Whistle Down the Wind is a 1961 British crime film directed by Bryan Forbes, and adapted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Mary Hayley Bell. The film stars her daughter, Hayley Mills, who was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress and an Academy Juvenile Award for Walt Disney's Pollyanna (1960).
Blurb
After a confusing exchange with a strange man (Alan Bates) the Bostock children find hiding in their family barn, Kathy Bostock (Hayley Mills) and her young siblings jump to the conclusion that the man -- in reality an escaped killer -- is none other than Jesus Christ. Excitement erupts as word spreads among the children in their small farming community in northwest England. Adult skepticism abounds, until their father (Bernard Lee) catches wind of the tale and begins to investigate.
In 2005, the British Film Institute included it in their list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
The Plot
The plot follows the lives of three Lancashire farm children who discover a bearded fugitive (the Man/Arthur Blakey) hiding in their barn and mistake him for Jesus Christ. They come to this conclusion because of their Sunday School stories and Blakey's shocked exclamation of 'Jesus Christ!' when the eldest child accidentally discovers him. Blakey—initially confused about why the three Bostock children are eager to protect him from adult discovery—makes no attempt to correct their mistake, especially when he discovers the eldest child, Kathy, is
determined to keep him hidden from the local police, despite the posters circulating in the nearby town that reveal he is wanted for murder.
Most of the children in the community eventually find out that Blakey/'Jesus' is living in the Bostocks' barn, complicating Kathy's task. When the secret finally reaches Mr. Bostock (Kathy's father), the police are called in to apprehend the criminal.
The children of the village, now in on the secret, converge on the barn. Convinced that she has failed Jesus, Kathy sneaks behind the barn and apologizes to Blakey for being unable to protect him. He forgives her and, after much prompting from her, promises she will see him again. Resigned to his fate, Blakey tosses his handgun out of the barn door and surrenders to the police.
Once Blakey is taken away and the crowd disperses, Kathy is approached by two very young children who ask to see Jesus. She tells them that they missed him this time, but he will be back one day.
Production (Briefly)
The novel was published in 1959. Mary Hayley Bell (Lady Mills) based her novel of the three children on her own children, including Hayley Mills. The novel was turned into a stage play prior film rights were bought by Bryan Forbes and Richard Attenborough, who had moved into film production. They were friends of Hayley's parents (Sir John Mills and Mary Bell) and secured Hayley Mills to play the lead. She had just made Pollyanna for Disney.
The film contrasts the children's innocent faith with the pragmatic and suspicious adults in the town. It is heavy in allegory as many of the characters and events parallel those found in historical
Christian literature. In one scene, a child is mocked and beaten into denying he had seen Jesus. After the boy's third denial, a train whistle is heard (representing Peter's denial in Luke 22). The strains of 'We Three Kings'
can be discerned in the score as Kathy, her brother and sister march with the food 'gifts' they have acquired for the man in the 'stable'. They are spotted and followed by a group of country children (shepherds). The early core of children who are in on the secret number a dozen and are specifically called the Disciples in the film credits.
The secret comes out at the end of a children's party (Last Supper). When apprehended, Blakey is immediately frisked by police; his arms outstretched at his sides, a clear reference to the Crucifixion.
Alan Bates, in his first starring film role, played the man in the barn. Local schoolchildren from the Lancashire villages around Burnley and Clitheroe were used as extras; children from Chatburn Primary School played the 'disciples'. The theme music by Malcolm Arnold became a classic.
(Sorry, the film video is no longer available at YouTube. / noted: February 22, 2025)
The Casting and Crew of Whistle Down the Wind
- Stars: Hayley Mills (Kathy Bostock), Alan Bates (The Man), Bernard Lee (Mr. Bostock), Norman Bird (Eddie), Elsie Wagstaff (Auntie Dorothy), Diane Holgate (Nan Bostock), Ronald Hines (Thurstow), Gerald Sim (Detective), Diane Clare (Sunday School Teacher), John Arnatt (Superintendent Teesdale), Hamilton Dyce (The Vicar), Howard Douglas (The Vet)
- Bryan Forbes - Director
- Richard Attenborough - Producer
- Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall - Screenwriter
- Mary Hayley Bell - Writer
- Malcolm Arnold - Music
- Max Benedict - Film Editing
- Arthur Ibbetson - Cinematographer
Production company was Beaver Pictures, distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors.
Release date: July 20, 1961 (London)
Musical Adaptations
In 1984, rock group Toto used the plot of the film for their music video 'Stranger in Town'. The song is on their album Isolation.
In the late 1980s, Russell Labey and Richard Taylor adapted the film into a musical of the same name for the National Youth Music Theatre.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman later created a more commercial adaptation. Highlight songs from their musical version are 'Vaults of Heaven', 'Whistle Down the Wind', and 'No Matter What', which became a very successful Boyzone hit.
(Video:
Whistle Down the Wind in Bryan Forbes 1961 Film,
Part 1/2,
Part 2/2, starring Hayley Mills & Alan Bates. YouTube, uploaded by Miirdza. Accessed February 17, 2019.) Music: the folksong "Donna, Donna, Donna" violin & piano.
Film Reception
The film had its World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square on July 20, 1961. It played there for 3 weeks, ending its run on August 9, three days after it began its general release in the London area.
The film was favourably reviewed upon its original release, including praise from
The New York Times. The film was nominated for four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards:
- Best British Actress, Hayley Mills
- Best British Film, Bryan Forbes
- Best British Screenplay, Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
- Best Film from any Source, Bryan Forbes
By September 1961 Rank were reporting the film was "exceeding expectations" commercially. The film was the 8th most popular film at the UK box office in 1961. Others popular at the time included Swiss Family Robinson, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Carry on Regardless, The Rebel and The Long and the Short and the Tall.
By 1971, it had earned a profit of over £240,000. Bryan Forbes later
said it was the most popular and profitable film he ever made.
In 2005, the British Film Institute included it in their list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
Image Credit:
Whistle Down the Wind Poster. From en.Wikipedia.org. Note for fair use: The poster is derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the Film Poster (creator
of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent
images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film
company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless. Accessed July 23, 2023.
Video Credit:
Whistle Down the Wind. YouTube, uploaded by Yami BazFM. Accessed July 23, 2023.
Resources:
Whistle Down the Wind (Film). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed April 30, 2013
Whistle Down the Wind. IMDb. Accessed April 30, 2013
Whistle Down the Wind. (Plus on-going reviews) RottenTomatoes.com. Accessed April 30, 2013
(c) July 2013. Updated July 23, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
