Film Review: When The Wind Blows (1986)

Fig.1 When The Wind Blows (Movie Poster, 1986)

 

Set during a time of nuclear war, When The Wind Blows tells the story of James and Hilda Bloggs who live together in the Sussex countryside. Although they believe they are fairly prepared for a nuclear strike in regards to getting their home set up, when the time comes that they are hit, they only receive 3 minutes warning. The film shows the few days of post-nuclear strike and we gradually and helplessly see the couple deteriorate. The film is heart-wrenching and shows the bitter side of war that doesn't often get shown.

 

When The Wind Blows, was directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and written by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman, Father Christmas). The gentle feel of the animation makes us warm to the characters and their situation even more and really highlights their vulnerability. The muted colours reflect the solemn time and the touching score is provided by Roger Waters with the theme song from David Bowie.

 

Whilst this film is ultimately upsetting and sad, there are some comical moments between the husband and wife which tell us more about their character and their relationship and shows their naivety. The film is an adaptation from a book (written by Briggs), which had previously been adapted to a stage show and a BBC Radio 4 dramatization before the film was released. Despite the sad nature of the movie, it was very enjoyable and was well received by critics on release in 1986.

Illustration List:

Fig 1, When The Wind Blows (1986) [Movie Poster] At:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/When_the_Wind_Blows_1986.jpeg
(Accessed 10.03.16)