This film is currently unavailable
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_480x270/public/hero-images/when-the-wind-blows.jpg?itok=rw-jzorP)
When the Wind Blows
A middle-aged couple prepare for nuclear war in this humorous and macabre cautionary tale, adapted by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman) from his best-selling book.
Director: Jimmy Teru Murakami
Overview
Jim and Hilda Bloggs (Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft) are a middle-aged couple, who believe that the British government is in control as they prepare for Nuclear War. When the countdown begins they roll up their shirtsleeves and follow government guidelines that were actually distributed to households around Britain in the 1970s. They paint their windows white, build a fortress of doors and pillows, take the washing in and put away two packets of ginger nuts, one tin of pineapple chunks and a good supply of tea.
This cautionary tale is both humorous and macabre in its consideration of one of the most horrific possibilities of modern life. When the Wind Blows is a story about love, tenderness, humanity and hope. Adapted by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman) from his best-selling book, When the Wind Blows features an original soundtrack by Roger Waters, and a title song by David Bowie.
Related
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Robot-Dreams-01.jpg?itok=W9QH_7U3)
Robot Dreams Robot Dreams
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 103 mins Director: Pablo Berger
Spanish director Pablo Berger delivers a rich and emotionally engaging dialogue-free animation about friendship, set in a bustling 1980s New York City.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Blind-Willow-Sleeping-Woman_1920-3.jpg?itok=-FGL2AGh)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2022 108 mins Director: Pierre Földes
Impressive and captivating animated adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short stories.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/times-for-1970-veil-woman.jpeg?itok=3cJvcV__)
Times For Times For
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1970 80 mins Silent Director: Stephen Dwoskin
Four characters go through a series of deeply emotional, psychedelic, sensual, sexual encounters, evoking the times and textures of the 1960s underground.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Estuary%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=1wl4neEL)
Estuary Estuary
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 49 mins Director: Chris Welsby
Tides rise and fall and the landscape twists around the camera.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/belle0.jpg?itok=Ql3Idumh)
Belle Belle
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2021 122 mins Director: Mamoru Hosoda
High-school student Suzu finds her voice in an incredible virtual world that allows everyday people to become extraordinary.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/flee-2021-1920x1080-brighter.jpg?itok=0LHFCQEU)
Flee Flee
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2021 83 mins Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, Flee is a testament to friendship, family and acceptance.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/promo251373815.jpg?itok=RsOQXigI)
Paddington Paddington
Children's 2014 95 mins Director: Paul King
Unexpectedly beautiful and bewitching return for the marmalade-loving bear with a sense of adventure.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/promo257099347.jpg?itok=ghE2Gjcd)
Chicken Run Chicken Run
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2000 84 mins Director: Peter Lord and Nick Park
Mel Gibson’s Rocky the rooster helps the chickens escape from fascistic farmers in Aardman Animations first foray into feature films.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/shaunthesheep_crop2.jpg?itok=Hpe0jkoj)
Shaun the Sheep Movie Shaun the Sheep Movie
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2014 85 mins Director: Richard Starzak and Mark Burton
Aardman returns with another delightful animation for young and old, telling the story of Shaun’s adventures in the big city after Farmer is led astray.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Men%2520of%2520Merit%25201%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=fuO-U6mb)
Men of Merit (a Lantern Lecture) Men of Merit (a Lantern Lecture)
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1948 4 mins
Vibrant, progressive animation contrasts with some outdated attitudes in this Electricity Council cartoon on energy usage
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Do%2520I%2520Detect%2520a%2520Change%25202%252C%2520cropped.jpg?itok=vCARjc4H)
Do I Detect a Change in Your Attitude? Do I Detect a Change in Your Attitude?
