We have undertaken high resolution spectroscopy and IR photometry of the extended planetary nebula Sh 2-71. As a consequence, we note evidence for a discoidal expanding emission region size about 100 arcsec, tilted to the line of sight, and enveloping a core high-excitation source associated with velocities about +/- 500 km/s. Both NIR and optical continua are consistent with the presence of a high temperature central star with about 1300 solar luminosities, together with a very much cooler companion with spectral type A7V, while there is also evidence for core densities not less than 21,000/cu cm, high emission measures about 1.6 10 exp 6 pc cm exp -6 and, in all probability, Balmer line self-absorption. It is proposed that high velocities in the core result from the bipolar expulsion of gas near the central star, perhaps collimated by the enveloping disk. Such results may be explained if the central star represents one component of a short-period binary, with mass-loss primarily deriving from a much cooler, lower luminosity companion.