7/10
A good animated feature dealing with a poignant, sad, and just a little scary plot.
14 February 2024
Jim (John Mills's voice) and Hilda Bloggs (Peggy Ashcroft) are living out an exceptional retirement, when the unuthinkable happens. Happily prattling about their WWII adventures in the Blitz , they duly follow the government brochure advice and buid a ashelter with doors and cushions, then go about their business as their har falls out and the dust rains down. From the makers of Yellow Submarine and The Snowman a new classic of British animation !. The story of the Bloggs and the Bomb ! . Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top, When the wind blows, the cradle will rock, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, - And down will come baby, cradle and all !. A horrifying vision of tomorrow !.... It's No Fairy Tale !.

This is an enjoyable and sensitive film about a retired British marriage when their peaceful and naive life in the country is destroyed by nuclear war. There have been enough post-nearly to constitute a genre, but there has never been anything quite like veteran animator Jimmy T. Murakami's version of Raymong Briggs' cartoon book. The imaginative and colorful animation is at its best and the film most effective during the sequences of their reminiscences, when the daily round of their past lives is seen as a delight in the ordinary and in a history which is not just forgotten but literally obliterated. But the slow degradation of the intimate couple is almost unbearably moving. The only note of hope is that it might just get through to some people who have a say in such matters. Jim and Hilda is worth preserving, featuring their voices by two great and veteran British actors: Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills. Roger Waters, David Bowie, Squeeze, Genesis, Hugh Cornell and Paul Hardcastle all contribute to the charming soundtrack.

This movie was part of a cycle of movies in the Seventies and Eighties about nuclear war and the risks of nuclear energy. Other movies included: The Ultimate Warrior (1975), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), The China syndrome (1979), Silkwood (1983), Testamentl (1983), Threads (1984), War Games (1983), The after day (1983), The atomic cafe (1982), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), Special Bulletin (1983), Ground Zero (1987), Hiroshima (1983), Rules of Engagement (1989), Dead Man's Letters (1986), Memoirs of a Survivor(1981) and Danger: Chain reaction (1980). The motion picture was well directed by Jimmy T. Murakami . He was born on June 5, 1933 in San Jose, California, USA as Teruaki Murakami and died in Dublín , 2014 . He is known for his work on Breath (1967), Humanoids from the Deep (1980) , Heavy Metal (1981) , The Christmas Story Keepers (1998) , The Easter Story Keepers (1998) and Kate Bush: King of the Mountain (2005) . And When the wind blows (1986) that was his greatest hit along with a Sci-Fi movie titled Battle beyond the stars (1980) produced by Roger Corman. Rating 'When the Wind Blows' (1986) : 7.5/10. Better than average.
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