*Spoiler alert* This is a wonderful, if somewhat disturbing, kids film. I'd heard a lot about it and am a huge fan of the great Alexander Mackendrick, so I bought the DVD and it certainly didn't let me down. It's definitely one out of the box, though, because while it has an adventurous tone and concept, it has its fair share of grim moments - when the drunk monkey falls to its death (brilliantly and blackly capping the kind of moment that would be found in a Disney film) I knew I was in for something unusual. I can't think of another kids movie that goes into the kind of territory that this one does. Its main theme seems to be about the transition from the innocent childhood world into the murky, dangerous and complex adult world. It's a rare kids film indeed where one of the young boys dies in a tragic accident and the main pirate character, whom we and the kids have grown to love, meets his ultimate fate on the gallows. I love the fact that the makers didn't shy away from sugar coating the world the kids have dropped into, and the fact that something bad may happen to them at any point, and their baffled, slightly uncomprehending reaction to their new world, adds a level of tension and unexpected pathos to the proceedings. The direction and cinematography are tremendous (the film was shot by the great Dougie Slocombe) and the kids are astonishing. How Mackendrick managed to get the performances that he did is amazing, and it's a shame that Deborah Baxter (as Emily) didn't go on to do more movies. The final shot, where the model ship is floating away across a pond in a London park, is a brilliant and moving image to suggest that Emily's childhood is over and forever drifting away from her. This is highly recommended and it's a shame it isn't more widely known.
Review of A High Wind in Jamaica
