|
|
|
Newest Reviews: New Movies - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Old Movies - Touki Bouki: The Journey of the Hyena The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Archives - Recap: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 , 2005, 2006, 2007 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012
|
A High Wind in Jamaica (Alexander Mackendrick,
1965)
That ship is beset by pirates headed by Captain Chavez and his
First Mate, Zac (Anthony Quinn and James Coburn, respectively), who take on the
stowaway children, only to begin a slow process of softening in the face of the
kids’ softer constitutions. While A High
Wind in Jamaica might seem to be first and foremost an adventure tale, what
it actually is in practice is more ambitious, offering an examination of the
taming power of innocence on evil. Mackendrick certainly establishes that the
pirate ship is even more dangerous than life on the plantation was. Almost
immediately after boarding the vessel, the children are distracted by a playful
monkey, which quickly falls to its death. Still, the revelation that these
children are not doomed by their collective fate surprises. The film
thoughtfully examines how, through mutual interactions, the children mature and
the pirates open up. That this relationship never becomes sentimental treacle
nor a fundamental betrayal of either party’s nature is a testament to the
sensitive complexity with which Mackendrick has handled this material. A High Wind in Jamaica
offers quality family entertainment that doesn’t feel the need to dumb
itself down because it features children as protagonists. Deborah Baxter, as the
little girl who most identifies with the pirates, gives a strong performance
here, as do Quinn and Coburn as the pirate captain and first mate. The
production values are high, especially considering that the majority of the film
was shot at Pinewood Studios. In sum, A
High Wind in Jamaica is a criminally underappreciated movie that may be seen
through the eyes of a child but is not scared to see the world as the cruel and
confusing place it sometimes is. 72 Jeremy Heilman 06.25.12 |
Wise
beyond its years, Alexander Mackendrick’s
A High Wind in Jamaica appears, at first glance at least, to tell a tame
children’s adventure story. Before the end of its first act, however, it becomes
apparent that High Wind is not the
toothless variation on Treasure Island
or The Swiss Family Robinson that
it might initially appear to be. Opening in Jamaica, at the onset of a
hurricane, Mackendrick immediately establishes that the Caribbean is no place
for children. Forced by the high winds to head under their house, the children
swig alcohol and bear witness to a voodoo ritual at the hands of the family’s
slaves. This savagery is all too much for their mother to bear and before long
they are swept on board a ship headed for a British boarding school.