The Wind Cannot Read (1958)

During World War II, Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn (Sir Dirk Bogarde), a British officer stationed in Asia, is recruited by Army Intelligence, is tasked with learning Japanese to interrogate Japanese P.O.W.s and he falls in love with his pretty Japanese teacher "Sabby" (Suzuki San) (Yôko Tani).

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Richard Mason (novel), Richard Mason (screenplay)

Stars:

Dirk Bogarde, Yôko Tani, Ronald Lewis

Cast

Cast overview:
Dirk Bogarde	...	Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn
Yôko Tani	...	'Sabby' [Suzuki San] (as Yoko Tani)
Ronald Lewis	...	Squadron Leader Fenwick
John Fraser	...	Flying Officer Peter Munroe
Anthony Bushell	...	The Brigadier
Marne Maitland	...	Bahadur
Michael Medwin	...	Flying Officer Lamb
Richard Leech	...	Hobson
Tony Wager	...	Moss (as Anthony Wager)
Tadashi Ikeda	...	Itsumi San
Heihachirô Ôkawa	...	Lieutenant Nakamura (as Henry Okawa)
Yoichi Matsue	...	Corporal Mori
Donald Pleasence	...	The Doctor
Joy Michael	...	First Nurse
Avice Landone	...	Second Nurse

Storyline

During World War II, the Japanese forces push their way into Burma and threaten to invade British India at the end of 1942. Caught in a flood of war refugees fleeing Burma, R.A.F. Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn (Sir Dirk Bogarde) and a fellow Officer are retreating toward the Burma-India border. The disorganized column marching under the intense scorching sun runs into a Japanese ambush. Under a hail of fire, they all scatter in all directions. Quinn and his comrade head for the desert. After a few gruelling hours of walking in the infernal desert, they finally reach a British Army outpost. In 1943, Quinn is sent for a bit of rest and relaxation. He's spending his time skiing in the Indian mountains and relaxing at the New Everest Hotel where his Indian orderly, Bahadur (Marne Maitland), constantly spoils him. Fellow R.A.F. Flying Officer Peter Munroe (John Fraser) shows up at the hotel and informs Quinn that no one is leaving for Britain yet. Munroe also tells Quinn that the two of ...

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Plot Keywords:

language lesson | hung by wrists | pedicab | riding an elephant | interracial marriage | 

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Taglines:

Dare They Cross the Color Line?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 1958 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

El viento no sabe leer

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Rank Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (uncredited)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kenneth More turned down the lead, and later called it the biggest mistake of his professional career.

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Goofs

When Quinn breaks his handcuffs with a rock (c. 97 minutes), his wrists are not bleeding and his right wrist shows no serious sign of injury; yet in the next shot he is bandaging both his wrists, now bleeding, with the torn strips from his shirt.

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Quotes

Officer Lamb: I am always staggered by the consistency of fate in penalising virtue.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: BURMA 1942

"Though on the sign it is written: 'Don't pluck these blossoms'- it is useless against the wind, which cannot read."

• JAPANESE POEM

INDIA 1943

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Connections

Referenced in Absolute Beginners (1986)

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Soundtracks

The Wind Cannot Read
Written and Composed by Peter Hart
and Sung by Vera Lynn

User Reviews

I never saw this picture and cannot comment on the actual film.

This was the final picture shown at the famous New York City movie palace, the Roxy, the self-exclaimed "Cathedral of the Motion Picture." The Roxy opened in 1928 amid mid-Manhatten Roaring Twenties fanfare. By the mid-1950's, the theater was showing it's age through years of neglect and declining revenues, i.e. competition from television and general flight of patrons to the suburbs. It was during the late '50's to the late '80's that the large picture palaces were vanishing to the wrecker's ball, and the Roxy fell without a whimper from the public. After showing "The Wind Cannot Read," in the spring of 1960, the Roxy was closed and demolished in three months. A famous photo exists of silent movie actress Gloria Swanson in an elegant gown posing amid the Roxy's gloomy ruins; one of her silents opened the Roxy in 1928. A tragic end to a magnificent structure, only 32 years old at the time.