When The Wind Blows

Based on the best-selling picture book by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman), this cautionary fable about the perils of nuclear war is a humorous, and finally affecting film. Winner of the Chicago Film Festival's Getz Peace Prize and a Gold Hugo for Best Animated Film, the story follows the last days of Jim and Hilda Bloggs (the voices of Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft, respectively). The Bloggs', an elderly retired couple, living in the English countryside, are shown making preparations for a nuclear attack. Following the guidelines in a government manual, Jim Bloggs constructs an "inner core or refuge": two doors leaned against a wall. This will protect the couple from the fallout. When the blast strikes, and the inevitable physical and mental decay of the couple sets in, their unwavering belief in their country's leaders lends real poignancy to their double-entendre optimistic lines ("Cheer up, Hilda. The powers that be will get to us in the end." How true.). Using a mixed-media approach, director Jimmy T. Murakami has created a visually striking pastiche of cell animation, claymation, live backgrounds, and puppet animation. And the soundtrack, which features original music by David Bowie and Roger (Pink Floyd) Waters, is apropos to the film. Highly recommended. (Scheduled for June release).