What ever happened to Deborah Baxter?
What ever happened to Deborah Baxter? She made two movies ten years apart and that was it. Also, when AMC shows this movie again in January is it going to be in wide screen or full screen?
share[deleted]
MovieChat Forums > A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) Discussion > What ever happened to Deborah Baxter?
I ran across this on another page, the info is kinda old tho:
Answer to my question in a magazine
by - sallyfullick (Thu Mar 4 14:29:57) Ignore this User | Report Abuse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About 20 years ago, a British magazine had answered my question about this British actress Deborah Baxter. She was born on 31st January 1952, married with 2 children (one of each,4 & 6 at the time) and was working in a flower shop in Wimbledon, London. She said she would resume her acting career but nothing has happened!!
Hello there,
I am Deborah Baxter and would like to update you on my life!
I was born in 1953 so am one year younger than you all think! I now have 3 children. One married living in San Francisco, one just returned from Australia and one at school in France.
I live in France now for most of the time, on the Cote d'Azur.
I am married to a lawyer who works in England therefore commutes every other week.
I tried to go back to my career but unfortunately without much success although I did do quite a lot of television.
I made another film about 5 years ago called 'The Calling' I have never seen it.
I have now written the story of my grandmother and am hoping that one day I can play her in my next movie!
Acting was and probably is still my passion and I would have loved to have continued,but my father wanted me to have a normal education so was sent back to the french lycee where I finished my schooling. Then I went to Drama School after which I made another film 'The Wind and the Lion'. I then got married and started a family. I made a few commercials some television and corporate videos. Maybe one day I will resume my career!
Thank you for all your concern.
I feel very honoured that anybody remembered me....
Wow. if you are really deborah baxter then i have to say you gave a very good performance in a high wind in jamaica. I was just watching the film again on amc tv here in the u.s. just a few days ago. I think you could have been great in many more films even as you got older into your 20's-30's and so on, but I guess i can understand why your father wanted you to continue school.
shareThank you Baretta. I cant tell you how amazing that makes me feel! I do hope I will do something more soon and I will keep you posted!!!
share[deleted]
[deleted]
Thanks Sally. What kind people you all are. You say such lovely things.
I promise to keep you all updated!!
Deborahx
[deleted]
Hi Deborah,
Saw you in 'A High Wind to Jamaica' recently on tv and thought you were a great little actress. I thought you had the potential for better things.
Sorry your career didn't blossom after that. I want to see you in 'The Wind and the Lion'. What was 'The Calling' about?
I trust you made the better choice of getting married and bringing up a family then persuing a movie career.
Saw that you met James Coburn again on 'The Wind and the Lion'. Any family connection?
Regards
Joe
mike leroy
Hi Deborah - I sang the title song for the film but unfortunately didn't get to meet any of you - great film because it has a lovely atmospheric feel to it.
All the acting was really good in this film and I congratulate you on a fine performance.
I extend to you and your family my kindest regards.
Mike LeRoy
Hi, this is Karen Flack. I played the youngest child in the movie - the one who dropped the spike into Deborah's leg! I was 5 years old and remember every minute of filming this! We had a great time. My parents stopped me from continuing in films when I was 11 because they wanted me to get an education. Unfortunately I never had an opportunity to get back into acting.
Deborah, I'm now married and living in San Francisco! Was interested in hearing you have a daughter out here! I also speak fluent French and lived in Belgium for many years.
Do you remember Martin Amis? My mother was friends with his mother and we stayed in touch for a while. I've heard him on public radio here quite often and he mentions us in his book, Experience.
I'd love to hear more from you ([email protected]).
Is the internet great, or what? Your character stuck in my mind, I've always wanted to see the movie again, and When I began my search, I couldn't even remember the name of the movie, nor Anthony Quinn (I was thinking Kirk Douglas!), so searched under "pirates", and there it was! I saw in it Germany in '65, dubbed into German; must have see 200 movies that year (was supposed to be studying at the University of Munich!), but this is one of the very few that stuck in my mind. I will now try to track down the DVD. Anyway, almost 40 years later, it's not hyperbole to say your performance was "unforgettable".
