When the Wind Blows (1986)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Jimmy T. Murakami

Writers:

Raymond Briggs (book)
Raymond Briggs (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | War

Tagline:

...It's No Fairy Tale

Plot:

With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack...

Plot Keywords:

Radiation Sickness | English Countryside | Cold War | Nuclear War | Married Couple

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peggy Ashcroft	...	Hilda Bloggs (voice)
John Mills	...	Jim (voice)
Robin Houston	...	Announcer (voice)
James Russell
David Dundas
Matt Irving

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG | Germany:6 (DVD) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-10 | Sweden:7

Company:

Meltdown Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the nuclear attack, cars can still be seen traveling on the highway. The cars would actually stall due to the electromagnetic pulse that would result from a nuclear attack. Electric and diesel trains would also stall.

Quotes:

Jim: [reading from pamphlet] During this period, reduced external stimuli may produce problems of group behavior.
Hilda: Oh yes, I see, Dear.
Jim: [reading from pamphlet] Steps to combat this may include the following: At intervals, stimulate group activities...
Hilda: Don't you dare start stimulating, James. I'm not in the mood.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

When the Wind Blows

A classic little cartoon of hugely disturbing proportions

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.