Eagle Rock

A British equivalent of the German berg film (even down to the rather incongruous skiffle score), attractively shot in Eastman Colour by Johnny Coquillon in the Lake District. This is one of the preachier Children's Film Foundation productions, as a cocky kid from London in winklepickers learns the hard way (SPOILER COMING:) that you don't steal eggs from nests, and the importance of team work.

As a keen supporter of the British Film Industry, one of my favorite channels is Talking Pictures. I usually give children's films a miss, as I can't watch every single film that comes on the channel. Besides, I saw most of the films that were produced by the Children's Film Foundation at Saturday Morning Pictures when I was a child.

I decided to watch Eagle Rock this morning just out of curiosity, and I found it to be a very interesting film. If you could leave out any thoughts on the various styles of acting, you will find the scenes of the Lake District quite breathtaking and the shots of eagles quite marvelous, along with a story line that is a work of genius.

By his knowledge and skills at rock climbing, I had the feeling that the actor who played "Mr. McTavish" was a real climbing instructor.

Another great feat of film making was using the great John Laurie as a voice over.

Without creating any spoilers, it was a nice touch having the actress who played the young girl as the hero - sorry, heroine - at the end of the film.

This is a another nicely shot, directed and edited Children's' Film Foundation production, this time very much on location on a Scottish mountain in 1964. The cast, old and young clear chosen as able climbers rather than as amateur actors - to have John Laurie dub one adult was wise decision.

Nice youngsters from around the UK are joined at the two week climbing course by a flash cocky teenage Londoner who arrives in a car with his mates - his character instantly recognised from his foot-wear, fashionable 50 years ago: "Winkle-pickers" - shoes with long very pointed toes.

He of course ignores all undoubtedly good advice and climbs a forbidden peak without ropes with the inevitable - in CFF terms -- results.

50 years on, with the intervening arrival of parkour, Alain Robert the Frenchman climbing skyscrapers just with the aid of talcum power and sticky tape, and the online antics of people dangling from one arm from the tallest aerial masts, I wonder what the current generation would make of this film with its good safety advice?