When the Wind Blows

Jim and Hilda Bloggs are the typical, retired couple in rural England. They drink endless cups of tea and have an unwavering faith in the wisdom of their government. They understand that a Third World War is imminent between the US and the Soviets. However, they fail to grasp the concept that war will be fought by nuclear means, and what consequences this will have. With the help of government issued pamphlets Jim builds a shelter to protect the couple, and although they survive a nuclear blast they are completely ignorant to the fact that the radiation from the fall out is killing them. All the time they believe in their government and that, sooner rather than later, everything will be back to the way it was...

“It’s best to watch in autumn. Make sure it’s cold out, at least 56 degrees Fahrenheit. David Bowie was set to record the entire tracklist for this film, but ended up having to drop the project to focus on his then upcoming album Never Let Me Down. What would it have been? Would these images of a water colored elderly couple stricken with the entropy of radiation change? Or the stillness of a dollhouses which is shambled and collapsing? These illustrations of a future reflection of an atomic age are now a window into a world of comfortable carnage. What Bowie left behind for this world was the title track, and when this refuge of his promise blows life into these images, one feels the shivering outside roll throughout the body.” -- Staff Pick by Max Goodman, usher

Screening as part of our Staff Picks 2025 series