August 19th: A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (Alexander Mackendrick, 1965)

British Colonial children sent back on a ship to England are captured by a gang of pirates en route.

Richard Hughes' 1929 novel A High Wind In Jamaica met with controversy for its violent depiction of children in peril, but its popularity and acclaim inspired stage and radio adaptations, and is considered a major influence on William Golding's classic Lord Of The Flies.

Popular actor James Mason sought to produce a film version of the story in the 1950s but was unsuccessful. Eventually the project fell into the hands of Scottish director Alexander Mackendrick, known best for his comedies with Alec Guinness at the famed Ealing Studios.

Despite having a ready screenplay by veteran writer Nunnally Johnson, Mackendrick felt it was not faithful enough to Hughes' book, and commissioned a rewrite from a team that included Ronald Harwood  (The Pianist).

The cast includes Oscar-winners Anthony Quinn and Lila Kedrova, James Coburn, Dennis Price, child actors Deborah Baxter (picked out of 1,000 applicants) and Martin Amis (later a prominent novelist), and Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger).

The film was shot entirely at Pinewood Studios in England, with stock footage used for the wider sailing shots.  Behind the camera was cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (The Indiana Jones trilogy).

Despite being edited down considerably by the studio for greater mass appeal, the film was a  box office failure with a mixed critical reception. A growing cult following has risen in the intervening years in support of its dark, ironic tone.

Running time is approx. 100 minutes.