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guitarnoise65
Reviews
Whistle Down the Wind (1961)
The very best
This is my all-time favorite film. It's as close to perfect as a film can be. I first discovered it in 1991, and I was captured and held spellbound by this unpretentious and realistic tale of a group of English children who discover a fugitive murderer hiding in their barn, and believe him to be Jesus Christ. It was an intelligent, entirely believable, charming and powerful film that affected me profoundly.
I managed to dub a VHS tape of it, and watched it over and over again until I practically knew it by heart. I still watch it a couple times a year, and it still moves me to tears and yet leaves me smiling. I cannot explain with words the feelings and emotions it stirs within me.
And not just the story itself, but the whole world of this film is appealing to me, stark and grim though it can appear at times. I don't know if this rural English countryside exists anymore, but I wish I could walk along the crest of that magnificent hill in the early Spring, listening to the birds, and hearing the wistful music of Whistle Down The Wind in my head. Corny? Certainly, but I don't care. I should like to live in this world.
In the meantime, I'll watch the film again, and cry and laugh and believe and hope with these children again.