When the Wind Blows
Tags: tragedy, comedy, storytelling, flashback

Plot synopsis:
It is a windy spring night. A man tells Kennedy the cop that it is a fine night for a murder or robbery. Farina is frightened, but his mother still has to do laundry, so he is left in a ramshackle house with windows so weak that the wind blows through. A few doors down, Jackie is spanked by his father for refusing to do his homework; his little brother Wheezer is laughing at him. After being spanked, Jackie throws his school book out the window.
Later, after he goes to bed, he overhears his parents saying what a great kid he is and how they want him to grow up and be successful. Jackie, touched by this sentiment, climbs out the window to retrieve his book. He tries to get back in but cannot open the window. As he is trying to get back in, he makes all sorts of noises, causing more commotion in the neighborhood. Jackie tries to break a window by throwing something, but the wind blows the object over to a nearby house and breaks a window there, waking up Chubby and his parents. When Jackie manages to get into Wheezer's room through another window, Wheezer's dog, Pete, pushes Jackie back out again. Mary Ann next door also wakes up. Jackie manages to get into Mary Ann's room, but she throws him out as well. As he falls out of Mary Ann's window, he lands on a real burglar, knocking him out. Jackie is then considered a hero.

Review: An elderly couple (Hilda and Jim -- voiced by Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills) -- who have experienced WWII -- prepare for a nuclear war believing every word that the government says and expecting a short and happy outcome should the worst happen.I have watched a lot of movies and I expect to watch a lot more movies before I am through, but I won't see anything quite like this one.
The movie starts by playing for laughs and introducing us to the daily routine of our elderly couple.They are living in the past and think of war in a kindly way.
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.
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.
If it is a Hollywood production, there has to be an optimistic ending - take "the day after" with a simple but uplifting message: some will die, there will be personal tragedy, yes - but we'll make it under the guidance of our government.This film takes a different approach: the format (animated) and the setting (rural England) perfectly match the soothing government messages: build a shelter, keep some food and drink - you'll be alright.But then the story is continued through to the (very painful) end: there is no more government, there is no more mailman, there isno more you.....
The soundtrack is also superb and subtely integrated into the storyline, using both instrumental and vocal tracks from David Bowie, Roger Waters and Genesis.As you watch the film you are given a 'fly-on-the-wall' perspective of an elderly couple 'preparing' for a nuclear blast.
Before you settle down to watch this, bear in mind that WTWB isn't easy viewing  in fact it's a flick that grows more and more painful as it goes  but it's a fulfilling one nonetheless that leaves a real lasting impact on the viewer and certainly a film everyone, adults *and* kids alike, should watch.Even if you're a hardcore war endorser, you simply couldn't be human if you didn't, at any point, feel the slightest pang of conscience for the two characters stuck in the middle of this one.
And, miraculously, it works  but it leaves them totally unprepared for a threat even more horrifying, devastating and noxious than the blast itself; the nuclear winter, or 'fallout', that must follow.When Raymond Briggs first set out to tell this incredible and nerve-jangling story, he chose to do it in one of the most unlikely formats available; a children's comic book.
To some extent, something *is* lost in translating the original story to film  it's a faithful adaptation, and really maintains Briggs' look, feel and sense of character (he himself had quite a big finger in this pie), but in merely being a movie it lacks the naïve innocence that only a children's storybook could really provide.
the quality of the film is such that there are times where you forget that you are watching an animated movie ..
Life like the wind can be a very fleeting thing, we always think we have enough time in our lives and death is far behind, but the moment it comes is always the least we expect and we realize how little time we really had.
The nuclear explosion scene how it was presented and executed I'll admit is one of the most disturbing, horrifying, and unnerving scenes I've ever seen, the only other time I seen this was in the anime film "Barefoot Gen".
The music is great it really fits the film, I even like the theme song by one of my favorite singer's David Bowie.But what really makes this film is really the couple Jim and Hilda Bloggs the movie focuses on.
There are times when you really cringe at their ignorance about the war but you also at time feel heavy pathos for them as both are just struggling to survive by what they have as well as the information from the government pamphlets which made it all the more sadder because you know the information is a lie.There is a lot that really tugs at our emotions, one scene where we see as the explosion is continuing the camera then focuses on a picture of the past and we see both Jim and Hilda past in a montage as they were young and when they grew old.
Another scene that was disturbing was when both were outside and they think they smell roasted meat and when we see shots of a town in ruin we know exactly what that smell is, it really gave me a sick feeling inside.It even tugs from the little moments like when Jim wonders why the milkman hasn't arrived.
