Flight of the Doves (1971)

In the late 60s and early 70s, when cinematic boundaries were being pushed back, there were people working in the film industry who seemed to wrestle with a guilty conscience. To understand what I mean, look at the movies that some stars and directors made immediately after they had courted controversy in their more risky films. Soon after the extraordinary outcry that surrounded the graphic violence of 'The Wild Bunch', William Holden appeared in 'The Christmas Tree' which was one of the most lachrymose family movies of all-time. 'Wild Bunch' director Sam Peckinpah also mellowed out for his next film with the light-hearted and extremely gentle 'Ballad Of Cable Hogue'. Another director who had ruffled a few feathers around that time was Ralph Nelson, whose brutal 'Soldier Blue' had pushed the envelope further still, most notably in its infamous blood-soaked massacre. What did Nelson do immediately after 'Soldier Blue'? He made 'Flight Of The Doves', such a juvenile-orientated piece of blarney that it's hard to believe the two films could have been made by the same man in the space of a year. You can almost sense Nelson saying: "look, I know I roughed-up the industry a bit with my last movie… so here's something sweet and sentimental that all the family can enjoy". This film is the cinematic equivalent of an apology. Its main weakness is that it is actually too safe, too childish, too sweet-natured for its own good.Finn and Derval Dove (Jack Wild & Helen Raye) are a couple of young kids living in a working class English town with their cruel stepfather. They dream of moving to Ireland to join their grandmother O'Flaherty (Dorothy McGuire) on her picturesque farm. One evening, the two youngsters decide that they've had enough of their abusive home life so they run away from their house, planning to escape to Ireland. Around this time, their sinister Uncle Hawk (Ron Moody) – a master of disguise - arrives on the scene, plotting to kill the two children so that he can claim the sizable inheritance he stands to receive if anything happens to them. The Dove children make it to Ireland and have various adventures while searching for their grandmother's farm, pursued all the way by the law, their despicable step-father and the murderous Uncle Hawk.'Flight Of The Doves' is loosely based on a popular novel by Walter Macken. The child actors are OK, albeit a little wooden, while the adult stars tend to mug their way through their roles. Moody in particular gives a desperately uneven performance, often behaving as if he's in an end-of-term pantomime (an acting style which may well work on stage, but proves frequently embarrassing under the glare of a movie camera). The film is perfectly enjoyable for children – anything with a plot about kids running away from cruelty and injustice makes an appealing premise for a family flick. It's not badly handled overall, just never truly magical in the way any family film should aspire to be. A couple of scenes seem utterly out of place – one is the 'You Don't Have To Be Irish To Be Irish' march which apes 'Consider Yourself' from 'Oliver!' without much success; the other is a frankly annoying comedy sequence involving a chase through a series of doors, reminiscent of something that Harold Lloyd or the Keystone Cops might have done, but desperately ill-fitting here. All things considered, 'Flight Of The Doves' is a harmless and inconsequential enough time-filler which kids will enjoy, though the sickly-sweet mawkishness might prove a bit much for the adults.

wow!!! I thought I was dreaming this film as everyone I asked had never heard of it.So I was most surprised to find this site with the film starred.My kids watched this many years ago and were glued to the TV so I am pleased its on DVD so I can get it and pass it on to THEIR kids.Was one of the nicest,gentlest,olde worlde films I have seen.Brought back memories of a "sweeter" time before violence...sex...drugs...horror flicks and the like.Would like to see this on TV a bit more.....much better than the usual Saturday and Sunday afternoon offerings don't think I would want a re-make the powers that be might introduce "other" things that would spoil this excellent kids movie

Although the film at times feels like an over cooked tourist ad it would be unfair to overlook some fine moments.Ron Moody shows off all of his remarkable skills in a series of ham characters,while Jack Wild is better than usual as Finn.I have just seen this film not having watched it since the seventies and I really liked Tom Hickey as Garda Flynn.The film is well worth a look and kids would immediately empathize with the two runaways.It also features a Synagogue which is a rarity in an Irish based movie.The narrative is a standard fugitive adventure and no more with plenty of twists and turns but some of the set pieces are poor,such as the dire parade and the cringe-worthy scene outside the church when the tour bus pulls in.Noetheless,Moody as Hawk keeps the tension alive throughout.

I saw this movie in the cinema when I was about 10 years old and Ron Moody coming after the Doves with a cargo hook in his hand still haunts me. I am not that surprised the DVD is rated 18! but it was once a kid's movie.It has many good performances by well known English and Irish actors. The singer Dana both acts in the film and contributes a song to the soundtrack.I recall that the actor Matt Dillon once said in an interview that it was his favourite movie. I am surprised it isn't shown more often.Maybe it'll be seen again to show how good an actor Jack Wild was besides Oliver.