Black Island

In 1979, the Children's Film Foundation released a taut little thriller called Black Island. Two schoolboys, Joe and Michael, get separated from their class during an outing and end up stranded on a remote island. But the place isn't deserted. Armed men led by Jack Daker (Michael Elphick) capture the boys, and suddenly a school trip becomes a fight for survival.

Director Ben Bolt, who later helmed episodes of Inspector Morse and Prime Suspect, keeps the pressure on with a brisk 60-minute runtime. The script, by William Humble and Peter Smith, avoids talking down to its young audience. Instead, it offers genuine peril and a pair of resourceful protagonists who have to outthink adult criminals.

Produced by Kingsgate Films for the CFF, Black Island is a modest but effective piece of British children's cinema. Michael Elphick, years before his roles in Withnail and I and TV's Boon, brings a menacing edge. The film has since become a collector's item, treasured by enthusiasts of the CFF catalog.[edit]

Joe and Michael are thirteen-year-old classmates on a school outing. Their teacher, Mr. Tipton (Norman Tipton), leads the group through a coastal area. During a break, the two boys wander off to explore a small boat moored nearby. Before they realize it, the tide shifts and the boat drifts away from the shore, carrying them toward a dark shape on the horizon: Black Island.

The island rises from the water like a clenched fist. Rocky shores give way to sparse woodland and a few derelict buildings. Joe, impulsive and bold, wants to explore. Michael, more cautious, suggests they find a way back. But their argument is cut short when a rough hand grabs each of them. Jack Daker (Michael Elphick) and his partner George Moody (Allan Surtees) drag the boys into a stone hut.

Daker is a coiled spring of menace. He and Moody are using the island as a base for something illegal. What exactly, the boys don't know yet. But they understand one thing: Daker can't let them leave. Not alive.

The boys manage to escape the hut during a moment of inattention. Now the island becomes a maze of hiding spots. They crawl through gorse, slip into abandoned sheds, and listen to the crunch of boots on gravel. Daker and Moody hunt them with growing frustration. Every rustle of leaves could be the end.

Joe and Michael have to rely on each other. Joe's recklessness gets them into tight spots; Michael's careful thinking gets them out. Together, they map the island in their heads. They find a rusted radio in a boathouse, but it's dead. They spot a passing boat, but it's too far away. Hope flickers and dims.

The film balances tension with small moments of warmth. The boys share a stolen biscuit. They joke about their teacher's fussy manner. These touches keep the story grounded. The CFF mandate was to entertain children without patronizing them, and Black Island does exactly that.

As night falls, the temperature drops. The boys shiver in a hollow behind a rock. Daker and Moody are close, their flashlights cutting through the dark. Joe and Michael realize they can't run forever. They have to outsmart the men, not just outrun them.[edit]