MovieChat Forums > When the Wind Blows (1988) Discussion > few questions

few questions

posted 17 years ago by Emolian
8 replies | jump to latest

hey everyone, i'm new to these boards and stumbled upon this film on google video, i enjoyed it buy their were a few things that i wouldnt mind cleared up if anyones got the time, i'm 15 so the cold war isnt my generation, anyway here goes

1. i've seen the protect and survive videos and i know they published booklets, the bit that confused me was when the man got the other booklet from his local council and i got confused even more when it started to conflict with the protect and survive booklets, did councils release their own booklets and if it ever got to the stage where you had to build shelters, what booklet where you to rely on, and how come information on what fallout really was in detail wasnt included?

2. i know this is ignorent and i know these were an elderly couple, but were the really that stupid or misinformed, The husband seemed well informed at first but after a while it got rediculas, like the day they forgot they can't leave the shelter, i understand they might be going thorugh a lot, but the bit that got me was when the husband said they were only to be in the shelter for 48 hours instead of 14 weeks, and then when medical issues came up it was either normal for their age, stress from unusual living conditions or sometihng to do with radiation that can easily be cured by the emergency services, i guess what i'm trying to ask is, was he really that supid and misinformed, senile, or what i think is more heartbreaking, was he just trying to keep his wife calm during their final hours?

thanks in advance for reading ad any answers that may be provided, other than these nitpicks, a really good films

[–] BartlebyScrivner 17 years ago

I'm American, so I can't offer any information about British books, but I can offer some information on your second question.

Watch Jim's face when he says the words to Hilda "It's only the after effects of the bomb, dear." His face suddenly contorts and then he frowns and looks over Hilda's shoulder looking as if he's about to cry. This is Jim realizing that they've been poisoned and that they're going to die. For the remainder of the movie, Jim is simply lying to Hilda, trying to convince her that everything's going to be OK, until they die. Jim clearly knows that they're going to die, and as the film progresses his excuses become increasingly flimsy as he runs out of ways to make Hilda feel better. Notice that one of his final excuses, about women not losing their hair, is delivered in a stutter-step and with numerous repititions of words. Jim is losing his cool, whether from poisoning or from trying to keep up the facade.

[–] smb1971 17 years ago

Interesting answer. Had not considered this question before. Ignoring the obvious contradiction, I thought his character was somewhat worldly yet very naive - as though he was a consumer of corporate news. Will have to observe more carefully (the next time I watch) to see if there comes a point of recognition. It's a brilliant piece of work. Saw it many years ago when I was barely a teenager and it stayed with me ever since.

[–] ianbrightman1975 17 years ago

ok i hope this helps as i grew up in the latter part of the cold war (the 80's) and know loads about this subject, so here goes:

1) the protect and survive booklet was to be issued once the home office had had notification from the war office that nuclear attack may well occour to some degree. this info was also to be broadcast on the BBC and also local radio. Councils themselves all where advised to go with "protect and survive" but did publish their own but the press also had their own version ( hence jim's total confusion to which set of instructions to follow. The problem with the booklets was that they relied on very patchy info which had come from nuclear tests by both the U.S and the U.K. as for the question of fallout, this was covered (in a round about sort of way) but a program called Q.E.D covered this in " a guide to aramgeddon" (check it out on you tube!!!)in general info about fallout was limitied to prevent widespread panic

2)as for both jim and hilda, it was'nt a case of stupitidty or mis-information, but they both grew up during WWII where warfare was totally conventional, so they really did not understand the concept of nuclear warfare. so as the film went on and the place got destroyed, and radiation sickness set in, one of the first symptoms is confusion and disorientation. also as they where of the more elderly mindset, they still belived that any war was winnable with a nice cup of tea, and a good old fashioned rolling up of the sleeves and getting stuck in.but there is also the case where he finally realises that they are dying and it is indeed his way of keeping hilda calm before they die.

a better film to check out is threads (1984) again this is on you tube and you can also get it in any HMV. but a word of caution..... this film is REALLY REALLY HARSH. when i saw it i had nightmares for weeks (but this was in 1984 at the hight of the second part of the cold war.

i hope this has helped

[–] highpriestess32 17 years ago

Raymond Briggs actually based the characters on his own parents whom he loved dearly. He professes in the DVD documentary that they were simple country folk but far from stupid.

As has been said, they came from a different generation and like many children who grew up in WWII, they reflected with fondness at the Anderson and Morrison shelters. My mother saw a reconstruction of the former in a war exhibition area of Devon's Bygones museum and she cried, bless her.

I don't think that Jim initially realises the extent of the chaos however, as he jokes about the local hardware store owner being open 'Miss a day's trade? not him!'. He also seems perplexed as to why there is no running water and no electricity but he soon realises that theirs is a hopeless situation as the above poster says. He tries to comfort and reassure Hilda in spite of his own sufferings. Lest we forget, by the end, both were severely dehydrated because there were no fluids available and the last bit of milk had soured, no doubt speeding up their demise even further.

Apparently the radioactive fall-out loses 99% of it's effectiveness in a relatively short space of time according to some official sources but it is a case of which sources you trust. However in the animation, Jim and Hilda quickly forget about remaining in the shelter and are soon sweeping the dust up and contaminating themselves in just about every way possible.

There's 3 ways a man can wear his hair; front-parted, side-parted or departed

[–] Emolian 17 years ago

thanks a lot for that, explained everytinhg i wanted, and i saw threads when i was 12, i'm 16 now and i still do get nightmares, lol thanks again

[–] totalbollacks 17 years ago

Nice to see some reasoned questions and answers on the imdb. Yes it seems Jim had an inkling that things would not be the same as the "last war" some days after the nuclear attack occured.
If any of you see the original storybook and its fine pictures you may find it more revealing of his mind.
The book appears to be a follow on from "Gentleman Jim" which does not concern war but concentrates on the life of a man who will never be rich or "go far in life". The illustrations in both books are very warm and burst from the pages much like his "Snowman" book.

Enjoy it while it lasts

[–] shockabsorber 15 years ago

the bit that got me was when the husband said they were only to be in the shelter for 48 hours instead of 14 weeks

I think it was 14 days, but I assumed this was because of the conflicting booklets - one said 14 days and the other said 48 hours

__________________
I said there'd be a pandemic when pigs fly!
But the swine flu.

[–] Erik-Bloodaxe 14 years ago

In "On The Beach" (1959) one of the first effects of the radiation is irritabilty, and in some cases irrational or demented behaviour. As the doctor in OTB says "we are not Robots, it affects different people in different ways".
The couple in this movie had absorbed a lot of radiation in a short time so I would say it had scrambled their brains.

"Knowledge is cheap at any price"