A High Wind in Jamaica is a 1965 swashbuckler film directed by Alexander Mackendrick for 20th Century Fox. It is adapted by Stanley Mann, Ronald Harwood, and Denis Cannan from Richard Hughes' 1929 novel.[4] It stars Anthony Quinn and James Coburn as pirates who capture five children. The cast also features Lila Kedrova, Deborah Baxter, Nigel Davenport, Dennis Price, Isabel Dean, Martin Amis (in his sole acting role) and Gert Fröbe.
| A High Wind in Jamaica | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster by Howard Terpning | |
| Directed by | Alexander Mackendrick |
| Screenplay by | Stanley Mann Ronald Harwood Denis Cannan |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | John Croydon |
| Starring | Anthony Quinn James Coburn Lila Kedrova Gert Fröbe |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Edited by | Derek York |
| Music by | Larry Adler |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | |
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,260,000[3] |
Though a box office disappointment on initial release, the film received generally positive reviews, and its reputation has grown over time.
Plot
editA hurricane hits Jamaica in the mid-19th century. Frederick and Alice Thornton feel it is time to send their five children — Emily, Rachel, John, Edward, and Laura — to England for a more civilised upbringing and education.
During the voyage, pirates board the ship; the children accidentally leave on the pirate ship. The pirate captain, Chavez, and first mate Zac, not wanting to risk a kidnapping charge, decide to sail to Tampico and leave the children with Rosa, a good-hearted brothel madam who will keep them safe.
Rosa warns the pirates that the law is after them. Since they are innocent of the crimes they are accused of — namely, murdering the children — Chavez and Zac are unconcerned. However, when John slips from a brothel window and dies, Rosa, not wanting any involvement in a potential murder case, insists Chavez take the remaining children away. The crew feel that the children are unlucky and demand abandoning them on the next island. When Emily falls ill, Chavez refuses to attack a passing Dutch vessel, wanting it to take Emily and the children to safety. His men mutiny, lock up Chavez, seize the Dutch boat, and capture its captain.
A Royal Navy cutter appears and the panicked pirates re-board their own ship. Emily is awakened by the bound Dutch captain, who storms frantically into her room holding a knife and, speaking only Dutch, is imploring her to cut his bindings. Terrified and dazed by the sleeping draughts Chavez gave to soothe her pain, she mistakes his intentions and stabs him to death. The shocked Chavez intervenes too late and is left with blood on his hands. He and his former crew are taken prisoner and shipped to Britain for trial. Under questioning in court, the barrister twists Emily's testimony to imply she blames Chavez for killing the Dutch captain. The pirates are sentenced to hang for the death, instead of being imprisoned for piracy.
In the final scene children play innocently by a lake. Emily stands amongst them - staring at a model ship.
Cast
edit- Anthony Quinn as Chavez
- James Coburn as Zac
- Dennis Price as Mathias
- Lila Kedrova as Rosa
- Nigel Davenport as Frederick Thornton
- Isabel Dean as Alice Thornton
- Kenneth J. Warren as Capt. Marpole
- Ben Carruthers as Alberto
- Gert Fröbe as Dutch Captain
- Brian Phelan as Curtis
- Charles Laurence as Tallyman
- Philip Madoc as Guardia Civil
- Viviane Ventura as Margaret Fernandez
- Trader Faulkner, Charles Hyatt, and Dan Jackson as Pirates
- Kenji Takaki as Cook
- The Children
- Deborah Baxter as Emily Thornton
- Roberta Tovey as Rachel Thornton
- Martin Amis as John Thornton
- Jeffrey Chandler as Edward Thornton
- Karen Flack as Laura Thornton
Production
editDevelopment and writing
editRichard Hughes' novel had previously been adapted into a 1943 Broadway play, The Innoncent Voyage, by Paul Osborn. James Mason was attached to star in a film version with writer-director Nunnally Johnson, but became disgruntled over what he saw as 20th Century Fox's whitewashing of the novel's darker themes.[5] Producer Jerry Wald was attached to produce, with John and Hayley Mills set to star, before his death in 1962.[5]
Alexander Mackendrick was hired on the basis of his work on Sammy Going South. He was similarly dissatisfied with Johnson's script, and convinced Anthony Quinn to use his clout to pressure Fox into commissioning a more-faithful script.[5]
Filming
editShooting took place on-location in Jamaica[2] and at Pinewood Studios in England.[5]
A 15-year-old Martin Amis played John Thornton. This was his sole acting role, as he was better known as a novelist.[6]
Post-production
editThe score was composed by Larry Adler, with lyrics written by poet Christopher Logue. Mike LeRoy sang the title theme.
