J. Arthur Rank and his band of studio radicals have long held that a noteworthy movie needs only a good story, not a raft of magenta sunsets, daring cleavages or rabid mobs. This conservatism, marking the difference between British efforts and their Hollywood counterparts, is displayed in "Tawny Pipit," and proves once again that the designation "rank" lauds as well as castigates. This story of a rare bird and its effects on the nearby town is consistently first-rate.

With the here only a silent bit of fluff, an extremely light touch was needed lest the downy plot be brushed away. The touch provided fills the bill, for the writers stress the humor, underscore the sentiment, yet never lose the bird in the shuffle. By keeping their dramatic proportions constant, they maintain the credibility of the Pipit throughout--in fact, so important does he become that he assumes a par with the RAF: winged creatures all. Bird lovers everywhere, farmers or ornithologists, forget the War and join the Pipit's Cause; and the blood, sweat and tears shed to protect the specimen for future science are convincing earmarks of a vital struggle. The dangers of disturbing tanks and black-faced egg-stealers are treated with all the consideration accorded the Dieppe incident, yet the contrast of War vs. Pipit is handled so skillfully that realism is never misplaced.

The picture is significant in a larger context. Very possibly, it was the Englishman's concern with such minor themes as the Pipit that enabled him to preserve his perspective during the war. This important aspect is conveyed, not in melodramatic buzz-bomb sequences, but in small-town scenes, and indicates the cogency of Rank's approach. The Pipit's sincere saga does more than just muddle through--it scores a tweedy triumph.