When the War Wind Blows (1987) Reveiw
March 17th 2010 18:14
The Original Movie poster Highlights the Dark Humor of the Film
Many great animated films get forgotten, since mainstream audiences seem to only like cartoons that involve talking animals and musical numbers. This is sad, since some of the greatest films ever made have been animated, then overlooked and forgotten due solely to their format. Japanese-American director Jimmy Murakami's 1986 “When the war Wind blows” (Based on the graphic novel of the same name) is a perfect example of a stunning, haunting picture that was panned by critics and ignored by audiences despite being one of the most powerful films I've ever seen.
Animation is a strong point, Jimmy Murakami's simplistic style is set against actual models of the country house and matte paintings of the outside world. The voice acting is superb, and the soundtrack is a pleasing mix of a standard orchestral score with a smattering a British pop from the likes of David Bowie and Genesis (The soundtrack is rumored to have made more money than the film itself).
In the final moments of the end credits, Morse code can be heard spelling out M-A-D which commonly stands for “Mutually Assured Destruction”, this sent chills down my spine. I've never met a person who's in favor of nuclear weapons (Seems implausible there ever was such a person, even among the folks with their fingers on the button) but seeing a film like this would certainly turn them around. If you get a chance to see this rare film, be warned: there is no happy ending here, no riding into the sunset, no optimism, no hope. Considering the subject matter, that's definitely how it should be.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
i think I missed this first time around. The sort of film i usually enjoy, sounds a little like a British take on Miyazaki's Grave of the Fireflies.