I first saw this film in the early 1970s. Since that time, the pathos of this story and the unforgettable, haunting score has remained with me. There's never, ever been anything quite like it for me.
I saw this film many years ago, and I consider it one of the essential early anti-nuclear films, along with Fail-Safe (1964) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). Another excellent novel of post-apocalyptic survival is Malevil (1972) by Robert Merle.
Saw it in a theater. Depressing as hell. Saw it with the beautiful young woman who became my wife. A major buzz-kill. For the nerds: Waltzing Matilda is written in four; waltzes are written in three. Don't know if it was intentional.
Yes, it was part of what post-WWII gen. grew up with and why tossing around "nukes" is terrifying. Maybe all the politicians should be in a room and forced to listen to Gold's score.
(Which turns out to be written by a Royal Navy captain.) The reviewers feel it is too long and too much of a slog (you think actual nuclear war would be a fucking cakewalk, honey? you maybe don't get that that's the point?), and too depressing, and uses too many words and so on. This is not making me think highly of the people writing reviews at good reads.
(Also, no, not the TV show, which is clear case of missing the point.)
The alternative best nuclear war book is about Daoism/Buddhism and nuclear war:
*I* think those are both good books in and of themselves. But they're not Hollywood formula so people get mad.
(Odd side effect I notice: that particular formula is so universalized, so ingrained that any divergence gets people talking about how horrible something is. Yo! Plots differ in real stories! Writers (directors/actors) do this sometimes! It has been heard of!)
"The score from the film on the beach uses Waltzing Matilda so haunting. I noticed the whole film is on you tube."
I learned that song young! And I always found it cheerful. (The book didn't age because it reflected the early 50's obsession with the idea that radiation would just accumulate, which it does, just not like that.)
What can I say, I have seen them all, pretty much.
(I just love the aphorisms in TABOTD, but he also quotes Ecclesiastes 4:5-6: "Better one hand full and piece of mind, than both fists full and toil that is chasing the wind."
A FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF KARMA: NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN.
BIRTH GOES WITH DEATH. FORTUNE GOES WITH MISFORTUNE. BAD THINGS FOLLOW GOOD THINGS. MEN SHOULD REALIZE THIS: MINIMUM BALANCE REQUIRED.
IN THIS FOUNTAIN OF MYSTERY, SPIRIT IS AVAILABLE IN ENDLESS SUPPLY. ANYONE CAN AVAIL HIMSELF OF IT FOR THE REFRESHMENT AND THE UNFOLDING OF THE GREATNESS OF THEIR OWN SPIRIT BY THE EARNEST PRACTICE OF CONCENTRATION: NO ONE REFUSED - YOUR CREDIT GOOD HERE - ASSIGNED RISKS TAKEN - SE HABLA ESPAGNOL.
I first saw this film in the early 1970s. Since that time, the pathos of this story and the unforgettable, haunting score has remained with me. There's never, ever been anything quite like it for me.
Same for me.....the fighting is done and we see none of that but the world wisps away.
As an Australian thanks for recommending one of our classics :-)
I remember this terrifying me as a 12 yr old
https://www.booktopia.com.au/when-the-wind-blows-raymond-briggs/book/9780140094190.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5-WRBhCKARIsAAId9Fm3YfkJYHZmatc6pW-tWZLeRxNcHgfJzGt_vsqooOL1yBKVYR17jgEaArhiEALw_wcB
Me too. I see that banging shutter in my nightmares and Fred Astaire racing, racing.
And thanks for When the Wind Blows notice.
MAURIPOL
https://youtu.be/3rZK7o-pyw8
I saw this film many years ago, and I consider it one of the essential early anti-nuclear films, along with Fail-Safe (1964) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). Another excellent novel of post-apocalyptic survival is Malevil (1972) by Robert Merle.
You made me think of this with the swagmen.
Saw it in a theater. Depressing as hell. Saw it with the beautiful young woman who became my wife. A major buzz-kill. For the nerds: Waltzing Matilda is written in four; waltzes are written in three. Don't know if it was intentional.
Yes, it was part of what post-WWII gen. grew up with and why tossing around "nukes" is terrifying. Maybe all the politicians should be in a room and forced to listen to Gold's score.
I never saw the movie, but I read the book. (I've read pretty much all of them, I think.)
For my money the best nuclear war novel is still The Last Ship:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/263501.The_Last_Ship
(Which turns out to be written by a Royal Navy captain.) The reviewers feel it is too long and too much of a slog (you think actual nuclear war would be a fucking cakewalk, honey? you maybe don't get that that's the point?), and too depressing, and uses too many words and so on. This is not making me think highly of the people writing reviews at good reads.
(Also, no, not the TV show, which is clear case of missing the point.)
The alternative best nuclear war book is about Daoism/Buddhism and nuclear war:
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?35145
Cover tagline: 'Become one with The Bomb and there is nothing to fear'.
Peppered with aphorisms from the (real imaginary) TABOTD (Book of Warnings):
'CHARLATANS WILL BE TAKEN FOR SAGES
A SECOND OF CARELESSNESS, A LIFETIME OF REGRET
A LIFETIME OF CARELESSNESS, A SECOND OF REGRET
SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY
NO CHILDREN, NO PETS
THE LIVING WILL ENVY THE DEAD'
Of course, the book came out as a paperback original, and then went out of print. Whaddi expect, right?
elm
🤯😜👻
People should read all of these books. They aren't afraid now. Thanks for the recommendations. One can never be too complacent.
The score from the film on the beach uses Waltzing Matilda so haunting. I noticed the whole film is on you tube.
*I* think those are both good books in and of themselves. But they're not Hollywood formula so people get mad.
(Odd side effect I notice: that particular formula is so universalized, so ingrained that any divergence gets people talking about how horrible something is. Yo! Plots differ in real stories! Writers (directors/actors) do this sometimes! It has been heard of!)
"The score from the film on the beach uses Waltzing Matilda so haunting. I noticed the whole film is on you tube."
I learned that song young! And I always found it cheerful. (The book didn't age because it reflected the early 50's obsession with the idea that radiation would just accumulate, which it does, just not like that.)
So is Twilight's Last Gleaming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight%27s_Last_Gleaming - Burt Lancaster!) and By Dawn’s Early Light ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_Dawn%27s_Early_Light ).
What can I say, I have seen them all, pretty much.
(I just love the aphorisms in TABOTD, but he also quotes Ecclesiastes 4:5-6: "Better one hand full and piece of mind, than both fists full and toil that is chasing the wind."
A FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF KARMA: NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN.
BIRTH GOES WITH DEATH. FORTUNE GOES WITH MISFORTUNE. BAD THINGS FOLLOW GOOD THINGS. MEN SHOULD REALIZE THIS: MINIMUM BALANCE REQUIRED.
IN THIS FOUNTAIN OF MYSTERY, SPIRIT IS AVAILABLE IN ENDLESS SUPPLY. ANYONE CAN AVAIL HIMSELF OF IT FOR THE REFRESHMENT AND THE UNFOLDING OF THE GREATNESS OF THEIR OWN SPIRIT BY THE EARNEST PRACTICE OF CONCENTRATION: NO ONE REFUSED - YOUR CREDIT GOOD HERE - ASSIGNED RISKS TAKEN - SE HABLA ESPAGNOL.
)
elm
ok, time to shut up