I've carried the fading memories of the movie through college, law school, Vietnam, and many other places over the years; it will be great to see it again! And thanks for updating us on yourself!
[deleted]
I'm trying to think of a way to take a poll to discover just how many young me saw this movie and fell in love with Deborah. Looking at her now on the new DVD really takes me back to my youth. What a performance. -Nils
share[deleted]
[deleted]
Deborah-If my case is any example-I'm a book person and not really into movies-you probably wouldn't BELIEVE how many people-ok, guys-have long been haunted by your image in AHWIJ. If only you had included an eddress where you could be reached!! There are so many thoughts about the impact you had on my life I would like to relate, so many questions I would love to ask. You said on the message board you would keep us updated on your life. If you visit this site again, please post your eddress or write me at [email protected]. I live in California, and also have a daughter living in San Francisco. PLEASE write.-Jon
shareDear Deborah,
What a wonderful website to have just recently stumbled across. I was thrilled to see that there was a place to find out about movies, recent and past, plus directors, producers etc., and then to actually realize that after all these years, you were looking through the site as well!! Like many of the participants here, I am so pleased to hear of you and your doings!
Retirement has afforded me the luxury of being able to begin sorting and organizing old tapes with years of movies and interviews. The knowledge that your film, Deborah, was the source of one of my late husband P's many favourite and oft-used lines (Chavez's "This is a serious boat.") actually triggered my further searching and let me know about the new DVD release and, hence, this site!! We chuckled also at your wonderful line in response to Chavez's reprimand when you were playing at conducting a burial at sea..."What are you, a heathen?" Your "Church of England" response broke us up then, and at P's frequent reference to it for years after.
I believe it was in August of '78?? (We left Britain in '77) when we first saw your movie, on TV. Our 3 girls were 9 - 12 then too, and A High Wind in Jamaica was presented in a series format, over a period of nights...5 in a row!! Background, discussion and interviews (one with the Director...Alexander Mackendrick) surrounded the movie itself, before and after the episode for that night! Our summer hols at the Lake came to a standstill around 7:30 every evening so we could rush in to see the next instalment!! (We had the luck to record it on an early Beta machine...with one hour tapes!!) Pirates and adventure figured large in playtime that summer!!
I have enjoyed your movie once again after all these years and my daughters...near their forties now!!!!!...remembered it well too. I agree with all the compliments to you given by so many here, and both P and I at the time thought that your performance was remarkable, and gifted. Alexander Mackendrick's view on my tape was that you were 'marvellous!' He noted that the interplay of the 5 children on their own was some of the 'best stuff I think I have ever shot!' and regretted that some of this was on the cutting-room floor.
Curious to know if your grandmother was part of the entertainment world too, and was she the guiding force behind your involvement? Am wondering also if you have ever published any of your memories in books and articles or are there other forms for your expression and reflection...that you might direct me to?
What a real delight it is to hear of you again Deborah; please do keep us informed of your endeavours!!
Sincerely, Denise...with input from C, R and my very own E!
I was so touched by your comments on IMDB Whatever happened to Deborah Baxter that I just had to write to you.
I would so have loved to have continued in my acting after A High Wind but unfortunately nothing big came up. I went up for most of the main films ie. Romeo and Juliet and the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but alway something not right! When I finished my Alevels I went to Drama college then I was of course very lucky as a top agent took me on. But it seemed too late at that time . Young stars never made the grade to adulthood. The Director of The Wind and The Lion, John Milius actually asked for me to play Alice Roosevelt which was a great honour. I remember going to the interview from my boyfriends office not at all ready or prepared in my kilt!!!!! He still wanted me for the part which was fantastic. After that I mainly did commercials then married and had babies! That marriage failed eventually but I have two beautiful children from that marriage which is the main thing and still see my ex with whom I get on very well. I have just married my daughter!!!! It was at this point when I reentered into the acting world again, but only commercials but quite a few then my last film in which I had only a small part in The Calling.(never seen it!!!!)
