When the Wind Blows

'When the Wind Blows' is an amazing piece of animation in more ways than one. Amazing, firstly, for being such an elusive dark horse that, in spite of its quality, remains little known to this day. Amazing also for the seamless mode in which it combines dimensions, propping 2D characters up against both 2D and 3D backgrounds. And, finally, amazing for being so bursting in valor and heartache in the gut-punch it delivers. Indeed, if you want my stance on things this humble little flick ranks alongside 'Yellow Submarine' shoulder-to-shoulder as two of the most eye-catching pacifist movies ever made. What's really interesting is that, while the central message is essentially the same (give peace a chance), these movies couldn't be more of a contrast. 'Yellow Submarine' is at one end of the spectrum; quirky, light-hearted and dripping with colour, it's a very hippie, flower power kind of vision that (among other things), shows us the potential joys of living in a world without conflict. WTWB is right at the other – up to its neck in darkness and somberness, it offers up the alternative route; the pure horror of a world wrecked by nuclear war. 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. Jim and Hilda are an elderly couple living a tranquil life in a small cottage out in the countryside – they embody just about the most benign and peaceful kind of civilian you could imagine. Yet they are doomed to suffer the most for something over which they have no voice. They place their trust in a line of government-issued pamphlets and, in spite of the obvious flaws and contradictions in their advice, manage to construct a shelter that will stand up to the bombing. 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 advantage it does have, however, is the chance to delve into his sketching style and produce some quality animation, a challenge it rises to well – there are some brief interludes throughout the story which feature beautiful, even mesmerising artwork, serving up a sharp contrast to the painful reality our heroes are facing. The background score is entrancing, and the lyrics of Roger Waters' end-credits number just demand to be listened to. John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft were the *perfect* selections for the voices of Jim and Hilda. And, like the original source material, it makes brilliant use of understatement to paint a bigger, much more ghastly picture. Hard though it may seem, this is a film that really demands multiple viewings, as so many things are left to us, the viewers, to suss out for ourselves.

Final note – stay right until the *very* end of the closing credits. This experience just isn't complete without hearing that chilling beeping as it fades.

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.

This cartoon is not for children; it should not even be for adults as well, but it is a grim reminder of what could have been (and what might still be) if we are not vigilant as civil human beings on this planet. The best nuclear holocaust film since Hiroshima shows us the gradual breakdown of a lovely old couple in the English countryside after a nuclear exchange. It reminds us there are no winners in a nuclear war. The cartoon is described highly inaccurately by IMDB as a comedy. The word comedy and nuclear war should never be used in the same sentence. It is a drama and a tragedy of the highest order. Please fix this outrageous description, despite a few weak attempts at humor by the characters.

I remember when this was released in the cinemas in 1986 in the UK. It had a fairly small release, yet attracted a lot of publicity. I didn't see it till it was on TV one Christmas - not the right time to show such a film. I was still only eleven or twelve and found it far more disturbing than any Nightmare On Elm Street, Poltergeist or American Werewolf that I'd seen. 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. You are plunged into the dark, deathly tone of the storyline and compelled to watch in the hope that this sweet couple will survive, whilst at the back of your mind, always knowing that they have little time left. It still has the same effect now on a third or fourth watching. It's so disturbing to see, yet something so compelling that you cannot turn away or turn off. 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. This is a unique film that stands alone in terms of animation and stands out from all the typically optimistic, big and bright blockbusters of the eighties.

There are very few films that attempt to realistically describe life after the bomb. 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 is

no more you....