Quand souffle le vent

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 movie is not fun. It's an amazing movie and a seriously important message but it's not a fun ride. The animation is really cutesy and simple which fits the simplicity of the couple. The couple is really charming due to their normality and naïveté. The live action stuff and animations is also just really nice to look at. This movie can feel a little slow throughout but for the plot it's telling it works really well. With all this being said, it's hard to say I recommend this film as impactful and important as the message is the movie is just so dreary, bleak and kind of horrifying. The way this couple is so unaware of the danger they're in is actually scary to watch. And just the way this story is told is in a very cheery manner but with such horrifying undertones. The biggest issue is it's depressing to a point that it's not fun to watch.

'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.

This film is an amazing contrast: its extremely dark subject matter is totally belied by the beautifully-drawn backdrops and sweet cartoon style. As adult animations are so rare this style grabs you at once, and it is impossible not to be gripped. Anyone who doesn't remember the Cold War should note that the advice about the doors and painting the windows white was the true advice at the time. Where this film is so effective is its perfect charicatures of elderly folk determined to keep the British stiff upper lip, with no idea about nuclear weapons. My grandparents are exactly like this couple, I could see my nan also bringing in the washing during the four-minute warning. We never see the couple's son but his refusal to adhere to the government's "Protect & Survive" advice, singing the Tom Lehrer song down the phone to his father, is a far more realistic attitude towards what is about to happen. Living only 12 miles from London when I first saw this film I was inclined to agree with the son (and still do). Although the geopolitical map of the world is different now this is still an immensely valuable film as it shows what the risks were during the Cold War and is a chilling reminder that although the Cold War may be over, the weapons are still here. It could not be more different in presentation to the equally brilliant but far more horrifying Threads - but the message is the same.

I saw this film when i was about 13 and it had a huge impact on me. Everything comes together so well to produce a stunning overall effect. The animation is unique and uses many contrasting styles from soft, cartoony character design to harsh, powerful and sometimes disturbing imagery reminiscent of some of Gerald Scarfe's work in 'The Wall'. 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. Their innocence and naivety is moving whilst at the same time full of hope. They dutifully follow governmental leaflets firmly believing that the powers that be will never let them down. This viewpoint is harrowing for the viewer as we know that there is no real hope for either of them and yet still they carry on even after the blast, with a quiet dignity and bravery which is very endearing.

This is not a film with a happy ending and nor should it be. For this reason some may call it depressing but the media of film should not always be used to merely entertain.

There are few films out there that truly have the power to make an impact on us that will last the rest of our lives, thankfully When The Wind Blows is one of them. A daring and innovative movie which is so much more than just a cartoon.

It is also now available at last on DVD. I intend to order my copy very soon. Highly recommended.