I now live in France. I have had my ups and my downs, Breast Cancer which I have managed to conquer and would absolutely adore to film again..... I am writing as I said before about my grandmother who in fact did not have anything to do with me getting into the business. This was my parents. My Father was a juvenile lead in London in the 40s and my mother was a dancer/showgirl so they knew lots of people in the business!!! Maureen Riscoe , theatrical agent at that time always wanted me to do commercials but my father would not let me but when this huge part for A high Wind came up, which was in fact written for Hayley Mills, I believe, I started the endless casting sessions and out of 2,000 kids I got it!!!! What a blessing......
Thank you and everyone again for all your kind thoughts I really appreciate it.
Love Deborah
Dear Deborah
There are many images that stand out in my memory as a child. One of the most abiding, was seeing your performance in "A High Wind In Jamaica." I think the first time I saw the movie was on UK TV channel ITV-1 possibly in 1971. I guess at the tender age of 10, i must have developed quite a crush on you. I've seen the movie since maybe another two times.
I think what touched me most about the film and still does today. Is the touching chemistry between Chavez (Anthony Quinn) and your character Emily. What was Anthony Quinn like? As he was I believe, he was a larger than live character off the screen as he was on it.
It was also a great pity your talent at acting never got the recognition it deserved. And the public never got to see more of you
It's also fantastic you've taken the time and trouble to post on this message board. Best wishes with your book, and amazingly enough I have my first novel coming out soon (although self-published.) Perhaps if some movie moguel is interested in filming my novel. I will insist a certain Deborah Baxter is found a part in the movie.
Best wishes for your future, regards Tony
Deborah-
I was so thrilled to discover your posting on IMBd when I revisited the site again in April ’04. The possibility of actually having the chance to ask you some of the many questions I have wondered about over the years regarding your experience in making High Wind had me in the clouds for days. But after posting several messages, you once again disappeared.
I only discovered IMBd the previous September, as a result of googling your name. As I mentioned in an earlier posting, this was one of the very few movies that had a memorable impact on my life. Since retiring and having far more time for looking back, I went searching online for that face that had haunted me over the years. I had taped the movie off cable back in ’92, but then my daughter loaned it to a friend and it was lost. The DVD issued last year is the first and only one I have ever purchased. I’ve learned a lot about the movie and Mackendrick since.
I haven’t checked this post in quite a while. Then, today I thought I’d see if by any chance you had re-appeared and there you were. Fantastic!
Here’s the main point I wish to convey with this posting. Surely all the people who responded to this topic represent just the proverbial iceberg’s tip. Think of the many like myself who were totally enchanted by this movie and your performance that would LOVE to hear your perspective on making it at the time, and as an adult looking back. What did your children think of it? Did you or they ever read the book? What memories did your sister-mentioned by Martin Amis in “Experience”-come away with? Were the scenes in England shot at Pinewood before the ones in Jamaica, and how much earlier? These are but a few of the countless things I and surely innumerable others would like to know, and if you’re really interested in writing at this juncture in your life you should consider a book, article, or if nothing else another long posting here about that youthful adventure and how it affected your life. Please don’t wait another year before responding to these questions, and why not create a Yahoo eddress or whatever where your fans can write you directly? The fact that so many still remember you from a movie made 4 decades ago should indicate that it and you were very special indeed. –John Brand
My wife and I recently got a copy of "A High Wind in Jamaica." We very much enjoyed it and thought your performance was wonderful.
I'm a writer. Frequently I employ a character very similar to your portrayal of Emily in that film. While "Leslie" has been based on two girls whom I knew when I was 10 or so, it was a wonderful surprise to see you bring her to life onscreen -- albeit in someone else's tale!
All the best to you.
