A Charming Apocalypse

When The End Comes, It Will Come For Us All.

When the Wind Blows (1986) – Nuclear war disrupts the quiet routine of an elderly, retired couple in England.

Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami

Starring Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Sir John Mills

Why I Liked It – A charming fable with a heartbreaking end.

Here’s a little change of pace. An animated movie that’s not a kids’ movie, nor is Japanese. This is a British film with decidedly English characters. It’s not like any of the many other nuclear war movies from the late ‘70s through the early ‘80s. There’s a charm to the two characters, and the movie has a gentle tone with a dark humor (or should that be humour?). I was smiling as they drew ever closer to the inevitable ending.

Jim and Hilda are an old, married couple who have retired to a quiet cottage in the countryside. Their son and his family live not too far way away. It’s a good life after years of hard work. Neither of them are well educated, though Jim likes to keep up with the news at the local library. That news is not good. War with the Soviet Union draws ever closer, and Jim snags an official pamphlet from the government on what to do if the big one drops.

And then it does.

The two main characters are charming, naïve, and a bit bumbling. It’s funny to watch them try to make their way through the ultimate modern disaster. At the same time, it’s chilling to know how futile it will all be in the end. Hilda’s grasp of world affairs is weak, and Jim’s isn’t much better (even as he thinks it is). The story’s setting is in a time closer to the end of World War II, so there’s discussion of the leaders of that time. Hilda always liked Mr. Stalin because he looked like an uncle with his big mustache. Jim still idolizes Mr. Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery.

By the end of the movie, my heart was broken. There’s so much going on that it packs the less than ninety-minute run time. I can’t think of another movie quite like this one. It puts the idea of another world war in a more personal setting, which makes the story even more compelling.

Rating – ***** Highest Recommendation