When the Wind Blows (1986)

A naive elderly British rural couple survive the initial onslaught of a nuclear war.

Director:

Jimmy T. Murakami

Writers:

Raymond Briggs (book), Raymond Briggs (script)

Stars:

Peggy Ashcroft, John Mills, Robin Houston

1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.

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Plot Keywords:

tragedy | adult animation | nuclear war | nuclear fallout | black comedy | 

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Taglines:

...It's No Fairy Tale

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | War

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Details

Official Sites:

At Entertainment [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quando o Vento Sopra

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,597, 13 March 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Meltdown Productions, British Screen Productions, Film Four International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was part of a cycle of movies about nuclear war and the risks of nuclear energy, which had started with The China Syndrome (1979). The movies included Silkwood (1983), Testament (1983), Threads (1984), WarGames (1983), The Day After (1983), The Atomic Cafe (1982), The Manhattan Project (1986), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), Special Bulletin (1983), Ground Zero (1987), Barefoot Gen (1983), Rules of Engagement (1989), When the Wind Blows (1986), Dead Man's Letters (1986), Memoirs of a Survivor (1981), and The Chain Reaction (1980).

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Goofs

At the beginning of the scene in which Jim and Hilda are bedridden, Hilda's feet are missing for a few frames as the camera pans across.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits, Morse code can be heard in the background. The code, when translated, means "MAD". MAD is an abbreviation for the term "Mutually Assured Destruction".

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Connections

Featured in Jimmy Murakami: Non Alien (2010)

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Soundtracks

Folded Flags
Written by Roger Waters
Performed by Roger Waters and The Bleeding Heart Band

User Reviews

Powerful stuff and in Brit-toon terms, a total one-off.

Subjects don't come much bigger than total species extinction and in the mid-80s, the imposing shadows thrown by the superpowers' volatile arsenal of nuclear warheads pretty much blackened the entire planet. With last-grip, nerve-stretched lunacies like Mutually Assured Destruction dominating US and Soviet policies, the standoff also had the vinegary whiff of desperate farce about it. War is hell but at least there are winners. In a nuclear conflict, everybody - and everything - loses. One big bang and we all fall down. Or, in the case of When The Wind Blows, fall-out.

While Mick Jackson's telemovie Threads remains the screen's most potent account of mass panic on apocalypse day, this British to-the-frame adaptation of Raymond Briggs' graphic novella is unquestionably the most humane. Say hello and wave goodbye then, to Jim and Hilda, our naive retired home counties couple who, on hearing of an imminent World War III, set about merrily obeying the ridiculous instructions from government protect and survive pamphlets. They whitewash the windows (to shield the radiation), stock up on supplies (a tin of Christmas pudding) and cheerfully anticipate a Blitz-style cosy-up sipping Olvaltine under Anderson shelters.

At first, it plays out like a black comedy - just as the bomb hits, dim Hilda goes to get the washing in - but as the insidious crackle of fall-out settles and the sickness sets in, the movie reveals its true nature: an unbearably intimate, gently accentuated tragedy with a tenacious pacifist streak. Blending 2D cells with 3D modelling, director Jimmy Murakami is technically adventurous but crucially, his connection to Briggs' material is total. In fact, with its working class nuances, droll dialogue and mundane aura , you sense that if Mike Leigh made cartoons, the results wouldn't be too far from this.