Larry Santoro
Come read the site: http://www.FeralFiction.com
I have to add my name to the list of people who have been delighted to discover the recent re-release of "A High Wind in Jamaica." My copy was found unexpectedly at the public library. The film, and especially Emily, has played in my mind ever since I saw it as a 16 year old. Years after I had forgotten most of the details of the story the image of Emily stayed fixed and constant as a major emotional point in my life.
The expression that Deborah (as Emily) fixed on Captain Chavez was simply mesmerizing. I can see from reading other posts that I am far from being alone in my reaction to the film. Having just watched the film for the first time in 42 years I was once again transported to that state of wide-eyed fascination that caught me up the only other time that I watched the movie.
I recognize that I was very sad at the film's end when I saw it in the '60s and wanted to know what happed to Emily following the trial and execution. Did she ponder it as she did the monkey who fell from the rigging to the deck but then just as quickly shift gears to something new and current? Or would Chavez's interaction with her during the voyage affect her emotionally, and how? Would she ever deal with the reality of what had happened and the fate that befell the crew?
The role played by Deborah Baxter was unique as the story unfolds from her point of view, but it was Deborah's acting that brought the character to life and that emblazoned her image on so many people's minds for so many years. That is awesome and powerful.
If an actor or an actress is to have a single role in their career then Deborah Baxter's portrayal of Emily ranks right up there as one of the top contenders. I am grateful to have discovered this website and was delighted to see that Deborah has responded to several posts. This certainly closes a circle that has gone 'round and 'round in my head for so many years. I appreciate how many of my peers confessed that they too had a crush on Deborah (or was it Emily) so many years ago. Thanks to all for writing and to Deborah for being personable enough to write back.
La beauté et le mystère de jeunesse deviennent des bienveillances et des sensibilités avec l'âge.
Stephen
Honeydew, California
Deborah,
Unlike most of the replies, I just saw "A High Wind in Jamaica" on AMC here in the USA. I was mesmerized by a young girl in that movie. I continued to watch until I came to the credits at the end to see her name. I realize that we are not as young as we were in 1965, but talent does not go away. I hope that someday we will be honored by seeing you on the big screen again.
Thank you again for all your kind words and thoughts. You cannot believe what an honour it is for me to read all these truly wonderful comments about me when I was 11 years old! I really had no idea that people actually remembered me...I am longing to get this script that I am writing, underway, so that once again I can experience filming again, I truly miss it. Of course they may want a star to play my grandmother and I may not get a look in but I am going to do my best! I have a scriptwriter working on it at the moment, who is very excited about the prospect, so when it is ready to go I will start to introduce it to some Producers that I know. Hope I wont be too old by then!
Thanks again all of you for all your kind thoughts. God bless you all and a very Happy Christmas!
Deborah Baxter
Dear Deborah,
A very Merry Xmas to you too!
Like you, I believe, my children are spread all over the map, and it was my turn this year to have our family's gathering the week before the 25th!
Tonight, at the 'Christmas meal', my daughter Chelsea made her toast to the fun-filled summers at the Lake, our extended family reunions there, and the many, many wonderful memories of those times! You, and your 'A High Wind in Jamaica,' were a very big part of our June, past, gathering, and an even bigger part of another summer memory, long ago! Thank-you for them!!!
You have made quite an impression on so many people Deborah, and Alexander Mackendrick, known as a stickler for detail, obviously saw in you, out of 2000 potential 'Emilys', that 'something!'
Best wishes for your script...please do continue to keep us aware of your journey there...and my family and I also wish you, and yours, a most Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!
Sincerely, Denise...and all my daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren!!
It is amazing that typing Deborah Baxter into Google brings about a message thread in IMDb that has the actress herself answering the question. I have just watched AHWIJ with my 12-year-old son, having delightedly found the DVD on Amazon for his birthday. Of course like most of the others here I bought it because I myself fell in love with Emily when I was around 12 and saw the film for the first time while living in the Caribbean and having been sent home for boarding school. Almost 40 years later times change and a generation later the whole family has returned to England from the Caribbean to educate the children - and for a generation in the back of my mind that journey has been connected to the little girl who enchanted schoolboys everywhere with her tale of that same journey. So best of luck to you, Deborah, on your latest project - there are millions who would love to see you do it and succeed - you are a wonderful actress!