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 7 mins Director: Vera Linnecar
An alternative cartoon cat and mouse chase produced by a trio of pioneer women animators
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/padd-2-2.jpg?itok=iGCmj-PK)
Paddington 2 Paddington 2
Children's 2017 103 mins Director: Paul King
Britain’s favourite bear returns for another adventure. Porridge rather than marmalade looks set to be Paddington's new staple after he's framed for a robbery, unless the Brown family can help solve the mystery.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/13862a6f6c06c02ccefea42d72823e16_0.jpg?itok=uAHo7dfV)
Brown on Resolution Brown on Resolution
War 1935 71 mins Director: Walter Forde
Walter Forde’s 1935 war drama stars a young John Mills as the illegitimate son of a naval officer who brings down a German cruiser in WWI.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/a2e6d60a5e66471ab43d70b35f541775_0.jpg?itok=AG1xxym0)
The October Man The October Man
Drama 1947 95 mins Director: Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker directs John Mills and Joan Greenwood in this mystery noir about an amnesiac implicated in the murder of a young woman.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/7d0c5d76547275c6cb8a8065b54a0bdc.jpg?itok=DobVmgOG)
The Green Cockatoo The Green Cockatoo
Action and Adventure 1940 64 mins Director: William Cameron Menzies
From an original scenario by Graham Greene, this is a neat crime thriller about a girl (René Ray) who witnesses a murder, becomes a suspect herself, and gets mixed up with a sleazy Soho gangster (John Mills).
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/55f89e1a2ff1526af17d1babdca8c11f.jpg?itok=3BDREm4u)
Scott of the Antarctic Scott of the Antarctic
Historical drama 1948 110 mins Director: Charles Frend
This tale of adventure and daring was one of Ealing Studio’s most ambitious features, beautifully shot by Jack Cardiff with a Vaughan Williams score.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/5724593c75387fa8bc5c077b03a8a5af.jpg?itok=aPuD-g1R)
Flame in the Streets Flame in the Streets
Drama 1961 93 mins Director: Roy Ward Baker
John Mills stars as a progressive union leader who is confronted with his own internal prejudices when his daughter brings her West Indian boyfriend home.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/2da1e2af786e936ce907d972c960b800.jpg?itok=CSc4qts6)
Waterloo Road Waterloo Road
War 1945 76 mins Director: Sidney Gilliat
John Mills is the soldier who goes AWOL upon hearing of his wife’s affair, returning home to confront Stewart Granger’s home-wrecking spiv.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Green-Border-01.jpg?itok=-YVcr1Za)
Green Border Green Border
Drama 2023 152 mins
Three-time Oscar-nominee Agnieszka Holland returns with a powerful, timely and unflinching exploration of the current migrant crisis.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Our-River-our-sky-01.jpg?itok=p9xO8tL8)
Our River... Our Sky Our River... Our Sky
War 2021 118 mins Director: Maysoon Pachachi
A small Baghdad community searches for hope in the face of unpredictable violence, turmoil, and loss.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/LoveLiesBleeding-01_brighter.jpg?itok=Ji_gwS-r)
Love Lies Bleeding Love Lies Bleeding
Romance 2023 104 mins Director: Rose Glass
Rose Glass’s gripping and gory follow-up to Saint Maud finds a lesbian couple drawn into a web of violence in 1980s small-town New Mexico.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/sick-of-myself-01.jpeg?itok=6WYKe_5g)
Sick of Myself Sick of Myself
Comedy 2022 97 mins Director: Kristoffer Borgli
She just did what! Attention-seeking Signe will do anything to keep the focus on herself, in this wildly demented comedy.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/wilding-02.jpg?itok=AmImzKtl)
Wilding Wilding
Documentary 2023 75 mins Director: David Allen
A dying landscape is healed against all odds, going on to thrive in astonishing ways, in this hopeful story of ecological regeneration.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/AHouseInJerusalem-01.jpg?itok=9SyTSTlz)
A House in Jerusalem A House in Jerusalem
Drama 2022 104 mins Director: Muayad Alayan
After moving from the UK to Jerusalem, young Rebecca strikes up a mysterious and an unlikely friendship, in this poignant tale of loss and longing.