Main Cast: Hayley Mills, Alan Bates, Bernard Lee, Norman Bird, Diane Clare, Patricia Heneghan, Elsie Wagstaffe
Release Year: 1962
Country: UK
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
Bryan Forbes' first directorial effort is set in a rugged Lancashire farm community. Three impressionable children, played by Hayley Mills, Diane Holgate, and Alan Barnes, come across a bearded vagrant named Arthur Blakey (Alan Bates) sleeping in their barn. Upon awakening, the ill-tempered bum takes a look at the white-eyed kids and mutters the imprecation "Jesus Christ!" In their innocence, the children assume that Arthur is Jesus Christ, and they spread the word to their friends. In truth, he is an escaped killer. But when the authorities come around looking for him, the kids, remembering Christ's persecution, do their best to protect their far-from-deserving new friend. Though the material, based on a novel by Mary Hayley Bell (Hayley Mills's mother) could have been mawkish and obvious in other hands, Forbes handles the situation and the characters realistically; even the blatant New Testament symbolism is logically incorporated into the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Bryan Forbes made an impressive directorial debut with Whistle Down the Wind, a film that could easily have gone off-track under lesser hands. He shows that he is in control from the beginning, piquing the audience's curiosity with the opening kitten-drowning sequence while simultaneously setting up the relationships between the main characters. Forbes directs with subtlety and assurance, making believable the idea that a group of children could think an escaped convict is the Son of God returned the Earth. Small details, many of them provided by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse's excellent adaptation of Mary Hayley Bell's novel, flesh out the characters and their situations, giving a nice depth to the film. Hayley Mills gives an exceptional performance, demonstrating that she was capable of much more than her typical Disney roles demanded of her. Of course, she's quite effective in her "big" scenes, but it's the little moments -- the way she treats her younger brother, her curious reverence for the stranger -- that linger in the memory. Alan Bates underplays to good effect, and Diane Holgate makes the little sister memorable. Arthur Ibbetson's lensing is haunting and evocative; he and Forbes make excellent use of shadows to both highlight and disorient. Wind is a lovely, poignant and quietly uplifting film, and one that is not quite like any other. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
John Arnatt - Teasdale; Ronald Hines - Police Constable Thurstow; Diane Holgate - Nan Bostock; Alan Barnes - Charles Bostock; Roy Holder - Jackie; Howard Douglas - Weaver; Hamilton Dyce - Reeves; Michael Lees - First Civil Defence Worker; Michael Raghan - Civil Defense Worker; Gerald Sim - Wilcox; Pamela Lonsdale - Disciple; Robert Palmer - Disciple
Credit
Ray Simm - Art Director, Bryan Forbes - Director, Max Benedict - Editor, Malcolm Arnold - Composer (Music Score), Malcolm Arnold - Musical Direction/Supervision, Danny Arnold - Musical Direction/Supervision, Geoffrey Rodway - Makeup, Arthur Ibbetson - Cinematographer, Richard Attenborough - Producer, Willis Hall - Screenwriter, Keith Waterhouse - Screenwriter, Mary Hayley Bell - Book Author
The plot follows the lives of three Lancashire farm children who discover a fugitive hiding in their barn. The bearded man, referred to as “Blakey” by the police, is mistaken for Jesus by the children. The fugitive makes no attempt to correct their mistake, especially when he discovers the eldest child, Kathy, is determined to protect him from discovery by the local police. We learn from a poster that he is wanted for murder.
Most of the children in the nearby small town eventually become aware that “Jesus” is living in the barn, complicating Kathy’s attempt at keeping it a secret. When the news finally reaches an adult, Kathy’s father, the police are called in to apprehend the criminal.
The child inhabitants of the village, perhaps 100 of them by now in on the secret, converge on the barn. Convinced that she has let Jesus down, Kathy sneaks behind the structure and apologizes to Blakey that she could no longer protect him. He forgives the girl and, after much prompting from Kathy, promises she will see him again. Resigned to his fate, Blakey tosses his revolver out of the barn door and surrenders to the police.
Once Blakey is taken away and the crowd disperses, Kathy is approached by two very young children who ask to see Jesus. She tells them that they missed him this time, but he will be back.
The film contrasts the children's innocent faith with the pragmatic and suspicious adults in the town. Heavy in allegory, many of the characters and events parallel those found in historical Christian literature. In one scene, a child is mocked and beaten into denying he had seen Jesus. After the boy's third denial, a train whistle is heard (representing Peter’s denial in Luke 22).The strains of 'We three kings' can be discerned in the score as Kathy, her brother and sister march with the food 'gifts' they have acquired for the man in the 'stable'. They are spotted and followed by a group of country children (shepherds). The early core of chldren who are in on the secret number a dozen and are specifically called The Disciples in the cast list. The secret comes out at the end of a children's party/Last Supper.
The script was based on a novel of the same name by Mary Hayley Bell, and her daughter, Hayley Mills, played the leading role. Alan Bates, in his first film, played the man in the barn. Local schoolchildren from the villages around Clitheroe, Lancashire were used as extras and in particular children from Chatburn Primary School played the "disciples" in the film. The theme music from the film, by Malcolm Arnold, became a classic.
The film was favourably reviewed upon its original release, including praise from The New York Times. The film was nominated for four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards:
Best British Actress, Hayley Mills
Best British Film, Bryan Forbes
Best British Screenplay, Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
Toto's lyrics to their song Stranger in Town and their music video for the same song probably both refer to Whistle Down the Wind.
The New Order song Vanishing Point from the album Technique (1989) refers to the film with the lyrics "and they gave him away, like in 'Whistle Down the Wind,' by the look on his face, he never gave in."
Haircut One Hundred lead singer Nick Heyward's first solo album (1983) has a song titled "Whistle Down The Wind" - most likely in reference to the movie.