Merry Christmas and success in the New Year!
Tony
Dear Deborah:
I'm pleased to find the so many others have been as impresed with AHWIJ and Emily as I have been over the years. Apparently, I wasn't the only young boy to develope a crush on Emily when I first saw her in 1965. I was 10 then. I think I was so taken with the movie and your character as I lived a 20th century version of the lifestyle dipicted in AHWIJ (minus the pirates, I think), growing up on Key West and Andros Island, Bahamas. Periodically over the decades (Wow, am I that old?), I tried to find out what happened to Emily, or, more precisely, you.
It's good to hear you've got a script project underway. I'm planning to try to find a copy of The Wind and the Lion as well as The Calling in the small North Carolina town where I now reside. I'm curious to see how Emily has grown up. Thanks for all the pleasant memories.
John
This is awesome! Deborah Baxter is one of the greats. I've only seen her in AHWIJ but have never forgotten her wonderful performance. I'd love to see her do some more movies. It's sure nice to hear that there are other fans of her work out there and that she seems to be living a fulfilling life.
sharei like to know if you are really deborah baxter?there are many people out there that pretend to be somebody else,i only will believe if there is a photo or something to prove the person who she claims she is.
shareGosh! What a disbeliever you are..... Yes I am The Deborah Baxter and I have openened a hotmail account for those who want to check!!!. I will send you a picture of me now if you desire!.[email protected]. Dont know how else to prove it until you see me in my next film......I am also Deborah Baxter II but IMdb obviously think that she is somebody different!
Sorry it is [email protected]
shareDeborah Baxter I and Deborah Baxter II are the same person. This is the real Deborah Baxter writing this. I made A High Wind in Jamaica when I was 11 years old then went back to the French Lycee in London. I then went to Drama School and was cast in The Wind and the Lion by John Milius who had enjoyed my role in AHWIJ. I got married at the age of 21 soon after The Wind and the Lion and then had 2 children. At that time the film industry didnt approve of having a family and continuing filming. I did continue after a few years and made several commercials, television sit coms (Harry Worth, Norman Wisdom, to name a few) then in 2000 was asked to play the Receptionist in the Calling by Beth Charkham (casting director). I would still like to work and I am currently writing a screenplay which I hope to have up and ready for raising finance at the end of the year.
Please believe me I AM her! I can send a copy of my CV if required...
Hi Deborah!
So someone has wondered if 'you' are really 'you'??
I noticed the growing petulance about you not 'proving' otherwise!
Am just SO thankful that no breath holding was involved! And it was really nice that you did so much to try to dispel 'doubts'!
I suppose the easy out would be to say that their response is 'typically adolescent? male', but I am not sure that that is what applies here, and I often don't agree with those of us who use that line so often!!
This thread tells of many who enjoyed AHWIJ--for a VARIETY of reasons. The 'love-struck boys', to use one contributor's phrase, are a group, but CERTAINLY not all of those males who wrote in would be in that camp, and these threads tell of other, female, contributors, and, that grandmother who obviously connected with her past. She wrote here about her family--with 3 daughters--and their wonderful reaction too, one which mirrors closely my own circumstances. So the circle is wider than some may think, although, checking the voting patterns and the demography charts at IMDB for a wide range of movies, and a distinct participation pattern emerges--males are involved, at the very least, 2-1. More often, in a ratio of 5 -1 and higher (even for so-called chic-flics). And this is NOT surprising when you watch your own children, their cousins and friends, as they relate to a computer, or if you volunteer in your children's school during the OPTIONAL computer sessions, as I do.
So the great number of male responses here is typical for the website generally. That their response to AHWIJ is so positive is not surprising either.
