A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA

UK, 1965, 103 Minutes, Colour.
Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Benito Carruthers, Lila Kedrova, Kenneth J. Warren, Nigel Davenport.
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick.

A High Wind in Jamaica is engaging pirate material. Directed by the Scottish Alexander Mackendrick who had done very well with Whisky Galore and The Man in the White Suit and The Ladykillers amongst other films in England in the 40s and 50s, had had a mixed career in Hollywood. He made The Sweet Smell of Success in 1957, a very effective satire on big business. He made The Odd Don't Make Waves in 1967. In the meantime he created this period pirate adventure where the focus is on the children who are captured by the pirates and the effect that they have on the pirates. Anthony Quinn and James Coburn work well together as the pirates. It is an exciting period piece of adventure.

1. The quality of this pirate adventure? As a fable?

2. The importance of colour, Cinemascope, sea spectacle, period costumes and sets?

3. How credible was the basic plot, the characterization? Was this important for the ultimate themes?

4. The opening with the hurricane, the plight of the family, the reactions of the children, Emily especially and her searching for the cat? How did this prepare us for the action adventure and the way the children would behave?

5. What did we learn of the children and their background from seeing their parents? The children well behaved? Their going on the voyage and going back to England? What did audiences expect of them during the voyage? How was this fulfilled, not fulfilled?

6. The atmosphere of adventure in the capture of the ship by the pirates, atmosphere, violence? The first impressions of Captain Chavez and the pirates?

7. What kind of man was Chavez? Why was he a pirate? His motivations, his greed? His relationship with Zac, with the rest of the crew? His interrogations, torture, use of violence, even threatening the lives of the children for the sake of getting information? The search for the money and the Captain's ultimate capitulation? The fact that Chavez was growing old in his pirate's life? Was he prepared for the encounter with the children?

8. How shrewd a character was Zac? Why was he a pirate, his friendship with Chavez, loyalty and advice? His handling of the crew, his attitudes towards the children?

9. How interesting were the children in themselves? Did the film clearly delineate their characters? The elder girl, Emily, John and the other boys? Their attitude towards their captivity? Their fear, their fearlessness? Their seeing it in some ways as a game? Their reaction to the shooting, telling off the pirates in an innocent, childlike way etc.? Emily and her impact on the crew?

10. The contrast with their behaviour in the town? The life of the 19th century West Indies town, people, behaviour, moral attitudes? The madam and her greed? The police? The accident of John's death and everybody's reaction to it?

11. The details of the children's behaviour in the town, eg. Emily going to post the letter etc.?

12. The importance of Emily's illness, the effect on Chavez, the effect on Zac, the rest of the crew? Chavez ready to sacrifice safety for the sake of the sick child? What had happened to him?

13. The repetition of adventure in the attack on the Dutch ship? The violence and confusion? Emily's illness and her fear, her killing of the Dutch captain? Audience response to this violence in the children? The effect on the other children?

14. The quick cutting to the trial? The effect on the children, especially Emily and her inability to repeat what had happened? The effect on the pirates? The reaction of the parents? The investigator and the details of his interrogation?

15. Did the audience expect the condemnation and the hanging? Zac's reaction, Chavez's acceptance of guilt for some crime?

16. How ironic was the final sequence: the death of the pirates not visualized, the children playing as normal? The impact of this on the audience and the highlighting of the themes?

17. How did the film use the action adventure for an understanding of human nature, behaviour, and the nature of children?