When The Wind Blows

1987

Based On The Book: When The Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs

Producer/Director/Writer: Jimmy T Murakami

Cast Includes: John Mills, Peggy Ashcroft

The Primal Screen:

Another film that showed ordinary people trying to carry on after the unthinkable [nuclear war] has occurred was Where The Wind Blows, the animated feature based on the illustrated book by Raymond Briggs. The two central characters, a retired, English country couple, at first treat the nuclear war as a minor inconvenience and believe that the government - which no longer exists - will get things back to normal. Even when they are mortally ill from the radiation they are unable, or rather, incapable, of facing the truth.

The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction:

Before turning his bestselling graphic novel into a screenplay, Briggs made a radio adaptation, with the unfortunate effect that When The Wind Blows is shackled to the non-stop chatter of its two (working-class) characters. Jim (Mills) and Hilda (Ashcroft) live in Sussex, and are concerned about the approach of WWIII. They follow advice given in official pamphlets, but the aftermath of the Bomb proves much worse than the pamphlets contemplate, and they are left on their own. Moaning about international crises they have not bothered to be interested in, misled by memories of the camaraderies of WWII and somewhat unfairly patronized by the film, they are shattered to learn that nuclear holocaust means no more milk deliveries, a toilet that will not flush and destroyed curtains, as well as presumably terminal radiation sickness. While Murakami ... uses state of the art animation technology to make the best use in the medium of three-dimensional sets since Hoppity Goes To Town (1941), the film suffers from a certain middleclass Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament smugness, with Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft trying to sound as obtuse as 'ordinary' people. There is an irksomely dirge-like David Bowie theme song.

External Links

IMDB (Internet Movie Database)