This is one of my favourites because it contains a glimpse of the Royal Air Force at the time I had my first flight as a schoolboy in a Meteor Mark VII (which was the RAF's first jet trainer) and which appears in the film.

The film also displays the Norfolk Broads where I grew up and, apart from some rather dodgy Norfolk accents, show something of its splendid scenery.

It is also a good story, well told and, apart from 'Perdita' - a seagull, with British actors and actresses who are well-chosen and know how to assume the characters they portray.

It is a great pity that no copy is yet available on DVD.

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.

'The island of Children' is a bird sanctuary, which the local villagers are determined to preserve, despite the plans of the RAF to take it over as a regular firing range. It's all very civilised, with the usual rural stereotypes getting worked up to mount a campaign to stop the 'the boys in blue.' The film is not exactly a comedy, nor does is take a serious look at the issues of conservation. Indeed, it's more of a light hearted film, a sort of David and Goliath tale, where honest rural folk get to come together to mount what looks like an unequal and impossible task of keeping island as a sanctuary for our feathered friends. However, the film has a charm of its own, revealing a 1950's Norfolk village where life was conducted in the slow lane and where the focus of social meetings always took place in the village pub. John Gregson does his best as the agreeable corporal, who can see both sides of the argument, while his love interest, Muriel Pavlov, does a competent job as the sensitive, sweet lass, who acts as the 'environmental voice' of the village as she waxes lyrical about about the implications of losing the bird sanctuary. Although the film features, Guy Middleton, who normally plays the suave and smooth moustached hero, is surprisingly down the pecking order, playing the adjutant, who gets little to say very little, while Kieron Moore is never really convincing as the squadron leader. However, as compensation, there is the delightful Harry Fowler, playing the usual 'salt of the earth' cheery type, and as such, adds a much needed bright and breezy presence to a film which at times becomes a bit tedious. It's a film which harks back to a quieter decade without fast cars and mobile phones. As a bonus there are some great shots of Norfolk Broads and the surrounding villages. A gentle film for a quite afternoon with your feet up.