When the Wind Blows (1986) Reviews

• More disturbing than any film I have ever seen

  Pedro_H2005-10-31

  An elderly couple (Hilda and Jim -- voiced by Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills) -- who have experienced WWII -- prepare for a nuclear war believing every word that the government says and expecting a short and happy outcome should the worst happen. I have watched a lot of movies and I expect to watch a lot more movies before I am through, but I won't see anything quite like this one. If you think you have seen everything and had everything possible thrown at you from a TV/Cinema screen -- then think again. When The Wind Blows must be the most disturbing film I have ever seen -- and it is a low budget cartoon with a PG certificate! The movie starts by playing for laughs and introducing us to the daily routine of our elderly couple.They are living in the past and think of war in a kindly way. This is to soften us up for what follows -- and what follows will stay with you for the rest of your life. Having your emotions manipulated by cinema is nothing new, but this film uses real government information and very real scenarios. If only more people could see this film and debate the messages it contains we would have a safer and better world.

• A classic little cartoon of hugely disturbing proportions

  theojhyman2002-09-26

  I remember when this was released in the cinemas in 1986 in the UK. It had a fairly small release, yet attracted a lot of publicity. I didn't see it till it was on TV one Christmas - not the right time to show such a film. I was still only eleven or twelve and found it far more disturbing than any Nightmare On Elm Street, Poltergeist or American Werewolf that I'd seen. The fact that the couple are so naive and innocent along with the sweet, old-fashioned comic-book style animation really manipulates the viewer so cleverly, that when the bomb hits and the true tone of the film reveals itself, the viewer is caught off guard just like the innocent couple are. You are plunged into the dark, deathly tone of the storyline and compelled to watch in the hope that this sweet couple will survive, whilst at the back of your mind, always knowing that they have little time left. It still has the same effect now on a third or fourth watching. It's so disturbing to see, yet something so compelling that you cannot turn away or turn off. As an historical piece of eighties cold war/anti-nuclear protest filmmaking, this is a timeless film that should be studied as part of history education when it comes to the 2080's and the world looks back a hundred years on a part of the 1980's that weren't so optimistic. This is a unique film that stands alone in terms of animation and stands out from all the typically optimistic, big and bright blockbusters of the eighties.

• Blimey, ducks - there's only three minutes to go....

  jane-832002-11-03

  This film is an amazing contrast: its extremely dark subject matter is totally belied by the beautifully-drawn backdrops and sweet cartoon style. As adult animations are so rare this style grabs you at once, and it is impossible not to be gripped. Anyone who doesn't remember the Cold War should note that the advice about the doors and painting the windows white was the true advice at the time. Where this film is so effective is its perfect charicatures of elderly folk determined to keep the British stiff upper lip, with no idea about nuclear weapons. My grandparents are exactly like this couple, I could see my nan also bringing in the washing during the four-minute warning. We never see the couple's son but his refusal to adhere to the government's "Protect & Survive" advice, singing the Tom Lehrer song down the phone to his father, is a far more realistic attitude towards what is about to happen. Living only 12 miles from London when I first saw this film I was inclined to agree with the son (and still do). Although the geopolitical map of the world is different now this is still an immensely valuable film as it shows what the risks were during the Cold War and is a chilling reminder that although the Cold War may be over, the weapons are still here. It could not be more different in presentation to the equally brilliant but far more horrifying Threads - but the message is the same.

• "A tough little film..."

  CarlyM2005-01-28

  It is hard for me to write a positive review of this movie. This is not a reflection of the quality of the animation; the beautiful hand-drawn characters and backgrounds were truly wonderful. Nor is this a disparaging comment on the performance of the actors, for they were brilliant. The writing, directing, score, etc...all are of extremely high quality. The reason it is hard for me to speak well of the film is because of the enormous emotional impact it will have on you. I saw WTWB in my freshman year History of Animation class with Howard Beckerman, with little more warning for what I was about to experience than, "It's a tough little film". I was an absolute wreck. I have not been so emotionally affected by a movie since. Thought-provoking, stirring, and genuinely moving. It's hard to write favorably about something that had such a devastating effect on me. And yet, as you see, I have.

• Chilling

  shell-261999-03-29

  This is a film you will never forget. I watched it as a teenager expecting something soppy and sentimental (it was made by some of the same people who made the Snowman, a Christmas tale featuring the chorister Aled Jones). John Mills is superb as the male character, his voice carries the echoes of his former glories as hero, officer type and all round good guy. With lavish casting, animation and soundtrack the plot is given a painful intensity. Instead my family were treated to horror of the worst kind. A horror that deals with ordinary comfortable society. The two lovely elderly characters are my grandparents, my neighbours. We see them crumble and disintegrate in the nuclear aftermath. They prepare cheerfully for a nuclear war and wait helplessly in the fallout for a rescue which will never come. Don't watch it with your parents, you will cry and be reminded about it for years afterwards.