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Biggles

Name: Biggles
SKU: 10456
Price: 75.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

£75.00

“The Ultimate Weapon. The Ultimate Hero. The Adventure Begins-One Step Back in Time.”

A 1980’s sci-fi time travel romp that isn’t “Back To The Future” but still a good attempt, very watchable entry to the genre. This ‘British” movie is by John Hough and follows the adventures of Captain W.E. Johns’ ‘Boys Own” hero James ‘Biggles’ Bigglesworth as he swaps timelines to defeat the Germans with the help of his ‘time-twin’ played by Alex Hide-White. Both heroes are advised by the great Peter Cushing as Colonel William Raymond. Very poignantly this was Cushing’s last big screen performance before he retired. Offered here is an original country of origin 1986 UK quad film poster which really is a very good with some great imagery. This example presents and displays superbly being originally rolled (as issued) with minimal handling wear and beautiful deep colours. A rare and extremely collectable piece of original film memorabilia from a much under-rated ‘Boy’s Own’ British time travel fantasy adventure.

…more detail

Year

1986

Size/Type

UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided

Country of Origin

UK / British

Condition

Very Fine plus / Originally Rolled (as issued)

Director

John Hough

Actor/Actress

Peter Cushing, Alex Hyde-White, Fiona Hutchison, Neil Dickson

In stock

Categories: Action, Adventure, All Posters, Science Fiction, War Tags: adventure in time, alex hyde-white, algy, battlefield, bertie, bi-plane, biggles, captain, fiona hutchison, germans, ginger, hero, neil dickson, peter cushing, royal air force, secret weapon, tesla, time, time travel, time twin, uk quad, w e johns, western front, world war 1

Film Description

Biggles Movie Poster

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

We’re on the Western Front in 1917 and the Germans have nearly finished work on a breakthrough secret weapon. This fiendish device emits high pitched, powerful sound waves that…I’d better keep this simple…destroy the sub-cleotic structure of an object’s crone base, causing crystatin failure with subsequent nektonic surt degradation on a massive scale. This results in catastrophic softening of human flesh and brittle crumbling of metal structures and objects. At least that’s how I think it works.

If the Hun uses this weapon, it could change the course of history as we know it. There’s only one man who can stop this madness…British Captain James Bigglesworth, “Biggles“ to those who know him, adventurer, warrior, always there when things are the diciest, and yet driven by resolute honor. Biggles is the sort of man that schoolboys would look up to and who would devour the stories of his adventures. In fact, between the end of WWI and the start of WWII, British schoolboys did just that in tale after tale written by W.E. Johns.

In this movie we discover something Johns apparently was unaware of. Some people, it seems, have time twins. When one of the time twins is in danger, his twin will be sent instantly through time and space to help. That’s the pickle young American marketing hotshot Jim Ferguson (Alex Hyde-White), head of Celebrity Dinners, finds himself in. One moment he’s worrying about whether the creamed corn looks like a dog’s breakfast and the next he’s running toward a downed British bi-plane in the middle of a blasted battlefield, with whiz bangs falling around. He rescues the pilot…who is Biggles (Neil Dickson). Only when Jim lands back to his own time does he get an explanation, from no other than Peter Cushing in his last screen role as the aged Air Commodore William Raymond, Special Air Force (Retired) who has quarters in 1A, Tower Bridge, London. Raymond was Biggles commander back then. He explains to Jim the phenomenon of time twins, something modern scientists still are only beginning to understand. More importantly, he explains the vital importance of Biggles’ effort to locate and destroy this new German monstrosity. Biggles is aided only his loyal team made up of Ginger, Algy and Bertie. Facing Biggles is the might of the Hun, led by German fighter ace Eric Von Stalheim. Even though Jim’s fiancée, Debbie (Fiona Hutchison), thinks he’s crazy, Jim prepares himself to aid Biggles. Of course, before long, Debbie finds herself back in time, too.

The movie is absolute nonsense, but good nonsense in my opinion. There’s no nudge-nudge by the director or the actors to let us know they’re in on the joke. They play it straight, which makes things all the more enjoyable. Neil Dickson is just fine as the strong-chinned, resolute, resourceful, brave, honorable, dashing Biggles. “I’ll not put a bullet in your head, old boy,” he says at one point to Von Stalheim (Marcus Gilbert), “because that’s not how we do business!” Alex Hyde-White holds his own as the baby-faced but resolute Jim Ferguson, very much a creature of the 1980’s who now finds himself bouncing in and out of WWI. “It looks like this town’s been nuked,” he says to Biggles when they find themselves in the middle of a ruined town square. “Nuked? What’s that?” Biggles asks. “It’s an American slang term. It means to overreact.” And Peter Cushing, looking even more skeletal than usual at 73 but still a commanding actor and reasonably spry, brings the same kind of utterly believable delivery to his lines that he gave to mummies, vampires and werewolves. It was good to see him again.

“Biggles” was unfortunate in being released a year after “Back to the Future“ came out. As a time-travel adventure it didn’t compare and quickly faded. Still, it’s a fine example, in my view, of an affectionate, stiff-upper-lip boy’s own adventure. “Biggles” isn’t a great movie or even a memorable one, but it’s competently made and it’s fun. That’s not a bad epitaph for a movie.

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria

Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.

Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.

Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.

Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.

Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.

Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.

Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.

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Most Popular Poster Types

US Posters

LOBBY CARD
11 x 14" printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.

WINDOW CARD
14 x 22" printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970's.

HALF SHEET
22 x 28" printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.

INSERT
14 x 36" printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.

STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60" printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.

ONE-SHEET
27 x 41" printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass "marquee" case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980's most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27" by 40" and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.

THREE-SHEET
41 x 81" printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970's on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as "international" versions to be used abroad.

BRITISH Posters

BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40" Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.

BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40", printed on paper. Very rarely used size.

ITALIAN Posters

ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28" six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26" Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.

2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55" This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79" Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.

FRENCH Posters

FRENCH
47 x 63" (GRANDE) or 24 x 33" (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian's some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.

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