Product Details

• Actors: Peggy Ashcroft, John Mills, Robin Houston, James Russell, David Dundas
• Directors: Jimmy T. Murakami
• Writers: Raymond Briggs
• Producers: Iain Harvey, John Coates
• Format: Animated, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: June 16, 1988
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301005376
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,479 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Animated Jim and Hilda Bloggs are the typical, retired couple in rural England. They drink endless cups of tea and have an unwavering faith in the wisdom of their government. However, that is before their lives are devastated by nuclear war. Based on the novel by Raymond Briggs. Features original music by David Bowie, Roger Waters, Genesis, and Squeeze. Featuring the voices of Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing, January 22, 2005

By 

A. R. Morrish (Liverpool) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Wind Blows [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Please watch this film. I'm a horror film fan entertained by the likes of Fulci, Argento, D'Amato, Lenzi, et al, but the ending to this movie is shocking beyond anything those guys could produce. The movie portrays an 'English' take on the survival of a nuclear detonation by a ageing couple in a setting anyone will recognise. The first half is almost a public information film on how to survive an atomic blast, but the last half will leave you shocked, saddened and despairing beyond belief. I've seen this movie once and I was moved to tears; its funny, disturbing, hypnotizingly watchable and ultimately soul destroying. Prepare to moved by a movie like you have never been moved before.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie...but very depressing..., December 2, 2002

By 

Ken Bailey "mikoyan" (Ypsilanti, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Wind Blows [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I'll admit, the only reason I checked out this movie was because the soundtrack was done by Roger Waters. The people they got to play the main characters were amazing. They pegged naive British folks to a tee. Especially as they were nostaligizing about WWII in face of WWIII. If you must see a movie about nuclear war and its effects, see this one.

My only complaint is that the Alphabet Song isn't on the soundtrack.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the viewers are obviously confused., December 2, 2002

By 

Kenneth D'ambrosio (Merrimack, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Wind Blows [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is -not- a CD we're reviewing here, folks. It's a movie that, at first, appears somewhat superficial: we're introduced to an elderly ("pensioners") couple living in the backwoods of England. When a nuclear attack occurs, they take their government's advice a bit too literally. That's the rough-and-tumble summary, but what it really is is an introspective, ironic look at nuclear war, its propaganda, politics, and, finally, the ultimate cost. One could, in a sense, compare it to Calvin and Hobbes: a comic strip drawn crudely, but whose characters address deep issues on a regular basis. While the Cold War is over, this -- along with _The Day After_ -- is probably one of the best reminders of what it was like for those of us who lived through it, and a taste for those who were not yet aware of it.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. Sobering, thoughtful, and just terribly well done.