Some comments were made BEFORE the DVD release in 2004--and yet still, people noted your special qualities. When 20th Century Fox did make the DVD available, they stated the obvious on the cover! 'The novel--engaging and haunting--Deborah Baxter--'mesmerizing' as young Emily Thornton.' So they knew!
A recognized classic--"It's a Wonderful Life"--was not an initial success, but the qualities that make it a Christmas tradition were finally recognized, something that I think could still happen with many, as yet, hidden gems--one of which is "A High Wind in Jamaica"
My parents would certainly have been aware of the Director's track record, one that includes the Ladykillers, Sweet Smell of Success, Whisky Galore, The Man in the White Suit and The Maggie--among others! To my mind, they have stood the test of time.
I sensed that a film like AHWIJ, that appealed--for one reason--to my two brothers, sister and me, and to my parents, no doubt, for quite another, was unique. My brothers and sister, all of us under 14 at the time, watched it for the adventure, excitement, and sheer joy and innocence it showed. Maybe it really was a kinder, gentler time, but to me, there were NO dark undertones--as some critics suggest. I choose to see it in that light, now, as I automatically did when it first showed up on the tele.
Then, it came out on DVD and I HOPED that what often happens, would transpire--we get interviews with the actresses and actors, some commentary--WHATEVER.
BUT, NO!
Pity!
Nevertheless--it's out, and you're here on IMDB, and I am happy to have AHWIJ part of my collection of FAVOURITES!
Deborah Carr 'Baxter' has very generously shared her personal experiences and feelings and we should be grateful for that. Hope you will continue to do so Deborah!
I think you are 'for real', and I hope you won't let the doubts of one or two scar your memories and participation. I even agree with alghoulgis, that all of us, and YOU too Deborah, must realize that a four decade old movie has had quite a resonance with so many, and wish that PERHAPS LATER ON, you will let us into that experience EVEN more.
I suggest everyone accept on faith, what is--and enjoy!
Luv, Claire
Dear Deborah,
I saw A High Wind in Jamaica yesterday and I really found you fantastic in it. It's amusing because I read the commentaries the others left and somebody wrote that when the movie was over he looked at the end credits to know your name. I'm 23 years old, I never saw the movie when I was a kid and I did exactly the same. I wanted to know if you made other movies because I found you so great in A high Wind in Jamaica.
I'm glade to know you and your family are well and I wish you all the best for your future.
Sincerly yours,
Philippe, from Switzerland
I have just watched it sat 8th July 2006. on ITV London. They must be going Pirate mad because of the new Johnny Depp follow up to Pirates of the Caribbean.It followed
Blackbeards Ghost.
I can see why the part was written for Haley Mills it is in the mould of Tiger Bay or Whistle Down the Wind. I suspect she was getting a little too old to be a believable child In Film.
There were so many good actors at this time they must of just disposed of them. Unlike nowadays where good actors are at a premium.
I don't remember the film but the adventure is excellent. I Had seen
The Wind & the Lion
also a great adventure.
The Candice Bergen character I thought was based on
Margaret Bourke-White the photographer.
Please dont give up Deborah as scripts can take years to see fruition.
Many thanks...... I wont give up I promise....
Deborah
Thank you Philippe for your kind words. I have updated my records on IMDB so you can now see what I look like now!
So glad that you enjoyed the film.
Best Wishes
Deborah
Thank you Claire for believing in me......
I have every hope that you will see me again on the wide screen!
Deborah
This is incredible. I first found IMDB a few years ago when I had seen High Wind in Jamaica on AMC after many years (I did see it on tv probably sometime in the 70's). I was wondering whatever had happened to you and of course IMDB had scant information. I had more or less given up and had not checked in some time, assuming you did the non-Hollywood thing and faded into obscurity.
To my surprise, this morning I happened to check, and there you are. It's wonderful to find out that you're well. As many have already probably stated, we all fell in love and were mesmerized with your performance as Emily (I haven't read all of the thread yet). And I'm sure many have questions such as what is was like working with some of the great actors (such as Anthony Quinn and James Coburn.