This all the more increased the emotional weight.The fate of the couple in the end broke my heart and I literally broke down and cried, it is something that will haunt you forever.This film really made me appreciated life, grateful that I can still play and buy video games, do martial arts, have a girlfriend and friends, and just simply do all the things I do best in life because none of use really have all the time in the world, like the wind life blows away.Rating: 4 stars.
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.
From the harrowing image of clouded streets, damaged houses and burnt trees to the ignorance of the pensioners, this groundbreaking dystopian chiller brings a surreal fear to mind.The most upsetting is the result of the bomb's fall out, The character's skin decaying to the shocking reaction of an old woman crying out in horror as her hair falls out.Its a pity such films like this are so under rated, Along with the incredible vocal performances, excellent direction and Roger Water's terrifying film score, This movie deserves much more credit..
The interesting thing about this one, and what in my opinion separates it from the rest, is that you don't get to see the war at all (save for the nuclear blast), but instead you "live" the experience of an oblivious old couple that didn't ask for it, have nothing to do with it, and don't know anything about it, but nonetheless get it.
This is I think one of the most important messages a film can give, as the most important issue in the world right now is to end war and suffering and become the civilized beings we think we are.The drawings in the film are very good, emotional and expressive, the animation great with some 3D effects (film of the inside of a real house painted over), and an outstanding soundtrack by Roger Waters and more (Bowie, Genesis...) to move you even more.
And the granddaddy of all bogeymen: da bomb.Permeating all aspects of pop culture, from 'Two Tribes' to Threads, the ridiculously real threat of nuclear annihilation gave us all the screaming abdabs - not helped by Jimmy T Murakami's adaptation of Briggs' graphic novel 'When The Wind Blows', a darkly satirical riposte to those fatuous 'Protect And Survive' leaflets (and an exact photo negative of Disney's 1957 propaganda cartoon Our Friend The Atom).For Jim and Hilda Bloggs, taking a few doors off their hinges and climbing into a brown paper bag should be enough to ensure their post-holocaust survival.
"When The Wind Blows" is an animated movie, adapted from the marvelous repertoire of Raymond Briggs, about an unexceptional retired couple who are about to live through a hugely exceptional event.
But surely you haven't seen anything like "When The Wind Blows", as it's the most totally unique and original take on the tragic & horrific effects of war ever accomplished.
"When the Wind Blows" is a decent 1986 British animated film that follows an elderly couple trying in vain to survive a nuclear war.
Though I didn't shed a tear because I saw an even more depressing film that made me feel empty inside, this is a film which all other movies should have strived to be like.Watching a very ignorant but very "innocent" couple who live in the countryside of Sussex continue to be optimistic despite dying from radiation sickness from a nuclear bomb dropped on London is heart-felt and engaging.
A beautiful work of disturbing and realistic proportions, "When the Wind Blows" is an animated film that successfully catches the minds of all who see it, and is a MUST SEE for everyone!.
When the Wind Blows is a 1986 animated disaster film based on a graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, who was also known for the Snowman.
Even so, the movie has a way of enveloping you, and making you think you're really watching Jim and Hilda Bloggs try to prepare as best they can just days before a nuclear strike.
Meanwhile, Hilda tries to do what she knows how to do, such as cooking, cleaning, and sewing, even in the face of an imminent nuclear attack, leading to the most memorable line in the movie, when Jim says "Come back you stupid bitch and get in the shelter!", when with only 3 minutes to the blast, she worries about the washer and burning her cake.
Jim takes some government-issued pamphlets from the library on how to prepare for nuclear devastation (Both of which are decades-old) and they quickly go to work, "radiation-proofing" their home, all the while their heads are swimming with romanticized memories of childhood during World War 2.The bombs drop, and Jim and Hilda wait for their government to rescue them.
The opening song by David Bowie also serves as a wonderful tool to introduce us to Jim and Hilda's world.One also cannot talk about the film without mentioning the animation, which spans several styles.
Even stop-motion is used at one time or another, making the whole thing that much more tangible.When The Wind Blows is a scathing, and incredibly powerful indictment of war, nuclear weapons, and how our governments handle them.
'When the Wind Blows' used the same graphic novel, illustrative technique to tell the story of a retired couple, Jim and Hilda Bloggs, living in isolation in rural England, dutifully following ludicrous government issue pamphlets, offering advice on how to "survive" a nuclear attack.