Mackendrick expressed dissatisfaction with the final cut, saying Fox removed 25 minutes of footage against his wishes.[5]
Reception
editBox office
editAccording to Fox records, the film needed to earn $6,300,000 in rentals to break even and made $2,260,000, meaning it made a loss.[3]
Critical response
editReviews were mixed to positive, with some critics expressing disappointment that aspects of the novel were lost in the transition to film. A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote, "Although hands involved are either experienced or willing, a good deal of the nuance, philosophy and insight into the human condition for which the book was lauded, appear to be missing on the screen. This is simply a voyage full of sound and fury but one without much conviction or meaning."[4] Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post called it "an absorbing, unusual and fit-for-the-family film, though it will not satisfy those who treasure the Richard Hughes novel ... By shifting the focus onto the pirate-captain, the film all but buries the role the children play."[7] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "it is a good movie, an entertaining movie, but it lacks the dirk-sharp bite of the author's prose, and the antic madness that made it such an astonishing delight now cuts through only fitfully."[8]
Variety was generally positive, noting a "warm screenplay" and "often spectacular treatment" given to the color photography.[9] A review in The Monthly Film Bulletin stated that although Hughes' novel had "undergone a softening process," it was "surprising how well the film manages to suggest the feeling that the children are living in a world of their own as they play happily throughout their ordeal ... Equally good is the atmosphere of superstitious terror among the native crew, fed by the children's innocent teasing."[10]
Wendy Michener for Maclean's called the film "a pleasantly old-fashioned sort of adventure.... As in the novel by Richard Hughes, the movie takes pleasure in comparing the anarchy and amorality of the children’s play with the grown-up play of the pirates in search of stolen booty. There’s a constant tension between the loyalties of the adult world and the world of children, each with its own code of honor and its own kind of cruelty."[11]
Retrospective appraisal of the film has been positive. A review in Time Out called it "pure cinema and pure entertainment, with comedy and tragedy ironically balanced in the combination of childhood dreams and adult dread."[12] Philip French called it "a subtle, psychological fable," while praising Douglas Slocombe's cinematography and Larry Adler's score.[13]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA". BFI Collections Search. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- 1 2 "A High Wind in Jamaica - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- 1 2 Silverman, Stephen M (1988). The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. L. Stuart. p. 324. ISBN 9780818404856.
- 1 2 Weiler, A.H. (2011). "Carried by the Wind". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "A High Wind in Jamaica". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ Tonkin, Boyd (20 May 2023). "Martin Amis obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Coe, Richard L. (28 May 1965). "'Wind' Shifted But Still Brisk". The Washington Post. p. D12.
- ↑ Scheuer, Philip K. (23 May 1965) "'Rolls' Purrs Smoothly—'Wind' Blows Hot and Cold". Los Angeles Times. Calendar, p. 17.
- ↑ "Film Reviews: A High Wind in Jamaica". Variety: 6. 26 May 1965.
- ↑ "A High Wind In Jamaica". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 32 (378): 104. July 1965.
- ↑ "ONE "MIRAGE" EVERYONE CAN SEE—AND LIKE | Maclean's | July 24 1965". Maclean's | The Complete Archive. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ PT (8 February 2012). "A High Wind in Jamaica". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ French, Philip (13 August 2011). "A High Wind in Jamaica". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
External links
edit- A High Wind in Jamaica at IMDb
- A High Wind in Jamaica at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
- A High Wind in Jamaica at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films