A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)

The parents of children living in Jamaica, afraid that the kids are growing up uncivilized, decide to send them to England. But during the voyage, the childrens' ship is boarded by pirates ... See full summary »

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Stanley Mann (screenplay), Ronald Harwood (screenplay),

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Dennis Price

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Chavez
James Coburn	...	Zac
Dennis Price	...	Mathias
Lila Kedrova	...	Rosa
Nigel Davenport	...	Mr. Thornton
Isabel Dean	...	Mrs. Thornton
Kenneth J. Warren	...	Capt. Marpole
Ben Carruthers	...	Alberto (as Benito Carruthers)
Gert Fröbe	...	Dutch Captain (as Gert Frobe)
Brian Phelan	...	Curtis
Trader Faulkner	...	Pirate
Charles Laurence	...	Tallyman
Charles Hyatt	...	Pirate
Dan Jackson	...	Pirate
Vivienne Ventura	...	Margaret Fernandez (as Viviane Ventura)

Storyline

The parents of children living in Jamaica, afraid that the kids are growing up uncivilized, decide to send them to England. But during the voyage, the childrens' ship is boarded by pirates and in the confusion the children wind up trapped on the pirate ship. The children view it as a lark, and one of them, a girl named Emily, develops an unusual bond with Chavez, the pirate captain. The superstitious pirates can't wait to unload the kids at the first port, but a tragedy prevents it, and Emily's relationship with Chavez takes a fateful twist.

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Plot Keywords:

pirate | children | jamaica | pirate ship | pirate captain | 

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Taglines:

Piracy and High Adventure on the High Seas!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 June 1965 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Sturm über Jamaika

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an article written by Hedda Hopper in The Los Angeles Times (July 7, 1961), producer Jerry Wald had signed John Mills and his daughter Hayley Mills for this movie. Wald died in July 1962 and the project did not materialized.

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Goofs

The hurricane at the beginning of the film is rather clearly created with a combination of wind machines and water sprayed onto the set. Despite the torrential downpour there is sun-dappling beneath the tree where Emily is looking for her cat, and blue sky and puffy white clouds are visible in the distance behind her and her father.

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Connections

Referenced in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

User Reviews

a haunting, not by-the-numbers film

I first saw this film as a child, and was surprised that I remembered so much of it over 30 years later. It is an unusual story of children who end up on a pirate ship by a quirk, and their relationship with the pirates, who regard them as unlucky. Which turns out to be true, in an unforeseen way. Anthony Quinn, as pirate captain, is superb, as are all the cast, especially the actress playing Emily, the oldest child.

Forget any preconceived ideas you might have about the plot. This is a haunting, unforgettable story.