|
A High Wind in Jamaica | 
 enlarge | Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Actors: Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, Nigel Davenport
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $7.51
You Save: $7.47 (50%)
New (42) Used (14) from $6.20
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 26080
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 2220821
UPC: 024543108214
EAN: 0024543108214
ASIN: B0001I56FK
Theatrical Release Date: 1965
Release Date: April 20, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Loved this! November 16, 2007
Dexter D. (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a child I watched this movie over and over every chance I got. I was thrilled to find it available on DVD for our kids - who love Pirates, but don't need to see many of the brutal works out today.
Unique, interesting, & surprising adventure. October 8, 2007
R. Christenson (Pine, CO USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I recently read the novel A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes, and found the book sort of a cross between Treasure Island and Huckleberry Finn, the former because the plot concerns children in the hands of pirates; but the style is more humorous and sophisticated, reminding me a bit of Twain, though more cynical, almost like Lord of the Flies.
The first quarter of the novel covers the lives of the Thornton children in Jamaica in the mid-nineteenth cetury. Most of that is absent from the movie, which starts with a hurricane. Then the children set sail for England and are kidnapped by pirates, and suspense builds through the rest of the film, along with a good deal of humor, some cynical, and some mildly shocking events - one accident and later an even more serious crime than piracy. The children, unsupervised, appear to be turning more evil than their pirate hosts. Unusual and amusing events depicted are just surprising enough to ring true.
This film version starring Anthony Quinn and James Coburn (as the pirates) follows the novel reasonably well, but as is always the case in adaptations the viewer can't experience the depth of the narrative, and some of the characters are not even established, let alone developed. I felt I might not have followed the story had I not read the book. However, there is a line at the end of the film that helps drive the point home, when a cab driver ironically tells Mr. Thornton that he must be proud of his children.
Overall the film is unique and interesting, a good find if you're tired of the same old formulae.
A High Wind In Jamaica September 2, 2007
Kay Cox (New Zealand)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you are a fan of high sea adventure this is the one for you it has a bit of comedy in this may this be your next buy in the high seas
 Not quite savage enough October 17, 2006
Trevor Willsmer (London, England)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
A major influence on John Milius' The Wind and the Lion (Milius would even cast its leading child actress, Deborah Baxter, in his film), Alexander Mackendrick's film of A High Wind in Jamaica is a little too safe for too much of its running time to really capture the heart of childish darkness of the novel. It starts well with the white family praying to God and their black servants sacrificing a chicken in a voodoo ceremony as they both shelter from a fierce storm in the basement of their plantation building, setting up the conflict not just between different cultures but also the generations with the innocent and indifferent fascination children have with the things their elders find most repellent. Yet when they find themselves accidental hostages of Anthony Quinn and James Coburn's pirates, their childish games driving the superstitious crew ever closer to mutiny and the story closer to tragedy, it's somewhat undermined by the fact that these pirates are a surprisingly passive and well behaved lot. Yet when it finally does move into darker waters, it's surprisingly powerful and effective, and there's a real sense of loss to the ending. If the film occasionally threatens to go all Disney on you and isn't up to the standard of Mackendrick's best work, it does share his understanding of how children really behave with films like Mandy, and it also features a surprisingly beautiful full orchestral score by Larry Adler.
Fox's DVD is a good one, boasting a fine widescreen 2.35:1 and panned-and-scanned fullscreen transfers, trailer and trailers for The Black Swan, Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World and Pirates of Tortuga.
Nice little surprise! August 15, 2006
Jonathan M. Norberg (Grand Forks, ND)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was a very pleasant surprise for me. I expected a somewhat cheap and mediocre movie based partially on the fact that I had never heard of the movie before. However, there are two good stars to anchor the film, and the young supporting cast (particularly Deborah Baxter) steals the show.
The basic gist is that a group of kids accidentally end up on a pirate ship where Anthony Quinn is the captain and James Coburn is his right hand man. While they are pirates, they are somewhat lovable, and their reaction to the kids makes them quite endearing. The kids are quite innocent and funny, and of course they create havoc aboard the ship.
Emily (played by Baxter) is wonderful as a cute little girl who kind of takes charge among the kids. She flashes back and forth between being a typical little kid who does silly stuff and being quite grown up. Ultimately, she and Quinn form the primary characters in the movie, and both characters win their way into your heart.
The ending is somewhat surprising (at least it was for me), but it is a very solid ending to top off this very good little film. Not sure why this film remains hidden from view. Very underrated
|
|
|
| |
