A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)

In 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling but their ship is taken over by pirates who become fond of the kids.

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	...	Frederick Thornton
Isabel Dean	...	Alice 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
Viviane Ventura	...	Margaret Fernandez

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:

child murders an adult | caribbean sea | child in jeopardy | murder of child | cigar smoking | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Mason had tried to set it up as part of his producer / director deal with Fox. He had planned to make it more about the children, and he would have starred alongside Stephen Boyd and Hayley Mills.

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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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Quotes

Chavez: What kind of man are you? You are a butcher! Why don't you tell us where the money is?

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Bucaneering adventure with some children aboard a pirate galleon captained by Anthony Quinn

Very good adventure , a pure entertainment movie based on a novel written by Richard Hughes , shot in Jamaica and Pinewood studios . In the late XIX , during Victorian time , a hurricane destroys the house of Thorton family and the children are sent England . But their ship is attacked by a pirate vessel captained by Chavez (Anthony Quinn) and the second-in-command (James Coburn) and they are taken aboard . The kids view it as a lark, and one of them, a girl named Emily , develops an unusual bond with Chavez, the pirate captain. But the kiddies reveal their basic natures aboard of the vessel and the problems emerge , discovering the innocent savageries of childhood. The superstitious pirates can't wait to unload the children at the first harbour and things go awry when an unfortunate tragedy takes place .

This enjoyable pirate movie contains sensitive moments , wonderful seafare exteriors and thought-provoking theme with psychological studio of childhood in which the peculiar relationship with kiddies takes a fateful twist . It packs comedy , adventure, drama and tragedy , all of them are ironically balanced by an intelligent screenplay written by Stanley Mann and Ronald Harwood . Excellent main cast , such as an exceptional Anthony Quinn as the pirate captain and James Coburn as a good buccaneer . Good supporting cast such as : Nigel Davenport , Lila Kedrova , Dennis Price , and brief role for Gert Frobe . Nice musical score directed by Philip Martell and composed by virtuoso harmonica Larry Adler, including some catching songs . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Douglas Slocombe in widescreen who reflects splendidly the Caribbean outdoors . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Alexander Mackendrick who directed ¨Sammy going South¨ also about a childhood issue . Rating : Well worth watching , better than average . The picture will appeal to Anthony Quinn and James Coburn fans.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 June 1965 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

A High Wind in Jamaica

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

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