I was really excited to see this movie and couldn't have been more disappointed.While I'm sure this was intended to be some left-wing commie hippie anti-war movie, playing on the emotions of idiots, it's just an hour and a half of stupid.I must say that the animation is actually quite unique.They mix animation and live action in a very strange way and it really looks good.Unfortunately the story itself is total crap.The official description on this site calls the elderly couple "naive".I assume that was written by the same PC idiot who wrote this movie.They are far beyond naive, they are downright stupid.When the old man says there is going to be a missile strike, the old woman complains about commies going on strike and says they should all be locked up.Less than 5 minutes later she is talking about how much she loves Stalin.She asks her husband who runs Russia now and he says Marx has something to do with it.After the bomb drops they ramp up the stupidity but it's not funny anymore as you watch these two elderly morons die.It's a real shame that such great animation was wasted on such a terrible story.I give 3 stars for the animation, the story is a -10..
This has to be one of the most stunning films I've ever seen.Although it was ages ago that I saw it, this is one of those rare films that stay with you for years.A very chilling story of World War III, done in such a way that you can't help love the characters.
Such wonderful ideas such as building a fallout shelter from your house doors, or painting your house white to reflect the blast come to life in possibly one of the most disturbing films ever.The two little old age pensioners take you right through from before to after the war.
When the threat of Nuclear War starts to loom ominously, the stoic couple build a shelter in their home and set about storing provisions suggested by the government pamphlets.
Naturally in animated form, so as to simultaneously entice and awaken the kids of the day to Nuclear War possibility and the effects of such.When mooching around for some back story on Briggs and how he came to write it, I came upon a review for the film that chastised the characters for being stupid!
Originally Murakami wanted a live action film but he didn't have the budget so instead used a combination of 3D backgrounds and 2D characters and it works extremely well.The story follows retired couple Jim and Hilda Bloggs as they reminisce on their experiences of the Second World War through rose tinted glasses, as WWIII begins.
John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft bring Jim and Hilda to life making you forget that you're watching two animated drawings.
Amazingly they survive a superbly animated nuclear attack but then it just gut wrenching to watch them succumb to radiation sickness but not knowing what is happening.Finally the soundtrack is also one of the best, with specially written songs from David Bowie, Roger Waters and Genesis perfectly complementing the film..
It is sort of fitting that this movie looks like a fairy tale because it's story is anything but.The movie takes place in the home of an elderly couple John and Hilda who know that WWIII is emminent but think that the government will have the same jolly, let's-all-pitch-in spirit of WWII.
Jim and Hilda Bloggs (voiced by the late Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft and based loosely on Raymond Brigg's parents) are a retired couple living simple lives in Sussex until The Cold War report on the radio (voiced by Robin Houston) announces the bomb is going to drop on Britain.
What happens starts with preparation for nuclear attack suggested by government nuclear war information leaflets that Jim picked up from the library, the survival of the blast and their gradual disintegration of health through radioactive poisoning.As people Jim and Hilda were more everyman than simple.
The animation in general is very fluid and believable (for example, you see a poor bird drag itself around when Jim and Hilda venture outdoors).The soundtracks were okay though Bowie's effort was pretty weak and, in a way, found it a bit anachronistic to have a 'modern' 80s soundtrack attached to a film involving two people who were of a different time despite living in the 'present'.
Kids, despite it's childlike animation, would be upset by it's subject matter if not bored by the lack of action (a lot of the film involves Jim and Hilda talking) while the grown-ups would readily dismiss the whole exercise as just another Raymond Brigg's kiddie movie after his success with The Snowman..
When the Wind Blows is one of those films that keeps on haunting you long after the end credits have stopped rolling.It focuses on an elderly couple preparing for and enduring a nuclear attack on great Britain.
"When the Wind Blows", just like "Grave of the Fireflies" it's a heartbreaking animated tale about two innocent characters that had a childish vision of the world, and how the war has terrible effect on their lives.Despite the cute style of animation, that may look as something aimed for children, this movie is pretty disturbing and sad: The scenes aren't very explicit, but many parts of this movie shocked me a lot.
However, I love this film, and I would recommend it to anyone (Unless you don't like to see sad movies) because, despite being pretty depressive and dark, it is also beautiful and moving.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Raymond Briggs, a retired World War II British veteran, Jim Bloggs, and his wife, Hilda, learns about the war between America and the Soviet Union could involved nuclear weapons.
It's like this, Jim Bloggs goes home on a bus to his wife and prepare a scrumptious British meal of sausages and chips, but that's not so peaceful after it turns out nuclear war is about to break out (in the film, I mean) in two or three days time.
Jim Bloggs puts deep faith in "the powers that be" and the government "preparedness" pamphlets he picks up at the local library, while Hilda either thinks the whole thing will blow over, or that the war will be just like the last one.
Unusual, unique animated film about nuclear war  very bleak, and not really for children..
Author and illustrator Raymond Briggs (of The Snowman and Fungus The Bogeyman fame) released a picture-book entitled When The Wind Blows that tells of an elderly couple who attempt to prepare for, and survive in the aftermath of, a nuclear strike.