Have you considered opening up your own fansite? I'm sure many that are familiar with you would certainly love to read about you.
Dear Deborah-First I’d like to second the suggestion you set up a fan site. But if that is more of a time commitment than you can make why not just use this forum, where many of your fans have already gathered? Sure hope that script is about a woman who in her fifties suddenly discovers that unbeknownst to her a performance she gave in a classic movie made when she was 11 had made an indelible impression in the minds of thousands of people who still remembered her vividly.
Casting the 11 year old to play you then would be the hard part; you would be the logical choice to play yourself today, and I think it such a film would appeal to the long standing popularity of nostalgia. But whatever your plans, I think you should post more about your life and script here where you have a waiting audience. Always a little disappointed when I come here and there's nothing new from you. Keep in closer touch! Please?
I have openened a hotmail account [email protected]
so if you want to talk to me I will answer I promise. I am trying to persevere with the script I have written but maybe I will consider writing my story but cannot feel that a great many would be interested in it! I am spending a lot of my time in Southern France these days but maybe .....going to spend more time in London where I could make another try on pursuing my acting career.
Thank you for caring... I always feel so honoured and amazed when I read these emails...
Love Deborah
d-carr wrote: I have openened a hotmail account [email protected]
so if you want to talk to me I will answer I promise. I am trying to persevere with the script I have written but maybe I will consider writing my story but cannot feel that a great many would be interested in it! I am spending a lot of my time in Southern France these days but maybe .....going to spend more time in London where I could make another try on pursuing my acting career.
Thank you for caring... I always feel so honoured and amazed when I read these emails...
Love Deborah
Deborah, I don't think you give your self enough credit. As you can see by the number of positive responses on this Board, there are many who have shown interest in you and your life. In fact, it's marvelous that you are an example of a child actor who did not fall prey ills that befall many child actors.
Aside from that, it must have been quite exciting in making a 'pirate' movie (many a boyhood fantasy). With all the current fanfare with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, it would be interesting to hear what you think of this movie as compared to the one you made. Granted, the story line is completely different, but the underlying theme of 'pirates' on the fringe of society is certainly comparable.
As a side note, have you ever considered doing any stage or film work in the United States? You have a great many fans on this side of the Atlantic, you know!
PS: Consider the fansite. Frankly I think you would be pleasantly surprised at the positive feedback you'll derive from it. share
Wow! I've just discovered this thread and I'm really delighted by it.
I'm a longtime "High Wind in Jamaica" fan and am now teaching a course on Caribbean literature and so I came here to read comments ... and I find that Deborah Baxter has contributed! How great!
Thank you so much, Deborah. Maybe some day I'll post my comments about "High Wind in Jamaica." They are much too long to fit into an IMDB review.
:-)
The cinema is a powerful medium, especially for children. I was 11 when I saw AHWIJ in 1965 and it had quite an impact on me.It moved me in a way I couldn't comprehend. I too was mesmerised by Deborah/Emily....she and her relationship with Quinn really affected me at a deep level. I remember having a crush on Deborah too and I find the fact that many others here had the same experience really fascinating. I haven't seen the film for 42 years but I'm sure this potent effect is a combination of Deborah's amazing and unforgettable performance and the character of Emily. I really must watch this film again...obviously from a more mature and conscious perspective.... again to get a better understanding of just what it is that Emily embodies in the story and how Deborah beautifully activated that. Will share more notes later.
Mckendrick was a great director....I also remember seeing Sammy Going South when I was a kid too, which also moved me in a way I didn't fully understand. Sadly, that film is not available on DVD or VHS. Scandalous.
Anyway Deborah, if you're still reading this thread, thanks for the magic of your performance and my first ever crush:-) Good luck with your aspirations....it would be great to see you back on the silver screen again with all its wonders and mysteries.
Roger