A High Wind in Jamaica

For my one hundredth post for this website, I will peruse the 1965 pirate film A High Wind in Jamaica, directed by Alexander Mackendrick of The Ladykillers fame. Not only was this movie warmly recommended to me by various people (not the least DVD Savant), but I was also intrigued by the prospect of Anthony Quinn and James Coburn as pirates, and the film's supposed source of inspiration for The Wind and the Lion (and certain other pirate films as well). To say the movie disappointed me would be rather a large understatement; I'll admit that a not-very-good DVD didn't help matters, but the film itself just wasn't that interesting.

The film's plot, based on a Richard Hughes novel, tells the story of a group of British children, the Thorntons. Living on Jamaica proves rough for the children; fearing bad weather and the odds that they'll "go native", their overprotective parents (Nigel Davenport and Isabel Dean) send them back to England on a steamer. On the way there, their ship is plundered by a pirate crew led by Captain Chavez (Anthony Quinn). Completely oblivious to what's going on, the children - particularly the oldest daughter Emily (Deborah Baxter) - strike a bond with the affable Captain Chavez, while first mate Zac (James Coburn) and his superstitious crew try to persuade the Captain to get rid of the children. The situation comes to a head as the Royal Navy closes in on the pirates, leading to a confrontation between Captain and First Mate.

A High Wind in Jamaica seems to have all the trappings of a fun, rollicking adventure film, but it never quite achieves take-off velocity. After an overlong scene-setting storm at the beginning, the film's plot slowly lurches forward, never really picking up the pace or generating humor, excitement or even interest. The pirates make Jack Sparrow and company seem like The Wild Bunch; they're cuddly, superstitious but mostly ineffectual and harmless cartoon pirates who barely even raise a sword or gun in anger. Thus, there's no real menace, and the film quickly devolves into 100 minutes of the kids goofing off, Anthony Quinn reacting, and James Coburn reacting to Quinn's reactions. There just isn't enough there to generate interest; it remains curiously flat, distant and uninvolving. Potentially interesting scenes are short-circuited; we spend too little time in the pirate port of Tampico, just long enough for one character to meet a grisly end, and the film completely cheats the viewer by omitting or skimming over the action/adventure bits (but more on that later). The pirates are cartoons, the children are more or less indistinguishable from one another, and the supporting Brit cast not around long enough to make an impression. With no one to really invest ourselves in, it's really hard to find an entry point; and it's for this reason that the movie falters.

The location photography is gorgeous, particularly in the Cinemascope format, but Wind is curiously devoid of any action, adventure or excitement of any kind. The film is almost completely devoid of action, save a scuffle here or there or several endless scenes of the ship sailing. I don't mean to sound like a pleb but if I'm watching a goddamned pirate movie I expect something in the way of action, be it a few. But no, the film's two big battle scenes occur completely off-screen. It's not like violence was a concern, as several kids (and a pet monkey) meet less than wholesome ends; I imagine budget, rather than desire to be kid-friendly, prevented this from being shown. Whatever the reason, the film suffers greatly for it.

The film's cast is criminally wasted. Anthony Quinn and James Coburn, two of the most macho tough guys out there, are left playing one-note cartoons. This is a real shame, as the prospect of Quinn and Coburn as cut-throat brigands was really appealing. Quinn plays his usual lovable rogue type perfected in Zorba the Greek and Lawrence of Arabia, with some nice, tender scenes with Deborah Baxter, but Coburn does little more than grimmace, glower, and whine. The fine supporting cast - Nigel Davenport, Isabel Dean, Kenneth J. Warren, Dennis Price and Lila Kedrova - are reduced to virtual bit parts. Gert Frobe has a near-unrecognizable bit part as a Dutch captain who runs afoul of the pirates. I will say that the child actors are pretty good, or at least tolerable and not as annoying as most tend to be, with the beautiful Deborah Baxter standing out as the main girl Emily. Her only onscreen role would be a small part in The Wind and the Lion, as teenaged Alice Roosevelt. (But don't let me tell her story, check out her website.) A pity, as she's quite beautiful (as creepy as it seems to be saying that about an adolescent girl) and has a good amount of talent.

Overall, A High Wind in Jamaica was a huge let-down. Granted, having a scratched and worn DVD that froze at several points didn't make for an ideal viewing experience, but the film itself didn't have that much to offer.

Rating: 5/10