Based on the celebrated illustrated novel by Raymond Briggs, author of The Snowman, Father Christmas, and Fungus The Bogeyman, the acclaimed animated feature WHEN THE WIND BLOWS is released on DVD for the first time ever on 26th September 2005.
A darkly satirical and deeply affecting tale, WHEN THE WIND BLOWS concerns the final days of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, an elderly couple living in the remote Sussex countryside. Their almost romantic, rose-tinted memories of World War II are put into sharp relief when they are faced with the threat of a new kind of war and an impending nuclear attack on the British Isles. With unwavering faith in the government, Jim prepares for the assault, relying on advice contained in various local council- and government-issued pamphlets, naively disregarding the errors, inconsistencies and omissions of vital information. Hilda, meanwhile, goes about her daily housework, convinced that everything will be okay and "it will all be over by Christmas". A three-minute warning announced on the radio forces Jim and Hilda into their makeshift fallout shelter and, more by luck than anything else, they survive the devastating nuclear blast. Blissfully unaware that times have changed and that nuclear war is something completely different from the kind of warfare with which they are familiar, the couple emerge to await the arrival of the help they are sure is on its way. As the nuclear winter and its accompanying fallout arrive, the grim reality of the situation slowly begins to dawn on Jim and Hilda.
What begins as a darkly humorous take on the absurdities of ignorance and misinformation soon becomes a bleak and timeless reminder of the terrifying consequences of nuclear warfare. With ‘green' issues very much back on the political agenda and with the threat of nuclear war still hanging over the world despite several positive moves towards disarmament, the message and grim warning contained in WHEN THE WIND BLOWS resonates as much today as it did when the film was first released back in 1986.
The United Nations International Day of Peace, a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, will take place on 21st September 2005.
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (cert. PG) will be released on DVD (£19.99) by Channel 4 DVD on 26th September 2005. Special Features - transfer from fully restored 35mm print, all new in depth interview with Raymond Briggs, ‘Making of' documentary and 2.0 stereo sound.
'When the Wind Blows' is now available for pre-order via
AmazonUK in the UK, at present no US date has been given.
You can read more about the DVD in our
database .
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